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Kung Fu Panda depicts a wonderful animated movie about a fat Panda that learns the martial arts craft and eventually uses this ability in fighting his enemies. Po played by Jack Black is a panda who is a trainee noodle maker in his father’s noodle restaurant and, at the same time, a Kung Fu fanatic. However, his defining characteristic appears as the laziest animal in the Valley of Peace.

Hence, his dream was soon to become a reality when an announcement was made regarding a festivity that will entail choosing the bearer of the Black Dragon, in which, whoever is chosen will possess great power. Amidst Po’s attempts to witness the festivity, he learned that it was not as easy as he imagined. He reached the gates too late and it closed when he reached the top of the stairs. Still, eager to see the event, he made several attempts to get inside.

Meanwhile, inside the gates, the Furious Five legends namely Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey displayed their skill so that Master Oogway, the tortoise, can choose who among them is destined for greatness. Thus, as Master Oogway was about to pinpoint the lucky martial arts master, Po came crashing down from the chair he lit with fire crackers. This is when Master Oogway realized that Po was the chosen one. Upset with the decision, Master Shifu tried to talk Mater Oogway out of his decision, saying that he was able to choose Po by accident. Nevertheless, Master Oogway claims that there is no such thing as an “accident”.

With this, the 5 Kung Fu Masters think that they will definitely need a black belt in patience just to turn this slacker panda into a Kung Fu fighter before Tai Lung escapes from prison and attacks the Valley of Peace for revenge. After some time, Master Shifu realized that Master Oogway was right, that there is no such thing as an “accident” and devised of a tactic on how he can train Po in just a limited number of hours.

When Master Oogway’s vision about Tai Lung’s escape from prison became definite, The Furious Five set out to meet and attempt to defeat Tai Lung before he inflicts harm on the villagers. This is also while Master Shifu trains Po with the secrets of Kung Fu. When the Furious Five came back, defeated, Master Shifu entrusted Po with the scroll of the Black Dragon, as a symbol of his destiny and to possess immeasurable power. Thus, when Po opened the scroll, there was nothing written inside.

Devastated, Master Shifu, Po and the Furious Five realized that they were no match for Tai Lung. Po and the Furious Five went back to help the villagers escape while Master Shifu waited for Tai Lung so as to fight the monster he had created. When Po went back to his father who took him back as his Noodle apprentice, his father entrusted Po with his secret recipe for making noodles. His secret recipe was “nothing”. With this, Po realized what the scroll meant; there was nothing on the scroll but his image. This means that the immeasurable power would come from within him. With this, Po accepted the fact that he is the only one who can save his people from certain destruction. So goes the heroic realization of Po.

Thus, the malevolent leopard Tai Lung was portrayed by Ian Mc Shane. The Furious Five legends Tigress was played by Angelina Jolie, David Cross was Crane, Seth Rogen was Mantis, Lucy Liu was Viper, and Jackie Chan portrayed Monkey. Their wise sensei, Master Shifu, was played by Dustin Hoffman.

Although this movie is aimed primarily for the young generation, Kung Fu Panda embraces humor that plays well across age groups and nationalities. It even sustained applause at its Cannes Film Festival World Premiere, where in, it is projected for international box office success. This film was shown on the first week of June this year (2008). It was directed by John Steveson and Mark Osborne.

The movie is funny as it is frantic and the animation is vivid and clean. The background and set even shows appreciative tributes on Chinese landscapes, art and architecture. The fighting style of each animal was subtly rendered. The filmmakers also clearly studied the best Asian Martial Arts Films in order to spark inspiration to those gravity defying stunts. Thus, this movie teaches the children about pursuing goals; about setting your mind on something, achieving and being more than what you can only imagine.