Music N' More: Kung Fu Panda

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Kung Fu Panda

-2008 American computer-animation action and martial arts film produced by DreamWorks Animation
-Directed by John Wayne Stevenson and Mark Osbourne
-Stars Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Michael Clarke Duncan
-Tells the story of a panda named Po who wants to be a master of kung-fu.

Did You Know?
-The characters Crane, Viper, Tiger, Mantis Monkey are modeled after real martial arts moves
-The marking on Mantis' back is a Chinese art character translating into longevity
-When producers found out that James Hong's father owned a noodle shop, they incorporated it into the movie
-The opening scene is a tribute to Japanese anime
-The prison's name, Chor-Gom is Cantonese for "go to prison"
-The makers of the movie say that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Kung Fu Hustle are inspirations for this movie

Plot
-Takes place in the Valley of Peace, a fictional location in ancient China, inhabited by animals a little too human-like. There lives Po(Jack Black), a portly panda who wants nothing more than to be a kung-fu master. He idolizes the Furious Five- Tigress(Angelina Jolie), Monkey(Jackie Chan), Mantis(Seth Rogen), Viper(Lucy Liu), Crane(David Cross)- a group of kung-fu masters trained by the red panda Master Shifu(Dustin Hoffman) to protect the land around them. Because he works in his father, Mr. Ping's(James Hong) noodle shop, Po is unable to achieve his dream of kung-fu mastership

-One day, Shifu's teacher, an old tortoise named Oogway(Randall Duk Kim) has a vision that the evil snow leopard Tai Lung(Ian McShane) will break loose from prison and try to get revenge for being denied the Dragon Scroll, which holds the key to limitless power. Shifu is worried and sends his messenger Zeng(Dan Fogler) to prevent Tai Lung from escaping. He holds a kung-fu tournament for the Furious Five so that Oogway can identify the Dragon Warrior, the one kung-fu master who can receive the Dragon Scroll and be capable of beating Tai Lung. Forced to take a noodle cart to the tournament, Po arrives after the doors of the arena close. He is desperate to see the Dragon Warrior be chosen so he straps himself to Chinese fireworks and blasts into the sky. Po ends up crashing into the middle of the arena at the point when Oogway is going to choose the Dragon Warrior. To everyone's shock, Po is chosen as the Warrior

-Unable to believe that a big, fat panda could be the Dragon Warrior, Shifu tries to get Po into quitting training with the Furious Five, who mock him for his lack of skills. After receiving help from Oogway, Po endures grueling training and begins to gain respect from the Five with his perseverance, cooking skill and good humor. He soon discovers that Tai Lung is really Shifu's adopted son, who Shifu loved dearly. After Oogway refused him the Dragon Scroll, he turned his back on the Valley and treats the Five, including Tigress, as his kids so history can't repeat itself.

-Elsewhere, Tai Lung escapes prison as it was seen in Oogway's vision, picking his lock with a feather from Zeng. Shifu learns that Tai Lung has escaped and tells Oogway, who has Shifu make a promise to train Po and then goes up in a cloud of peach blossoms. Still unable to grasp kung-fu basics, Po fears he has no chance of defeating Tai Lung. Shifu discovers that Po is capable of incredible feats when motivated by food. Using food as his reward, Shifu trains Po to include these feats into a rough, yet accepted kung-fu style, which also improves his self-confidence

-Elsewhere, the Furious Five set out to stop Tai Lung, only to be overwhelmed by Tai Lung's nerve strikes. Shifu decides Po is ready to get the Dragon Scroll, but the scrollsays nothing, revealing just a blank, reflective surface. Shifu tells Po and the Five to evade the Valley while he stalls Tai Lung as long as possible. The Five follow the advice they are given.

-Po finds his father, in an attempt to console him. He reveals that the long held secret to his famous "secret ingredient soup" is nothing. He explains that things get special if they believe them to be. Realizing this is the entire point of the Dragon Scroll, Po returns to confront Tai Lung, who has reached the palace and injured Shifu. Po proves to be a formidable force. Po's fat renders Tai Lung's nerve attacks useless. The Scroll eventually falls into Po's hands, but he is unable to understand it's meaning.

-Back in the Valley of Peace, Po is praised by all and he earns the respect of the Furious Five. Po then finds a half-dead Shifu, who finally expresses his belief in him and obtains inner peace, knowing the valley is safe once more.

Cast

Po
-Jack Black
-Protagonist(good guy)
-Energetic, obese giant panda

Master Shifu
-Dustin Hoffman
-Old red panda
-Po and Furious Five's sifu(Chinese for teacher)
-Deuteragonist(2nd good guy)
-Adoptive father of Tai Lung and Tigress

Tigress
-Angelina Jolie
-Tiger
-Has short temper and leader of the Furious Five
-Was the most hostile one to Po getting the Dragon Warrior title

Tai Lung
-Ian McShane
-Antagonist(bad guy)
-Muscular snow leopard
-Denied the Dragon Scroll because of the true darkness in his heart
-Sent to Chor-Gom prison for 20 years