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“Kung Fu Panda†is an animated film the whole family can enjoy. It may not be as clever as the original “Shrek†or as technologically ground breaking as “Toy Story,†but it’s a funny and sweet – without being sappy – movie that won’t totally bore adults and will have kids howling with laughter.
This adult found the story of Po, a young panda with dreams of being an awesome martial arts expert, very charming. The story follows some of the standard animation formulas: learning to believe in yourself and following your dreams. It’s OK that filmmakers use these formulas, as long as they do it well while adding a little originality into the mix.
That, they do here. Just the idea of a clumsy panda becoming a kung fu expert is funny. Add in that his father is a goose – they hint at explaining that, but never do – who wants his son to take over their noodle house someday, makes it funnier. While the injection of Eastern wisdom makes it more than funny.
It wasn’t until Disney’s 1997 “Hercules†that I really realized that a vast amount of pop culture references in an animated film was a bad thing. Occasionally it works, although thankfully the filmmaker’s made the correct choice in leaving them out of “Kung Fu Panda.†Surprisingly, I don’t recall any bathroom humor either. Frankly, I don’t understand why “Panda†didn’t get a G-rating.
Tags: adult, adults, animated film, animation, bathroom humor, correct choice, dreams, eastern wisdom, family, filmmaker, hercules, kung fu panda, laughter, martial arts expert, noodle house, originality, pop culture references, shrek, toy story