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Kung Fu Panda
EMAILPRINTDreamWorks Animation
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 33 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 99 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action | Animation | Comedy | Family/Kids
Written by:
Cyrus Voris (story)
Ethan Reiff (story)
Glenn Berger
Jonathan Aibel
Directed by:
Mark Osborne
John Stevenson
Release Date:
Theatrical: June 6, 2008
DVD: November 9, 2008
Running Time: 88 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for sequences of martial arts action
Starring Jack Black, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, and Jackie Chan
Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around…which doesn’t exactly come in handy while working every day in his family’s noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po’s dreams become reality when he joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols—the legendary fighters Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey—under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it’s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master into reality? Po puts his heart-and his girth-into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths. (Dreamworks)
Also On Metacritic
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Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Light and goofy, yet the fight scenes, which are the heart of the film, are lickety-split mad fun.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Tasha Robinson
Yet another celebrity-voiced animal adventure, but it stands out from the crowd of similar films with its lightning wit and whirlwind brio.
Read Full Review >Washington Post John Anderson
Infectious and inspiring, despite one's best efforts to resist its charms.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
At once fuzzy-wuzzy and industrial strength, the tacky-sounding Kung Fu Panda is high concept with a heart.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
The stroke of genius is, of course, the film's hero -- the big, lovable bear that is the Chinese panda.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Corliss
The new picture provides a master coursed in cunning visual art and ultra-satisfying entertainment.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The voice cast includes Angelina Jolie as a tigress, omnipresent Seth Rogen as an acupuncturist who's a praying mantis, David Cross as a nasal crane and Lucy Liu as a cheerful viper.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
Everything about Kung Fu Panda is a little better, a little sharper, a little funnier than the animated run of the mill.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
It's not an instant classic, but it's imaginatively drawn, full of charming characters, alive with action sequences and blissfully free of the snickering scatology and endless pop-culture references.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
The animation is consistently sporty and there are some choice comic riffs on martial arts movies.
Read Full Review >Empire Chris Hewitt
Rudimentary plot and merely decent gags aside, this is the finest DreamWorks Animation effort since the first Shrek, chiefly because of its astonishing visuals and kinetic kung fu sequences.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
Po speaks loudly and carries big shtick. Let the rest of the world cringe at our hyperconfidence, our charisma, our pure awesomeness.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
The result is a genuinely pleasing kung fu movie that kids and grown-ups can enjoy.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
It's the overriding spirit of the movie that forms its greatest appeal: Here's a movie that isn't intent on conquering the world but simply entertaining you for a breezy 90 minutes.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Thanks to a witty script and the recognizably goofy but absolutely earnest delivery of Black, Kung Fu Panda has a human soul, too.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this is probably the best movie so far this year about a kung-fu fighting panda.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Beautifully animated, the celebrity voice performances are terrific, and the action sequences negotiate the fine line between being physically convincing and becoming too intense for the young children.
Read Full Review >Premiere Jenni Miller
It was definitely a great idea to give Kung Fu Panda the IMAX treatment. The fight scenes, quivering whiskers and moist noses, foggy mountaintops, and fluttering peach blossoms are equally impressive on the huge, curved screen.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Not one of the great recent animated films. The story is way too predictable, and truth to tell, Po himself didn't overwhelm me with his charisma. But it's elegantly drawn, the action sequences are packed with energy, and it's short enough that older viewers will be forgiving.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
This is a solid family film material, although one suspects the children will get a little more out of it than their parents.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Ella Taylor
Perfectly pleasant, very good-looking, modestly funny, dispiritingly unoriginal variant on the nerd-with-a-dream recipe that's been clobbered to death in animated films for at least a decade now.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
The action, heavily influenced by Hong Kong martial arts films, is beautifully choreographed.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The essence of the film is slapsticky, chopsocky action, rendered with great verve and accompanied by bromides having to do with the need to believe.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Tongue-in-cheek dialogue, inventive slapstick and fight sequences, and luminous production design make this a treat.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
Po (Black) may be an animated panda bear, but make no mistake: Deep down he's really just a nerd with a pop-culture obsession.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole
The film lacks the comic ingenuity of the best in CGI critter movies. It's not fun-for-the-whole-family, like "Shrek." Still, it's a howl and amazement for anyone under 12.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Kung Fu Panda goes nowhere surprising even as its images unscroll handsomely before our eyes. The sound could go out in the theater, and you wouldn't ask for your money back.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
This is an unashamedly old-fashioned children's movie, and a predictable message is part of the mission. But that's okay; what the movie lacks in surprises, it makes up for in whimsical fun.
