Kung Fu Panda (2008)

“Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, but Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” – Oogway

Number of Times Seen – Twice (2 Feb 2009 and 19 Mar 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A young Panda who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu warrior gets the opportunity to train as one when he is chosen as the redeemer of the country who will defeat a powerful master who has recently escaped from prison.

My Take on it – This is a film that I recall seeing not long after it came out on DVD and thought it was a fine Dreamworks animated film, but nothing spectacular.

Upon rewatching it, I was able to enjoy it a bit more than the previous time and I think that has a lot to do with the way that Jack Black voices this character since he is abe to give us a well developed character who eve with his own insecurities is ale to find a way to still follow his dream no matter what anyone else says.

They do a great job with the style that they use for the animation and the action scenes in particular look wondrous.

The storyline tho is this film’s biggest issue since it fails to bring anything original or unique to the forefront yet somehow it still manages to stay enjoyable despite it feeling as if this story has already been told dozens of times.

Besides Black, the voice cast is great with Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, David Cross, James Hong and Michael Clarke Duncan doing nice jobs adding much life to their various animal species.

The story is filled with a nice mix of action and humor which works well.

Bottom Line – Interesting premise that works largely due to the way that the character is played by Black. The animation style is quite gripping to watch and they do a great job with the animation of the action scenes. The story itself isn’t the most original or unique and it seems to present themes that have been overused in the genre but it still manages to find a way to keep things enjoyable. Besides Black, the voice cast is great with Hoffman, McShane, Jolie, Lui, Chan, Rogan, Cross, Hong and Duncan all giving so much life to these various animal species. The story is filled with lots of action and humor and works quite well. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Dustin Hoffman’s contract included a stipulation which allowed him to do additional voice recording sessions without hindrance, should he be unsatisfied with his performance. Beyond the contract, Hoffman also tutored Jack Black on his performance in the nighttime stairway argument scene. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)