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As anyone who has heard the title knows, "Kung Fu Panda" is a movie about a panda who dreams of learning kung fu.
This panda is exuberant and high-spirited, yet everyone in his life seems to want to steer him away from his kung fu dreams. Known as Po, this panda is voiced by Jack Black, whose eager voice mirrors the bubbly personality of the bear. His happy spirit can never be broken, even when his jealousy-driven kung fu idols try to break him. His father, a noodle-selling duck, also tries to prevent Po from reaching his martial arts dream and pressures him to continue the family noodle business.
This movie conveys a strong message of believing in yourself and that anything is possible. Since this movie is geared toward children, the message is fitting and is delivered throughout the movie. Although the film was slightly predictable, I left the theater with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.
Many comical characters help carry the theme throughout this movie. One such character is Po's father, Mr. Ping. Voiced by James Hong, he has a caring personality, but his good intentions are often blindsided by his obliviousness to his son's dreams. Until Po blatantly tells his father of his kung fu dreams, Mr. Ping never realizes his son wants anything more than to continue the family business.
This voice actor easily fits into the style of the movie, which is set in China. However, this is to be expected since he seamlessly fit into the character list in Disney's "Mulan," a movie also set in China.
The parallels drawn between a young woman fighting in a Chinese army when women weren't allowed and an overweight panda fighting for his place in the world of kung fu don't seem obvious at first glance. However, when the message of fighting for your dreams what you take from the movie, it doesn't matter whether the fighter is a panda or a young woman; the theme remains.
Although the movie is computer-animated, real-life fighters were used in the cast. Martial arts legend Jackie Chan played Monkey, one of five kung fu masters in the movie. As his name suggests, he is, in fact, a monkey. These five are known as the "Furious Five" and are local heroes within their village.
Another of the five is Viper, a snake whose quick reflexes and dodging abilities make her an exemplary kung fu fighter. She is voiced by Lucy Liu, a former Charlie's Angel.Another voice actress is Angelina Jolie, who plays Tigress, the most strong-willed of the five. Jolie previously played such characters as Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider" and an assassin in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," thus making her a good fit in a movie dedicated to kung fu.
The other members of this group include Mantis, a praying mantis voiceed by Seth Rogen and Crane, voiced by David Cross.
These five masters of kung fu did not learn the art on their own; they were taught by a red panda named Master Shifu. His tiny stature does his amazing kung fu abilities no justice. With a surprisingly low voice (Dustin Hoffman), Shifu is a kung fu master whose harsh criticisms create the most powerful of fighters.
However, he is not perfect, and his faults are kindly pointed out to him by his master, a turtle named Master Oogway. Shifu has made terrible mistakes in the past and usually takes them out on his students. Throughout the movie he learns that however bad his mistakes are, they can be fixed. This a great message for children, but it reaches teenagers as well. Shifu also learns the importance of consequences for your actions, another message fitting for any audience member.
The overall cinematography and plot of this film are very thought-out and well-developed. Effective camera angles are used to portray the greatest action possible. The colors are vibrant, and the action is exciting. It's as realistic as a kung-fu fighting panda could be, but the movements of the animals, the shadows and all the incorporated visuals seem very life-like.
Some children vow never to grow up, but if Dreamworks keeps making movies as exciting as "Kung Fu Panda," no one will have to worry about losing their childhood spirit. Although I was skeptical at first of seeing a movie about a chubby panda that saves his village with his martial arts abilities, I was pleasantly surprised at the twists in the plot and recurring themes throughout. Because of this movie, I will always remember "there is no secret ingredient" to life.
E-mail: freestyle@lnpnews.com
