- "Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend." But before he was a legend, this legendary warrior was an ordinary panda named Po (Jack Black). Working for his father (James Hong) in a noodle shop, Po dreams of defeating scores of ninjas with sheer "bodacity." In his waking hours, however, Po's girth makes it tough for him to squeeze between tables at their restaurant, and he nearly has a heart attack climbing the steps to the Jade Palace. Despite these physical shortcomings, Po is such a devoted fan of the martial arts that he would never miss the selection of the next Dragon Warrior by the ancient kung fu master, Oogway (Randall Duk Kim). Presumably it will be one of the "Furious Five," each of whom has been trained to perfection by the stern Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffmann). If only Po could get into the arena...
- As was perhaps obvious from the film's title and the beautifully stylized 2D opening sequence, the next Dragon Warrior ends up being none other than Po himself. His attempts to scale the walls of the arena culminate in a rocket chair ride that sounds like something from the Darwin Awards, producing an unexpected trajectory that plops him right in front of Master Oogway. But wasn't his selection an accident? "There are no accidents," Oogway responds, in a stereotypically Confucian manner. Needless to say, the Furious Five are...well, furious. Shifu and the others tolerate Master Oogway's decision, but after humiliating Po in sparring matches and an obstacle course ("there is now a level zero," Shifu admits), everyone expects that the panda will be gone by morning.
- But of course he isn't gone. Po may be undisciplined when it comes to his appetite, but he can take a beating with the best of them. Eventually, his resolve impresses Shifu and the Five enough that they warm up to him, but danger looms in the Dragon Warrior's future. It seems that the dastardly Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has escaped from his absurdly high-security prison to seek revenge on his old master, Shifu. Fortunately, Shifu realizes that, in Po's case, the carrot is always preferable to the stick, leading to an immensely creative and humorous gastronomical training sequence. When Tai Lung defeats the Furious Five and his former master, however, it is unclear that this heroically pudgy panda will live long enough to become a legend.
- At the very least, Kung Fu Panda has the distinction of being the first really good CGI animated feature not to come out of the Pixar Studios. In fact, if it hadn't premiered in the same month as WALL-E, this easily would have been the best American animated feature of 2008. As it stands, Kung Fu Panda is simply a great martial arts action film with outstanding animation and, most surprisingly, a tremendous sense of humor. A lesser film would have had Po's father, a goose, laboriously explain the origin of his obviously adopted son's kung fu skills. This one turns that opportunity into a hilarious chance to pass down a secret noodle recipe. It is difficult to believe that the same studio that continues to churn out the Shrek series managed to create an affectionate homage to martial arts films that is simultaneously more clever and entertaining than most of its source material, all without resorting to cheap pop-culture references. I think the narrator sums it up best: "Never before had a panda been so feared...and so loved."
- Despite having only a few lines each, the Furious Five are: Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogan, Lucy Liu, David Cross, and Jackie Chan. Michael Clarke Duncan also provides the voice of the jailkeeper.
- The Furious Five are modeled after five animal styles of kung fu. Unfortunately, they didn't include drunken.
