THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
I enjoy the saying of how heroes come in all shapes and sizes because there have been instances where it's been proven true. One of my favorite examples will always be Kung Fu Panda.
PLOT
The film follows a talking panda named Po who lives in the Valley of Peace with adopted father Mr. Ping. He loves the infamous martial artist and aspires to be a master like the Furious Five (Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Tigress & Viper), animals who are a master of the arts and live in the Jade Palace with their red panda mentor, Master Shifu. One day, Matser Oogway, the tortoise that founded kung fu, has a vision that former protege turned enemy, snow leopard Tai Lung, will break free from imprisonment and try to take for himself the dragon scroll, one that will grant limitless power to its reader. Wanting to prepare for the worst, he sends swan goose messenger Zeng (Dan Fogler) to warn Chorh-Gom prison where he is held to tighten security. As he waits for the message to be retailed, he holds a tournament to for the Five to determine the Dragon Warrior, the one prophesized to read the scroll. When Po hears about it, he tries to see for himself but makes it late on time. Still desperate to see his idols, he launches himself into the tournament by propelling himself with a chair and some fireworks. Once he reaches inside, townsfolk believe him to descend from the sky in a fireball. Oogway then proclaims him as the Dragon Warrior which shocks Shifu & the Five, and even Mr. Ping who barely knew of his son's interest with kung fu. It doesn't become easy for the panda to settle into the palace Shifu believes the proclamation to be an accident and the Five quickly dismiss him. He shares it to Oogway that it does bother him, but the tortoise gives him the encouragement which leads to him going through Shifu's harsh training. The Five would later befriend him when seeing his will & heart firsthand upon training. It is through the time of bond where Tigress admits Shifu's distance comes from the shame he has over Tai Lung's betrayal since he originally raised him from infancy. Reality kicks in when Shifu hears back from Zeng that Tai Lung still broke out as Oogway foresaw. He then tells his master his vision was right and is worried of the confrontation, but the tortoise suggests him to believe in Po before he suddenly ascends into the Spirit Realm. Shifu then tells the panda what has happened and what he is tasked to do, causing him to try running away in fear. When he tries convincing him to stay, Po calls him out on how much he wanted him to leave. The red panda does admit his intentions but then asks why he bothered staying. Po would then reply he was sure he would change him. But with Shifu not sure on how he can train him overnight, Tigress secretly leads the Five to go after Tai Lung on behalf of the dragon warrior and their master. By morning though, Po proves to be motivated by food to be capable of impressive physical feats of strength and agility. When Shifu discovers this firsthand, he is able to incorporate this into an innovative style of kung fu. The Furious Five would confront Tai Lung and fight him among a bridge, but the snow leopard would overpower him with a nerve strike technique, sparing only Crane who carries the team back to the palace. Knowing that the enemy is close, Shifu decides to grant Po the Dragon Scroll, but everyone is found confused upon opening it and discovering it to be blank. With the scroll appearing to have no power, Po and the Five evacuate the valley while Shifu chooses to fight Tai Lung alone. When Po reunites with Mr. Ping however, the latter shares he doesn't have a secret ingredient to his special soup. This has the panda realize things can be special with relief, inspiring him to go help Shifu. Upon reaching the palace again, Tai Lung has arrived and has pummeled the master. The snow leopard would be in disbelief that the panda is the Dragon Warrior, but the latter proves his worth when using his new styles against him. Tai Lung would be in disbelief when finding the scroll to be blank and fails to defeat his opponent when the latter uses the legendary technique, Wuxi Finger Hold, against him which causes him to be sent straight to the Spirit Realm. The Five and all who live in the valley honor him for saving them all. Po would then check on Shifu who appears to be resting while recovering from his wounds. The film would end with the two relaxing together before going out to eat.
