"Kung Fu Panda" (In Theatres)
Directors: John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
Studio: DreamWorks Animation, distributed by Paramount Pictures
Principal Actors: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross and Ian McShane
Feature Length: 1 hour 35 minutes
Released: June 6, 2008
Rating: PG (Parental guidance suggested). 

Reviewed By: Jenna Tung (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada) 

As a child born in the 1980s, I naturally grew up with the Disney classics. Today, Disney has transformed its way of creating animated films, and one step further in this direction took place on May 5, 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar Animation Studios. Together, Disney and Pixar create very life-like 3-dimentional animations that audiences of all ages will enjoy.

On my night of viewing "Kung Fu Panda," and while walking into the movie theatre, I sincerely did not know what to expect. I was first surprised at the lack of grade school-aged children in the audience; my fellow movie goers ranged from late teens to middle-aged couples. As for the movie itself, I anticipated a giggle or two, perhaps a heartwarming moment, and maybe a small child to laugh hysterically at something that clearly only single-digit-aged ears would find funny. 

As the movie progressed, I found myself recognizing some familiar voices; the film has an all-star cast including Jack Black, the star of the show, who plays a fat and fluffy panda named Po. Also among the cast are the feline villain Tai Lung (Ian McShane), the Kung fu Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), and Shifu's trained fighters called The Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen).

The story takes place in a small valley community in culturally-saturated China. It begins with Po's ditsy father, a goose named Mr. Ping (James Hone) who ironically runs a noodle shop, and he has a dream for Po to one day take over the shop. Of course, Po has a different dream: He wants to be a kung fu warrior! This aspect of the film is laughable in itself because Po is without a doubt the largest citizen in the valley community. Overlooking the valley from a high mountaintop (with lots of stairs, I may add), the ancient turtle creator of Kung fu named Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) explains to Master Shifu his vision of the escape of Tai Lung from prison, and the fury of his revenge. Surely enough, our hero Po gets mixed into this dilemma, and with this comes much grunting and groaning on his behalf, as well as laughable moments as we watch Po's big belly jiggle from scene to scene. 

As a Disney film, "Kung Fu Panda" is sure to teach a valuable lesson, and as a superficial outsider who does not fit in, Po will melt your heart with his journey to self-contentment. The film is charming in animation; a delicate swirl of pink peach tree petals is a magical sight for the eyes, and brilliantly colored sparks of fire will entertain all ages. The animal characters in the film are so detailed, and the fuzz on Po's round body and the bounce in his belly move synonymously with him. The film makes soft jokes on Po's shape and size, and on his rather large panda appetite; however, it is these factors make the protagonist completely irresistible to watch and relate to.

The movie is consistent, and with this aspect, ends with a laugh from the satisfied audience. It is most certainly a movie I would take my younger cousins to, but it is also a great film for a chill night out with friends, family, or even a date. My childhood Disney days are certainly not over, as I am impressed with this film. It is easy to say that Disney always delivers.