A fun, albeit somewhat flawed animation romp!

By now it's a given that animated features must appeal to adults as much as they do to kids in order to be both a critical and commercial success. 2008's Kung Fu Panda is the latest entry into the DreamWorks pantheon. This marks the first true family feature of the 2008 summer season. Armed with an A-list voice cast and a clever premise - this is the type of stuff we expect to see getting nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. For a while, Kung Fu Panda held the honour of being the best animated film of 2008 simply because there weren't any additional titles to mention. Later on in the summer, Pixar released their latest masterwork unto the world: WALL-E. Following the release of Pixar's WALL-E, DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda became a mere afterthought. This isn't because of the inadequate, uneven script or even the obtuse messages. The underwhelming result of Kung Fu Panda boils down to the fact that this is a DreamWorks film and not a Pixar film.

The panda of the title is Po (voiced by Black); a tubby animal who dreams of becoming a martial artist. He's the (supposed) son of a noodle shop owner (Hong) and Po's destiny is to inherit the family business. Meanwhile, in the temple on the hill, a handful of trained warriors wait anxiously as one of them will soon be bestowed with the title of the prophesised Dragon Warrior. The community is invited to watch the selection process. Much to the chagrin and surprise of the characters (but not the audience), Po is picked as the Dragon Warrior. Soon following this peculiar selection, a disgruntled snow leopard and former martial arts student (McShane) escapes from prison, causing a potential threat to everyone at the temple. Their only hope is the Dragon Warrior...and Po is apparently the only one for the job.

Kung Fu Panda benefits from spectacular animation and mind-blowing visuals. The opening sequence is reminiscent of modern Manga. DreamWorks also manage to fill the screen with gorgeous backdrops of mountain vistas and fluttering leaves that give Zhang Yimou a run for his money. These wonderful images are made slightly funnier with the chubby Po the Panda huffing and wheezing his way through the landscapes like a relative of Hurley from Lost. This is a fun little romp with adequate charm to keep any audience entertained. At a brisk 90 minutes in length, Kung Fu Panda relies on its action sequences and brisk slapstick gags to see it through.

The directors (Mark Osborne and John Stevenson) rediscover how gut-bustingly funny and rip-roaringly entertaining cartoon violence can be. One of the film's primary action sequences depicts animals of all stripes battling on a bridge resembling Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. We even watch as animals fall from great heights onto land completely unharmed, ala Wile E. Coyote. Yesssssss...the spirit of the Looney Tunes lives on. However, the action is somewhat undermined as the combatants appear unable to succumb to injury even after falling from a dizzying height onto solid cement. In addition, the laws of physics are disregarded. It brings back the Looney Tunes spirit for sure, yet such overuse of this technique grows too dreary and unexciting.

While Kung Fu Panda is fun, it feels as if it's missing something (not just the Pixar logo...although that may be relevant in final analysis). Characterisations are flat, its formula is too unoriginal, laughs are surprisingly limited, and predictability abounds. There's extensive build-up to Po's status as the Dragon Warrior, yet the script focuses too heavily on this build-up and Po suddenly becoming the warrior without this status being sufficient earned. Po's training is restricted to a few straightforward montages showcasing fights that are too cartoonish and unnecessary. There's no sense of achievement. One minute Po is a bumbling fat old oaf. Next minute he's well-trained in kung fu and is able to do some spectacular shit. What's missing is at least a handful of scenes that should delve deep into the training and what exactly Po is put through to become so much better. The emotional progressions also feel unearned. Shifu (Hoffman) initially resists training Po for reasons which are suitably supported. When he eventually gives in and agrees to train Po, as we know he must eventually do, the about-face seems inadequately abrupt. It seems as if the film's all-too-familiar formula is all the justification the audience should require.

The characters surrounding Po and Master Shifu are far too underused and underdeveloped. They're just stock characters dropped into the movie to create the illusion of depth. Granted, this is a children's flick and to expect meaningful characterisation may be foolhardy. However, Pixar manages to do it properly. WALL-E was about robots with a three-word vocabulary, yet we come to love each and every character in the entire film. Even the fat, useless human characters in WALL-E we grew a slight attachment to. Even Ratatouille was able to introduce an adult plotline and a myriad of well-developed characters without ever dragging. For this reason, Pixar continually comes out on top.

Humour is another aspect that denotes this film's greatest failing. Kung Fu Panda is just too insatiably cute in its humour and messages. I wanted some adult comedy, of which there is none. Lack of wit proves detrimental. Kids may not get bored with the great visual feast, but adults will be glancing at their watch frequently. Shark Tale and Madagascar are decent films from DreamWorks that managed to make its audience laugh a lot despite their formulaic structures. Even the three Shrek films, while of increasingly mediocre quality, were appealing enough. Same goes for every single Pixar film. Kung Fu Panda is too dull.

Following the usual tradition of mainstream animated movies, the voice cast is stocked with major Hollywood stars. Jack Black is in fine form as Po the Panda. He's perfect for the role. Black disperses a few good lines ("Oooo, my tenders!" he exclaims when bashed in the crotch), however he doesn't make full use of his wild side - the eager, crazy glee he has previously shown in films like School of Rock. Black instead gives Po a slightly abashed suburban-couch-potato sweetness. When Po gobbles down every ounce of food in sight, he's too cute for words. It's scenes like these that give Kung Fu Panda some much-needed highlights.
With the exception of Jack Black and a suitably embittered Dustin Hoffman, the cast seems like overkill. This overkill syndrome I also picked up in 2007's dreary Bee Movie. The actors are there for the sake of being there. Casting Jackie Chan as a kung fu monkey is good in theory considering his reputation, but what does it accomplish, really? He isn't the central character...in fact he doesn't get many lines! The same goes for Jolie. And in her case, it ain't her voice that attracts the adolescent males to their local theatre complex (it's those enormous mountains threatening to snap her spine that attracts the guy audience). I didn't even know Seth Rogen was involved until I read the cast list. He never gives his character any distinguishable persona. Note to DreamWorks: save your money on big names for supporting roles and let the characters and premise speak for themselves.

At the end of the day, it's the DreamWorks logo that doomed Kung Fu Panda to its mediocre existence. By all means it's an enjoyable little romp: it's fun, inoffensive, is straight to the point, and deserves its box office earnings...but it isn't one of the greatest animated films of recent years. Pixar yet again comes out on top with WALL-E as they did with last year's Ratatouille. To be honest, I was looking forward to Kung Fu Panda immensely. After missing its theatrical run I was keen to view it as soon as possible. But it wasn't what I expected at all, and that's a shame. Too few laughs and a non-serviceable script prove utterly lethal. Kung Fu Panda feels too rushed and too underdone, as if designed for optimal play times per day at the cinema (story be damned). It's fun with spectacular animation, but it's ultimately hollow and it feels like something's missing.

Make sure you say until after the credits. Followed by a sequel.

6.2/10