THOUGHTS
Animated films definitely felt like a dime a dozen especially in the 2000s because the computerization effects raised the bar yearly. While Disney stood tall in 2008 with the likes of Bolt and Wall•E, it wasn't the only studio that came through with a compelling story for kids to see. Directors Mark Osborne & John Stevenson collaborate in making something that is incredibly entertaining in more ways than one. Years later, the animation remains so damn beautiful it's like a painting came to life and I wouldn't have it any other way as this would benefit the cinematography to capture stellar fight scenes. Whether it is the prison break, the bridge fight or the climactic battle at the Valley, they had my eyes glued throughout. And most of the jokes land when it comes to having a laugh. The laughter comes from the hilarious lead that is Po who is brought to life thanks to a now iconic voice performance out of Jack Black. Whether it is being worn out on all the stairs he has to climb, accidentally breaking an urn or being motivated by food to kick ass, he makes our smiles become the most genuine. We fall in love with this character so much (thus becoming a franchise in the process) because he sets the tone on how believing in yourself is the key to becoming the best version of yourself. Instead of being born a prophesized warrior, he became one overtime by embracing what makes him distinguishable. He deserves the mantle because he doesn't gloat on the belief he deserves it until he proves his worth. He knows there are others better than him off of training alone and idolizes everyone born for the life he dreamt of. All of this makes him the ideal protagonist to look up to and it's great to see him go through such an arc as the franchise developed. While he proved there was more than what met the eye, he doesn't make it as far as he does without those who inevitably took a chance on him. Dustin Hoffman definitely makes a relatable mentor out of Shifu because he mixes being stern with strict more than he thinks, which comes from how he has grief over his mistakes. He loved Tai Lung like a son, only to be ashamed of being responsible of both the rise & fall. From there, he didn't want to make the same mistake had he bonded with other students like the Five. He definitely didn't like Po because he's nowhere near the expectations he sets, which helps him accept greatness can come from the most unlikely places. Let alone, he doesn't take a chance on him had it not been his predecessor who picked him in the first place. Randall Duk Kim has us adore Oogway for bringing a reasonable vibe to things happening as is because he knew patience was the key to success. He was just as surprised as everyone else when he chose Po but he then decided to encourage him to find his groove because he knows he can't control everything. His death was such a shocker because Shifu and others needed his wisdom and guidance more than ever, yet it paved the way for them to give chance to what sounds impossible to believe. Had he not said it first, Shifu and the Five would not pay it forward. Speaking of which, the Five don't exactly come off groundbreaking of characters yet they stand out in their own ways. Seth Rogen is an unspoken badass as Mantis a bit pragmatic yet holds his own more than expected since he carried a bridge on his own, which is more cool than it is funny. Lucy Liu also makes Viper likable because she brought warmth when being the first to act sentimental towards Po, thus inspiring the rest of the Five to do the same. The icon Jackie Chan doesn't get a lot of lines, yet he had us become aware Monkey was the calmest which is a necessary feeling when mastering kung fu. David Cross expresses this unlikely nervousness as Crane which is a good feeling to have because it gives time to prepare for the worst. However, it was Angelina Jolie that brought the most interesting arc of the Five as Tigress. She is an overachiever because she strives to be the best and is rightfully jealous the burden of being Dragon Warrior is passed on to someone that isn't her. But like the others, she later accepts Po for who he is and respects him in proving her wrong. If there is something Dreamworks Animation is on par with when it comes to Disney, it's making a memorable villain and that's what you get when Tai Lung appears. Ian McShane clarifies that his arrogance comes from believing he would achieve something he never deserved in the first place. The feeling of being misled only enraged him and became a ferocious beast in the process; He couldn't stand the fact all that training would be for nothing in return. That is where he and Po differ because the former expects to be awarded whereas the latter does not. In the end, his brutality ended by one who had the purest of hearts. I love this movie with all my heart, but there’s things I’ve noticed upon rewatching that don’t age well to me. For starters, how did the ninja get in the bowl of soup? He was carrying radishes before he gave the bowl to a customer so I don’t see how he didn’t have it on him between cuts which is a bad continuity error if you ask me. Plus, there was no point for him to even bring the star with him to work because an accident like that would be bound to happen. That was honestly more confusing than Mr. Ping being able to reach Po’s back to put on his apron for him. Moving on, why doesn’t Oogway blow out the candles all at once like Shifu later would? I know it shows how different they are from patience alone but I don’t see the point in him ignoring a power he knows he can do. Tai Lung’s escape was a thrilling sequence, but I think his chances of escaping would’ve been slimmer if his chains were bolted down to the pillar he was on. And it was one thing to spare Crane to warn Shifu he was coming, but i don’t see the point in keeping the rest of the Five alive after the nerve strike. He has no idea how skilled Po would be, so he’s lucky he didn’t have to fight them again since they ended up evacuating the valley. Ignore this, then this movie will remain a blast throughout. In short, Kung Fu Panda is one of the best animated films from the 2000s for having all the heart that would be passed on for generations. If you prefer Dreamworks Animation over Pixar, you’ll definitely enjoy this as well.
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