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Most family films -- even the good ones -- follow one of several prepackaged themes. There's the classic fish out of water tale, misfits who blossom into beautiful swans, and various spins on the tale of the prodigal son. The only variables are which anthropomorphic animal is involved, and their backdrop.
It would have been far too easy for Kung Fu Panda to follow the family film formula, with the species of its character and his locale being the only thing to differentiate it from its colleagues. But the people behind Kung Fu Panda have a great love of kung fu cinema which shines through their production. We see this in the film's very first scene: a highly stylized, highly comical homage to the genre. If you enjoy the first five minutes, you can be confident you'll love the rest.
The story, of course, is still pedestrian at its core: a panda named Po (Jack Black) spends his days working for his father, whose great calling in life is to sell noodles. He wants this same fate for Po, but Po is enamored with kung fu; its practice, history, and relics. It is quite serendipitous, then, that he is alive to see the designation of the fabled Dragon Warrior -- a kung fu master of such skill that he or she is allowed to read from the Dragon Scroll, which is said to convey boundless wisdom and power.
It goes without saying that somehow, Po finds himself in the middle of all this, and before long is training alongside great warriors, making for a pitiable contrast. Worse still is that they're counting on him to stop Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a deadly warrior who's broken out of prison despite being held underground and restrained by a thousand guards.
There's nothing particularly special or unique about the film's setup, but it works when viewed as a fawning mimicry of kung fu films in general. Though it strays towards satire throughout its 92 minute runtime, it never loses its sense of admiration and respect and for the films that spawned it. This works in large part because it's not content to pay lip service to the "kung fu" in its title; it actually tries to thrill us with its battles, and it usually succeeds. Tai Lung's escape, for example, is brilliant and elaborate, and one of the film's several breathtaking action sequences.
What is particularly special and unique is the comedy, which is remarkably broad, yet still quirky. At one point, while trudging up a hill as part of his training, Po asks his master "Look, I know you're trying to be all mysterious and kung-foo-y, but can you tell me what we're doing?"
The voice work is often top-notch; Dustin Hoffman is perfect as the diminutive Master Shifu, and Black's comic sensibilities and talent for making ordinary phrases funny are on full display, often to a degree that would imply ad-libbing if the film weren't animated. Angelina Jolie's work as Tigress is not bad, per se, but doesn't quite suit the character's ambitious nature. McShane as Tai Lung is suitably gruff and fearsome, though he sounds a bit older than his on-screen counterpart.
Somehow, all the humor feels fresh and modern, but almost completely avoids the dated pop culture references that permeate other Dreamworks efforts. Give credit to writers Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel, who also worked together on King of the Hill and The George Carlin Show -- likely explaining the film's sometimes mature humor.
The comedy isn't the only thing that sets Kung Fu Panda apart, however; the animation is stunning. It goes without saying that the best animation is often the most recent, and as such it is increasingly the quality of an animated film's art direction that sets it apart. Thankfully, this is where Kung Fu Panda stands out. From vast underground prisons, to grand staircases, to layers of mountains obscured by mist, the film is easily among the most eye-pleasing in the history of computer generated animation. The physics and character models are superb, but the style of their world and the angles used to "shoot" it are unrivaled.
Kung Fu Panda is still a family film, and as such certain aspects of the story must follow a certain trajectory. But the film is as smart as it can be in following it, and does throw us a curve ball or two. It is a sharp, funny, gorgeously constructed family film that entertains on all levels, and still shows reverence for its source.
It would have been far too easy for Kung Fu Panda to follow the family film formula, with the species of its character and his locale being the only thing to differentiate it from its colleagues. But the people behind Kung Fu Panda have a great love of kung fu cinema which shines through their production. We see this in the film's very first scene: a highly stylized, highly comical homage to the genre. If you enjoy the first five minutes, you can be confident you'll love the rest.
The story, of course, is still pedestrian at its core: a panda named Po (Jack Black) spends his days working for his father, whose great calling in life is to sell noodles. He wants this same fate for Po, but Po is enamored with kung fu; its practice, history, and relics. It is quite serendipitous, then, that he is alive to see the designation of the fabled Dragon Warrior -- a kung fu master of such skill that he or she is allowed to read from the Dragon Scroll, which is said to convey boundless wisdom and power.
It goes without saying that somehow, Po finds himself in the middle of all this, and before long is training alongside great warriors, making for a pitiable contrast. Worse still is that they're counting on him to stop Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a deadly warrior who's broken out of prison despite being held underground and restrained by a thousand guards.
There's nothing particularly special or unique about the film's setup, but it works when viewed as a fawning mimicry of kung fu films in general. Though it strays towards satire throughout its 92 minute runtime, it never loses its sense of admiration and respect and for the films that spawned it. This works in large part because it's not content to pay lip service to the "kung fu" in its title; it actually tries to thrill us with its battles, and it usually succeeds. Tai Lung's escape, for example, is brilliant and elaborate, and one of the film's several breathtaking action sequences.
What is particularly special and unique is the comedy, which is remarkably broad, yet still quirky. At one point, while trudging up a hill as part of his training, Po asks his master "Look, I know you're trying to be all mysterious and kung-foo-y, but can you tell me what we're doing?"
The voice work is often top-notch; Dustin Hoffman is perfect as the diminutive Master Shifu, and Black's comic sensibilities and talent for making ordinary phrases funny are on full display, often to a degree that would imply ad-libbing if the film weren't animated. Angelina Jolie's work as Tigress is not bad, per se, but doesn't quite suit the character's ambitious nature. McShane as Tai Lung is suitably gruff and fearsome, though he sounds a bit older than his on-screen counterpart.
Somehow, all the humor feels fresh and modern, but almost completely avoids the dated pop culture references that permeate other Dreamworks efforts. Give credit to writers Glenn Berger and Jonathan Aibel, who also worked together on King of the Hill and The George Carlin Show -- likely explaining the film's sometimes mature humor.
The comedy isn't the only thing that sets Kung Fu Panda apart, however; the animation is stunning. It goes without saying that the best animation is often the most recent, and as such it is increasingly the quality of an animated film's art direction that sets it apart. Thankfully, this is where Kung Fu Panda stands out. From vast underground prisons, to grand staircases, to layers of mountains obscured by mist, the film is easily among the most eye-pleasing in the history of computer generated animation. The physics and character models are superb, but the style of their world and the angles used to "shoot" it are unrivaled.
Kung Fu Panda is still a family film, and as such certain aspects of the story must follow a certain trajectory. But the film is as smart as it can be in following it, and does throw us a curve ball or two. It is a sharp, funny, gorgeously constructed family film that entertains on all levels, and still shows reverence for its source.