Kung Fu Panda will be the family movie of Summer 2008 and maybe one of the funniest movies all summer. It was the first movie I have been to in a long time that everyone in the audience was laughing out loud. The voice of Po is done by the incredibly talented Jack Black who made the unlikely hero come to life. All other voices in the movie could have been done by any number of Hollywood veterans or newcomers but not Po. Black delivers the dialog as if he is actually performing the action of the movie (I'm sure as animated in real life he is, he was not standing still while performing his lines).

Besides the laughs, the film is full of action worthy of any Kung Fu masterpiece even though it is all done in animation. There are even freeze frame shots of fighters taking a hit and some scenes are done as if there is a 360 degree camera shooting the action. Some may say this is not realistic but when you consider the techniques to make some of the recent martial arts movies, you cannot say they are either. Much of the humor is slapstick comedy and seems to work better in this animation medium. Certain injuries deemed funny in live action movies tend to play out uncomfortable there but come across less crude and results in more laughter here.

And of course, the family movie needs a lesson to be complete and Kung Fu Panda delivers this as well. Po is the son of a restaurant owner whose father wants him to take over the business but Po dreams of being a Kung Fu master. Like a good son Po does not tell his father and does as he is told until he goes to the Jade Palace to see who is chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Reminiscent of Karate Kid, Po is on a journey learning from his master how to put his unique talents together to become a real hero after it seems the rotund panda is accidentally deemed the Dragon Warrior who is supposed to save the village from the evil villain, Tai Lung. Mr Miyagi would be proud of young Po, especially when it comes to chopsticks. You will also learn secrets of the universe from the old master, Oogway, who is the one who chooses Po as the Dragon Master and informs Po's teacher, Shifu, that there are no accidents.

Some parents may not want very young children to see all the fighting but when done by a very robust panda it is much less threatening than what you may find on many cartoon and live action kids shows on TV. Our family was lucky enough to get to a special preview screening and we will probably pay to go back to see it again and watch it several times on DVD.

Learn more about this author, Donna L.
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