David Farnor | On 15, Apr 2016

Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan
Certificate: U

There’s something about animated films that lets them get away with ignoring science. Newton’s third law of motion, opposable thumbs, all of them pale in comparison to the biggest lie of all: reproduction. And so in DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda, we are introduced to a duck who has given birth to a panda.

Po the panda (Black) doesn’t have wings or a beak, and he definitely doesn’t share his pater’s passion for noodles. What does he adore? “I love kung fuuuuuuuuuuu!” he shouts, tearing through the paper walls with his tenacious vocal talent. You can call the character what you like, but he’s clearly been written for Jack Black. In any context, that would be a very good thing. In the freedom of the CGI realm, it’s even better.

Po’s valley (The Valley of Peace) lives in the shadow of the Jade Palace, home to the legendary fighters of legend, the Furious Five – Viper, Crane, Tigress, Monkey and Mantis. At the head of the Five is Master Shifu (Hoffman), a red panda. These warriors bow to a bodacious, laidback turtle of the Nemo variety, Oogway. But Oogway senses evil approaching. Evil in the form of Shifu’s former pupil, snow leopard Tai Lung. He’s voiced by Lovejoy, aka Ian McShane. When Lovejoy escapes from a heavily guarded fortress, Oogway selects the one who will become the mythical Dragon Warrior and save the day. No guesses who gets picked by accident.

Cue a series of calamitous montages, most notably an inspired sequence involving chopsticks and dumplings. Wisdom is shared, blows are traded and bellies are fed, as Po learns the sacred art of kung fu. The bloodless fights fly past every few minutes, with the style turned firmly up to 11. The choreography is surprisingly intricate; every punch is as visually arresting as a computer-generated panda could be. Which apparently is quite a bit.

There’s not a huge amount of depth to the result, but this is Kung Fu Panda’s beauty. It doesn’t spend time trying to pander (ahem) to adult humour or make post-modern film references – it knows its story and it tells it brilliantly. It’s fun as well as funny; at times, you’ll laugh out loud at the entertaining cast, especially Hoffman. Cute and cuddly, this un-lethal furball of a film is perfect for kids of all sizes. But be careful, you may go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness.

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