Ok, it’s a classic Kung Fu story. There are not surprises whatsoever. You pretty much know what will happen… and it’s just plain god fun. It’s funny but, unlike Shrek, does not rely on pop-culture references. It’s a good one to take a date on - inoffensive but enjoyable, likewise good for the family.
Jack Black is pretty darn sweet. Ok, you know it’s him, and they don’t even pretend these people are speaking Chinese, but he’s still funny. More interstingly, his character doesn’t have delusions of grandeur and doesn’t lie or pretend he’s some badass warrior (which is normally a staple of Kung Fu movies.) In fact, he’s rather shocked he got roped into this.
As a side note, about the villain (I’d hold off if you plan to see it).
Tai Long is probably the least evil villain (who definitely qualifies for that title) in movie history. Despite numerous chances, he avoids killing people, although he does knock numerous skulls quite brutally. He lets people go free quite often. In fact, the only person he was even close to killing could have been dead well before that if he’d intended it seriously. As a fighter, he’s not invincible, and takes a few hits here and there from skilled martial artists - but never stops. It’s not clear whether or not he survives the end, but because of some still scenes in the credits I assume he does. Also, because nobody else dies.
It’s rated PG for Kung Fu violence. I would be shocked if most 3 year olds in America hadn’t seen this kind of cartoon fighting on TV already. I can tell you that if my now 4 year old nephew had seen it when he was three he would have come out of the theater karate-chopping everything in sight, but then he did that pretty much every day anyway.
Funny movie for adults too. I really enjoyed it, myself; and unlike so many other cartoon movies, I didn’t feel like I’d already seen it before.
The eight year old was critical, slightly, as she spent some time afterwards diagramming the martial arts from her Olympian four years of training, God help me.
The three year old thought it was hilarious and wasn’t scared a bit.
Saw this today. The animation was gorgeous and the attention to detail was an impressive homage to martial arts films. It really was original. Good stuff.
I thought the funniest part of the movie was the interaction near the end between Po and his father where EVERYONE in the audience assumed that his father was going to tell him that he was adopted and instead he tells him his secret recipe for noodles.
Also, Po’s dad cracked me the hell up, especially when he stopped to consider how he used to dream of running away to be a Tofu Chef.
Also, as I’m studying Chinese in school right now, I had fun with some of the names. The bad guy’s name in the film? Tai Leng. Which is Chinese for “Too Cold”.
No. He’s just a panda. There is a little bit of a play on the various animal styles of kung fu (at least the movie convention of animal kung fu styles…I have no idea how authentic they are) like “monkey style,” “tiger style,” etc. being represented by those literal animals (there’s a monkey, a crane, a tigris, a mantis and a viper), so i guess a “panda style” just seemed like a naturally comic idea.
I took my 8-year-old to see it last night. She laughed all the way through it. I liked the chopstick battle over the dumpling and the running gag about Po always getting winded climbing up all those stairs to the palace.
I also thought the movie looked great. Everything was very well rendered and visually appealing.
Nah, I’ve read some of the Ranma manga, and I’ve seen Kung Fu Panda, and the only thing they have in common is that they both involve martial arts, and a panda. Nothing so far as magic hot springs, people turning into animals (or vice-versa) or transgendered misadventures.
Saw it at a double feature at the drive-in and loved it. Laughed out loud all the way through. Then sat stone-faced through the turd that is the new Indiana Jones movie. Wow, what a contrast.
Very cute, and perfect for your 3 year old, Ellen! It’s even short! And no pop culture, no romance, no songs. Very straight to the point. It’s absolutely gorgeous to look at too.
I loved both the scenes with Po’s dad that were mentioned here.
It made my family want dumplings and noodles, which we ended up having. So now my nine year old likes dumplings. Cool.
I’m so glad to hear it’s good for the little ones! I think this will be WhyBaby’s first movie in the theater. I’m just jealous that, in accordance with family tradition, her grandmother will be the one taking her!
I actually thought I’d hate this movie and was a bit resentful when the wife dragged me to it (she had promised to take our two youngest to see it). When we got there I was further annoyed by the fact that we had to wait in a longer line than I had to when we went to the opening night of Iron Man!
Though I went in resentful and pretty sure I’d hate the movie I have to admit…it was fun. Our two little one’s absolutely loved the movie and laughed nearly the whole time…and then spent the 30 minutes it took to get home from the theater talking animatedly about the movie.
Grandma gave us a Panda toy from McDonald’s. The toy is the Panda from Kung Fu Panda. When you move his arms the voice chip says something that to me sounds like “kookaburra” or “pick the berries”. What is the toy saying?
Based on the reviews, I might bring my five-year-old to the movies for the first time (so far it’s been Grandma’s privilege) to see it. The only thing that would make me hesitate is the PG rating. Is it really not that violent?
