If I asked you to tell me the plot of "Kung Fu Panda", the animated tale about the titular bear who yearns to master the titular martial art, you probably could. The writers, Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger (from TV's "King of the Hill"), stick to a tried-and-true formula (hapless underdog discovers he's the Chosen One) and they don't stray too far from the well-trodden (or in this case, well-beaten) path. But while it's been tried (and tried again), the formula does still hold true. Especially when it's done with a snappy pace, eye-popping animation and a cast of game comedic vocal talents headed by Jack Black.
Mr. Black's trademark mugging, it turns out (great in "School of Rock", less so in "King Kong"), is much less grating when it comes from an animated bear. In this case, he lends his voice to Po, a panda with dreams (literally; the opening fantasy sequence is a knee-slapper) of becoming a Kung Fu master. Po works at a noodle shop in a Chinese village set beneath a many-staired temple. Po's dad, a goose (that's never explained, but is toyed with to good effect), hopes to hand over the family business one day. But a fortuitous mishap with fireworks (oh, that wacky panda) places Po in the right place at the right time and he's revealed to be the "Dragon Warrior".
Or is he? Po doesn't think so. And the five expert students who've been training all their lives for this honor - under the wise and equally skeptical Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) - definitely need convincing. Fans of Kung Fu theater will appreciate the animal representations chosen for these five competitors (tiger, monkey, mantis, viper and crane) all of which have been used as a fighting style at one time or another. The characters are voiced, respectively, by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross, all of whom wrestle for attention beneath Mr. Black's considerable shadow.
The Dragon Warrior, it seems, is saddled with the task of defeating the evil Tai Lung (voiced with appropriate menace by none other than Ian McShane). Can the panda earn the respect of his fellow students and defeat Tai Lung? Well, duh.
It would be worth noting the film's all-star cast if such a thing weren't de rigueur for big-budget animated movies nowadays. Likewise, the animation is stunning, as are the fight sequences which give the film its raison d'etre. The combat choreography throughout is nothing but inspired. There's one fight, in particular, over a single dumpling (yes, that's right) which bears the kind of repeat viewing typically reserved for a Neo vs. Agent Smith throw-down. There's also a fantastic prison break sequence that would make Jason Bourne proud. The directors, Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, manage to simultaneously pay homage to the campy Kung Fu theater films of the past while keeping the film accessible to a newer (and surely younger) audience. They show a real love and admiration for the art of martial arts without (ahem, sorry) panda'ing to the masses.
