Kung Fu Panda

Directed by: Mark Osborne and John Stevenson
Starring: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan
Running Time: 1h 32min

The best animated feature since Ratatouille, Kung Fu Panda is original, exciting, funny and wonderfully animated, and deserves to sit amongst some of the best animated films of our time. This is high praise, and deservedly so, coming from a lover of animated kids' fare, and kung fu film fighting. Going in with high expectations, i was thrilled to leave having all those expectations met, and then some.

What made Ratatouille so good is also what makes Kung Fu Panda stand out from the pack. It is its own film. It isn't trying to spoof on other films, it isn't delving in pop culture references, and it's not succumbing to the tired old family film pattern. It's establishing new characters that aren't derivatives of older ones, excepting for the fact that it is sticking true to the Kung Fu film stock characters, with much respect to the genre. This film isn't poking fun at Kung Fu films, it is faithfully having some fun within the genre.

The story line is typical, in that a young panda named Po, unhappy with his plight in life, dreams of something bigger. He gets the chance and makes the most of it in a startling way that teaches us that "there are no accidents". He is bestowed with the title of Dragon Warrior and must fulfill his destiny. The storyline is very faithful to Kung Fu legends, and unfolds at an excellent pace for adults and kids. All the elements that make a great Kung Fu film are in place, as well as what makes for a great animated adventure. The melding of the two genres is marvelously mastered, as though the perfect combination of the two have joined forces in an unbeatable yin-yang harmony. By bridging the best of both film worlds, Kung Fu Panda has elevated both genres to new heights.

The voice work is well cast and superbly suited for the film. Black's voice is easier to take without his typical insanity, as it's easier to watch him do his shtick as a lovable panda, and not a middle aged man. The Furious Five all make the most of their screen time, which can be expected from the talented bunch that they are. But the real great voice work comes from Hoffman, channelling his inner David Carradine as the mentor Shifu, and Kim as the wise old turtle Oogway. Their exchanges really ground the film's Kung Fu angle, and allow the silliness to float around the Chinese wisdom that gives the film its gravity.

Much of the levity comes from the panda and his attempts at action. The animated fighting that ensues is fine martial arts, quite literally, as the animated format allows the audience to experience Kung Fu in a way like never before. The moves are straight out of a chop socky fight fest, but the angles are purely animated impossibility, making it quite awesome to behold. The tag line couldn't be more accurate: Prepare for Awesomeness!

Grade: A