Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American animated martial arts comedy film directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger from a story by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is the first installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Starring Jack Black as the voice of the titular character, the film, set in a version of ancient China populated by anthropomorphic animals, centers on a bumbling giant panda named Po, a kung fu enthusiast living in the Valley of Peace. When the savage snow leopard Tai Lung is foretold to escape imprisonment and attack the Valley, Po is unwittingly named the "Dragon Warrior", a prophesied hero worthy of reading a scroll that has been intended to grant its reader limitless power.
The film began development in October 2004, and was initially conceived as a parody of martial arts films. However, director Stevenson decided instead to make an action-comedy wuxia film that incorporated the hero's journey narrative for the lead character. The project was announced in September 2005. As with most DreamWorks Animation films, the score for Kung Fu Panda was composed by Hans Zimmer, on this occasion collaborating with John Powell. Zimmer visited China to absorb the culture, and used the China National Symphony Orchestra as part of the scoring process.
Kung Fu Panda premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2008, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 6 by Paramount Pictures. It grossed $632 million on a budget of $130 million, making it the third most successful film of 2008 and the highest-grossing animated film of the year. It received positive reviews from critics, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, and the Golden Globe Awards.
The film's success spawned a multimedia franchise including three sequels. The first, Kung Fu Panda 2, was released in 2011.
Plot[]
In the Valley of Peace, a land in Ancient China inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, Master Shifu, a cranky red panda, learns from his mentor, Master Oogway, a wise tortoise who is the founder of kung fu and the Valley's spiritual leader, that he has predicted Shifu's former apprentice, the snow leopard Tai Lung, will escape and attack the Valley for the Dragon Scroll, an artifact granting limitless power that he was denied. In response, Shifu sends his palace goose assistant Zeng to strengthen security at Chorh-Gom Prison, where Tai Lung is held, and then holds a tournament to identify the Dragon Warrior, the prophesied hero worthy of reading the Scroll. A giant panda named Po, who helps his goose father Mr. Ping run their noodle restaurant but dreams of kung fu, arrives late to the tournament. Eager to see his idols, the Furious Five—Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis—a group of kung fu masters trained by Shifu, Po tries various ways to enter the arena, and decides to use a chair propelled by fireworks, but he unintentionally lands in front of the Five during the tournament as Oogway unexpectedly declares him the Dragon Warrior.
Shifu believes Oogway's choice is an accident, and the Five dismiss Po after a rough first day of training, leaving him dejected and considering quitting. However, Oogway encourages him to persevere through Shifu's challenging training, and Po gradually befriends the Five with his resilience and humor. Tigress reveals that Shifu's toughness comes from his shame over Tai Lung's betrayal and having raised him as an infant. Meanwhile, Tai Lung uses one of Zeng's feathers to escape, eliminating the prison guards and sending Zeng back. Learning the bad news from Zeng, Shifu warns Oogway, who makes Shifu promise to believe in Po as the Dragon Warrior and names him his successor before ascending to the Spirit Realm. Shifu then tells Po and the Five about Tai Lung's escape, claiming Po is the only one who can stop him. Horrified by the goal and Oogway's death, Po tries to run away, but Shifu stops him. When asked why he stayed, Po admits he disliked his former self but believed Shifu could change him. Po then makes Shifu confess that he does not know how to train him as the Dragon Warrior. Tigress overhears and leads the Five in a secret attempt to stop Tai Lung themselves.
Meanwhile, Shifu realizes Po's full potential for physical feats when food motivates him, so he trains Po in a unique kung fu style. Meanwhile, the Five confront Tai Lung, who defeats them with his nerve-strike technique, leaving only Crane to return the Five as a warning. Shifu decides Po is ready for the Dragon Scroll, but Po discovers that it is blank. Thinking the Scroll is powerless, Shifu sends Po and the Five to evacuate the Valley while he faces Tai Lung alone. To comfort a distraught Po, Mr. Ping reveals his "secret ingredient soup" has no secret ingredient at all, stating that belief can make things special. Understanding this is the Dragon Scroll's message, Po rushes back to help Shifu.
At the Jade Palace, Tai Lung brutally defeats Shifu, only to find that the Scroll is missing. Po arrives with the Scroll and engages Tai Lung in combat with confusing techniques to gain an advantage. Tai Lung gets the Scroll but cannot understand its blank surface. Enraged, he uses a nerve-strike on Po, who remains unaffected due to his body fat. Po overpowers Tai Lung and banishes him to the Spirit Realm with the Wuxi Finger Hold technique, which he taught himself, and is hailed as a hero by the Valley.
Voice cast[]
- Main article: List of Kung Fu Panda characters
From left to right: Master Viper, Master Monkey, Master Mantis (on Monkey's head), Master Shifu, Master Tigress and Master Crane.
The Furious Five are homages to the actual Snake, Monkey, Praying Mantis, Tiger and Crane styles of Chinese martial arts.[1]
- Jack Black as Po, an energetic and accident-prone yet heroic panda and die-hard kung-fu fan who eventually becomes The Dragon Warrior
- Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, an elderly and strict red panda and kung fu master to the Furious Five, and Po and Tai Lung's old master/adopted father
- Ian McShane as Tai Lung, an arrogant and aggressive snow leopard who was formerly Shifu's adoptive son and student
- Riley Osborne as young Tai Lung
- The Furious Five:
- Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress, a no-nonsense and tough-as-nails tiger and leader of the Furious Five
- Seth Rogen as Master Mantis, a dry-humored mantis
- Lucy Liu as Master Viper, a sweet and good-natured viper
- David Cross as Master Crane, a pragmatic and sarcastic crane
- Jackie Chan as Master Monkey, an easy-going monkey. Chan reprised his role in the film's Chinese dub.
- Randall Duk Kim as Grand Master Oogway, an ancient Galápagos tortoise and Shifu's mentor
- James Hong as Mr. Ping, Po's adoptive father, a happy-go-lucky goose who runs a noodle-restaurant
- Dan Fogler as Zeng, a timid palace goose and Shifu's messenger
- Michael Clarke Duncan as Commander Vachir, a hubristic and boastful rhinoceros who is the warden of Chorh-Gom Prison, where Tai Lung is imprisoned
Kyle Gass and JR Reed voice KG Shaw and JR Shaw, respectively, two pigs who come across Po before the Dragon Warrior tournament.[2] Other actors with minor voice roles include Wayne Knight, Laura Kightlinger and Kent Osborne.[2] The film's directors, John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, also have small voice roles.[2]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the second DreamWorks Animation film to be shot in 2.39:1 aspect ratio, since Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.
- This is the second DreamWorks Animation film to be released in June, after Chicken Run.
- This is also the second DreamWorks Animation film to star Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen and Ian McShane. Black and Jolie has both starred in 2004's Shark Tale, while Rogen and McShane starred in 2007's Shrek the Third.
See also[]
- Enter the Fat Dragon (1978)
- T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger (1999)
- Legend of a Rabbit (2011)
- Shifu (or sifu), which means "skillful person" or a "master"
References[]
- ↑ "Kung Fu Panda-production-five fighting warriors".. DreamWorks.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hough, Q.V. (December 8, 2020). "Kung Fu Panda Cast Guide: Who Voices Which Character". Screen Rant.
External links[]
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