So anyway, from the evidence of Kung Fu
Panda, that Pixar benchmark is slowly being reached. First of all,
the animation is pretty impressive; in fact I would say it is some of
the best CG the world has yet seen. Not being a CG guru I can't say
for sure if it is better than the likes of Ratatouille, but some
people that are smarter than me have suggested this is the case. It
is definitely a step up from Madagascar which at times looked clunky.
As far as the story goes it is pretty
predictable and light-weight. The kids will find this satisfying, but
adults may be left wanting a bit more substance. Also, the verbal
humour is not exactly tops, however it will provide many a chuckle.
But the story is not the main
attraction here. How can you not be into a film where there's kung
fu performed by a fat panda? It's just not possible not to like
such a premise. And then you find out the panda's father is a duck,
Mr Ping! How cool is that?
For those that find JB (or Jack Black
to you cretins) too much energy to handle in his real life persona,
you will be glad to know that he is not just playing a cartoon
version of himself (Will Smith learnt this lesson the hard way) and
is so cuddly and loveable that you are able to forget that it is even
him.
However, Dustin Hoffman is the standout
voice actor as kung-fu master Shifu who resents Po being named as the
‘chosen one'. He hasn't been this funny since Tootsie.
One slight disappointment was that one
of my favourite comedians, David Cross, didn't get too much to do
as Crane, one of the Furious Five, a group of fighters which also
includes Seth Rogen for some reason, but then again his style of
humour isn't exactly child friendly.
The film's action scenes bring back
fond memories of Loony Tunes with their sense of chaos and other
dimension based physics, a sight left unseen for so long I forgot how
funny cartoon violence can be. This is where the film is at its best,
and combined with the animation, the fight scenes look as good as any
live action Jackie Chan film. Speaking of Chan, is there really any
point of having him as a voice in the film? I don't exactly watch
his films for his verbal prowess, but I suppose if you want an Asian
character then he is the right person to call.
Overall, it's pretty light and
inoffensive to the brain, but it should put a smile on your face. And
if you don't find pandas doing kung fu hypnotically engrossing,
you're probably dead.
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