Kung Fu Panda Review

Kung Fu Panda

Release Date: 26th June 2008 – Australia

Production Companies

DreamWorks Animation

Distribution
Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Animation/Family/

Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 92 minutes

Budget: $130,000,000

Box Office Gross: $632,083,197 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Po, a lazy rotund panda, is a huge fan of Kung Fu and works daily in his father's noodle shop when he accidentally gets chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Po becomes a Kung Fu novice and has trouble fitting in the Jade Palace, especially with his idolised heroes, The Furious Five and their

master, Shifu. He must

embrace his destiny

and learn the skills to

safeguard China from the

dreaded snow leopard Tai

Lung, who will stop at

nothing to exact his

vengeance. Will Po find

the confidence to defeat

Tai Lung and become the

greatest Kung Fu master

he was supposed to be?


Cast

Jack Black – Po

Dustin Hoffman – Master Shifu
Angelina Jolie – Tigress
Ian McShane – Tai Lung
Seth Rogen – Mantis
Lucy Liu – Viper
David Cross – Crane
Randall Duk Kim – Master Oogway
James Hong – Mr. Ping
Dan Fogler – Zeng
Michael Clarke Duncan – Commander Vachir
Jackie Chan – Monkey

Wayne Knight – Gang Boss

Kyle Gass – KG Shaw

JR Reed – JR Shaw

Laura Kightlinger – Awed Ninja

Tanya Haden – Smitten Bunny

Stephen Kearin – Gong Pig/Grateful Bunny

Mark Osborne – Pig Patron (Cameo)

John Stevenson – Rhino Guard (Cameo)

Melissa Cobb – Bunny Mom (Cameo)

Emily Burns – Bunny Fan 1

Stephanie Harvey – Bunny Fan 2

Riley Osborne – Baby Tai Lung

Crew

Directors – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Story – Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris
Screenplay/Co-Producers –

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Associate Producer – Kristina Reed
Executive Producer – Bill Damaschke
Producers – Melissa Cobb and
Lorne Orleans (IMAX Version)

Production Designer – Raymond Zibach
Art Director – Tang Kheng Heng
Character Designer – Nicholas Marlet

Additional Character Designers – Buck Lewis,

Carlos Grangel, Olivier Malric and Tony Siruno

Additional Character Designer/

Story Artist – Devin Crane

Head of Story/Director: Dream Sequence/

Supervisor: Action Sequences – Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Creative Consultant: Story – Mike Mitchell

Story Artist/Supervisor: Action Sequences –
Simon Wells

Production Supervisor – Rene Harnois Jr.,

Production Supervisor: Animation/Story –

Daniela Mazzucato

Production Supervisor: Lightning –

Maude Lewis

Production Supervisor: Paint Fix – Robyn Mesher

Senior Production Manager – Susan Slagle Rogers

Production Managers – Mary Bills and

Jeff Hermann

Head of Character Animation – Dan Wagner

Animation Supervisors – Philippe Le Brun,

Jason Reisig and William Salazar
Animation Supervisor/Story Artist/

Choreographer: Kung Fu – Rodolphe Guenoden
Animation Supervisor/Story Artist –

Alessandro Carloni

Animation Director: Dream Sequence –

James Baxter

Surviving Character Technical Director –

Nathan Loofbourrow

Lighting Supervisors – Dave Walvoord,

Mark Fattibene, Betsy Nofsinger,

Aaron Smith and Pablo Valle

Surfacing Supervisor – Wes Burian
Head of Layout – Yong Duk Jhun

Character Effects/Crowds/Effects Supervisor –

Alex Parkinson

Visual Effects Supervisor – Markus Manninen
Stereoscopic Production – Phil 'Captain 3D'

McNally
Editor – Clare De Chenu

Additional Editors – Mary Blee

and John K. Carr

Associate Editors – C.K. Horness and

William J. Caparella

Sound Designers/Supervising Sound Editors –
Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn

Sound Mixers – Andy Nelson and Anna Behlmer

Music – John Powell and Hans Zimmer
Composers: Additional Music – Henry Jackman
and James McKee Smith

Score Mixer – Alan Meyerson

Additional Recordists – Shawn Murphy,

Jeff Biggers and Slamm Andrews

Awards

2009 Academy Awards

Best Animated Feature – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne (Nominated)

Review
KUNG FU PANDA is an action-filled and hilarious CGI animated movie that was completely awesome. It has everything, including its faithfulness to the Chinese culture, humour, visual style and the all-star voice cast of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie and others. The most important aspects of this movie are the kung fu action and the life lessons.

The other animation studios, such as Pixar and Blue Sky Studios, do not have the secret mix that makes DreamWorks an ultimate competitor in computer animation. This animated film is my second favourite from DreamWorks, with How to Train Your Dragon at number #1. If you saw the first film, you should check out the sequel Kung Fu Panda 2.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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