About:
Kung Fu Panda is a computer-animated comedy martial arts film produced by DreamWorks Animations. It premiered in 2008 and received both positive reviews and a #1 spot at the box office for its opening weekend.
The story, which is a classic hero’s journey and coming of age kind of story, is set in DreamWorks’s version of ancient China, a world populated by anthropomorphic talking animals. Production designer Raymond Zibach said in an interview that some of the biggest influences for him when working on the movie were artful martial arts films such as Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The main character in the movie is a clumsy giant panda named Po, who runs a noodle restaurant with his adopted father, a goose named Ping. The bambling Po is a big fan of kung fu and wants to become a kung fu master. To everyones surprise, Grand Master Oogway claims that Po is the chosen one; the Dragon Warrior that will save them when the vicious kung fu warrior Tai Lung escapes from prison to seek revenge.
Upon release, the movie showcased he most complex computer animations ever creeated by DreamWorks.
Kung Fu Panda opened in over 4,100 theatres and grossed well over $20 million on its opening day and over $60 million during its opening weekend, reaching the #1 position at the box office. This was DreamWorks largest opening for a non-sequel movie, and it became the highest grosing animated movie worldwide that year.
Trailer
Main cast
| Character | Voiced by | Info |
| Po | Jack Black | A giant panda
Energetic and accident-prone. Big fan of kung fu. Named by Master Oogway as the Dragon Warrior. |
| Master Shifu | Dustin Hoffman | A red panda.
An elderly kung fu master.
Trainer of the Furious Five, and – reluctantly – also the trainer of Po.
Adoptive father of Tai Lung and Tigress. |
| Grand Master Oogway | Randall Duk Kim | A Galápagos tortoise.
Very old.
Master Shifu’s mentor.
Leader of the Jade Palace.
|
| Tai Lung | Ian McShane | A snow leopard
Master Shifu’s adopted son and former student.
Was denied the Dragon Scroll by Oogway and rampaged through the Valley of Peace. Sent to prison, but has now escaped and is looking for revenge. |
| Master Tigress | Angelina Jolie | A South China tiger
Master Shifu’s adopted daughter and student.
Leader of the Furious Five. |
| Master Viper | Lucy Liu | A green tree viper
Member of the Furios Five |
| Master Monkey | Jackie Chan | A golden snub-nosed monkey
Member of the Furious Five |
| Master Mantis | Seth Rogen | A Chinese mantis
Member of the Furious Five |
| Master Crane | David Cross | A red-crowned crane
Member of the Furious Five |
| Mister Ping | James Hong | A Chinese goose
Po’s adoptive father
Runs a noodle restaurant with Po |
| Zeng | Dan Fogler | A Chinese goose
Master Chifu’s messenger |
| Commander Vachir | Michael Clarke Duncan | A Javan rhinoceros
Warden of the prison where Tai Lung was held. |
The Furious Five characters – Viper, Monkey, Mantis, Tigress, and Crane – are homages to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: Snake, Monkey, Praying Mantis, Tiger, and Crane.
Basic facts about the movie
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Length | 1 hour and 32 minutes |
| Release date | Cannes Film Festival: May 15, 2008 United States: June 6, 2008 |
| Budget | $130 million |
| Box office | $631.7 million |
Behind the scenes
| Production company | DreamWorks Animation |
| Producer | Melissa Cobb |
| Directors | John Stevenson Mark Osborne |
| Story by | Ethan Reiff Cyrus Voris |
| Screenplay by | Jonathan Aibel Glenn Berger |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer John Powell |
| Cinematography | Yong Duk Jhun |
| Editor | Clare Knight |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Starring
| Starring | Jack Black Jackie Chan Michael Clarke Duncan Dan Fogler Dustin Hoffman Angelina Jolie Lucy Liu Seth Rogen Ian McShane |