Jack Black welcomes you to the world of Po, the cute yet out-of-shape panda who dreams of being a kung fu master in Kung Fu Panda.
Panda is an amusing story filled with humorous characters including legendary kung fu warriors whom Po idolizes. They are known as the "Furious Five," Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is the teacher who inspired them to become great so that one may become the exalted dragon warrior.
The dragon warrior will receive a special scroll meant to help him defeat Tai Lung (Ian McShane), an angry snow leopard who is on his way to destroy their village, the valley of peace. When Po is accidentally chosen as the dragon warrior, the five really do become furious, and they put their best effort into getting rid of him.
Though the storyline could have been more creative and original, the animation (actually 2-D at the beginning) in Panda make sit totally worth seeing. The setting and characters are beautiful and detailed.
Viewers are sure to be entertained by Po because he is Jack Black all the way. It’s always interesting that when a celebrity does the voice for an animated character as the character usually resembles the celebrity in some way. Po is no exception; he is Jack Black in panda form.
Po is the son of a bird (yes, a bird is his father) whose sole passion is selling noodles. His dream is that Po will someday take over the family business. But Po turns out to be that "unexpected hero" who, despite his clumsiness and huge appetite, "masters" the art of kung fu and proves he is worthy to be the dragon warrior. As the film plays, there’s no question that this will happen. It’s the characters’ actions and personalities that keep the viewer hooked and kind of distract from the cliched storyline.
Children and adults alike will enjoy Panda. Though it lacks an innovative narrative, the interesting characters make the film worth a trip to the theater.