Read Full Review >NPR Bob Mondello
Though the film's simple story is squarely aimed at tots, DreamWorks' digitizers have referenced Eastern visual styles -- everything from delicate Chinese screens to flashy Japanese anime -- to enliven the look of the film.
Read Full Review >Variety Todd McCarthy
A nice looking but heavily formulaic DreamWorks animation entry.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
Though occasionally visually inventive, Kung Fu Panda is a disappointment when it comes to matters of simple black and white: the script.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
It's impressive enough to look at, and the voice talent – especially Black and Hoffman - doesn't disappoint, but all the CGI wankery and high-end talent only barely allows Kung Fu Panda to rise above cliché.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 99 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Levente S gave it a10:
An extraordinary romp the the world of anthropomorphic ancient China. Kung Fu Panda is helped along by inspired voice-acting by Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, Randall Duk Kim, and most surprisingly, Jack Black. Also, The film's soundtrack is beautiful; the animation, awe-inspiring; the characters, well rounded; the jokes, hilarious; the set-design, beyond belief. Everything about Panda has been refined to its most highly perfected form and then put on display for all to enjoy. I have spent the last ten minutes trying to think of some criticism for this masterpiece, and nothing comes to mind. Now I think I'll go watch it again... I finished watching it not half an hour ago.
S P. gave it an8:
At 40 and with no kids (by choice!) my girlfriend and I don't tend to watch much of this sort of film. I remember enjoying the first Toy Story and one or two other animated features since, but I wasn't particularly expecting to get into this as much as I did. It's funny, charming, and genuinely gripping in places. The characterisation is first-rate (loved the Mantis in particular). I saw the film on Blu Ray and the visuals looked exceptional. All in all a really enjoyable film and not just for the kids. Recommended.
bob somebody gave it a10:
There are only two conceivable reasons that I can see for NOT liking this movie: 1) You don't like Jack Black. That's okay, some people (a small minority) just don't like him! Then stop hating on this movie, because Jack Black fans are most likely to enjoy it most. 2) You think that it's "formulated" somehow, or that it has too many "cliches". My response to that is: you can't "formulate" good humor. This movie is one of Dreamwork's best, because the animation and voice acting work in perfect harmony. The casting for this movie was absolutely spot-on, and the script is quite fine by me. The magic of this movie relies much, but not entirely, on Jack Black's humor, so I stand by my assertion: If you like Jack Black, this movie will be perfect for you.
Pa L. gave it a9:
This movie was excellent. The only thing that prevents me from giving it a 10 is that I don't know if it connected with my kids as much as it could have. They laughed throughout and we all had a great time but at the end I don't know if they would list it among their all time favorites. I personally think that most of the 50-65 scores listed in the "critics" section show that these reviewers are either out of touch or have no sense of humor.
Clif C. gave it a4:
Mediocre. I was bored by this movie, really. So cliché!...
Irina B. gave it a10:
I loved Kung Fu Panda. I am an old school martial arts fanatic--used to watch the movies with my dad. This meets all of the criteria of a martial arts film like Lord of the Wu tang (unlikely hero becomes Kung Fu Master by chance), has the visuals of a "Hero" or "Crouching Tiger", and has the heart of Disney (yes, I said it). When I went to the theater to see it all of the children there loved it and my two reasons for living came out wanting to learn Kung Fu. I think the haters out there just don't like or "get" Jack Black, because really I see no other reason they could dislike this film.
Taylor C. gave it a10:
This movie is what I consider to be Dreamwork's best animted picture (Yeah that's right Shrek, I said it). The movie manages to have comedy that can not only appear to children, but also adults and teenagers. The story tells of a panda named Po that is a total Kung Fu nerd and is chosen to become the hero to save the land from the evil Tai Long. Everyone is shocked to see a fat panda picked, but Po refuses to give up. He shows that with perseverance and determination that anyone can come past their problems and become a hero. Kung Fu Panda features an incredible cast of voice actors including Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Agnelina Jolie, Lucy Lui, David Cross, Seth Rogen, and Jackie Chan. This movie is the most phenomenal animated film I've seen that is not from Pixar. I can't reccomend this movie enough to people of all ages.
