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Kung Fu Panda (film)

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Kung Fu Panda
File:Kung fu panda poster.jpg
Kung Fu Panda teaser poster
Directed byMark Osborne
John Stevenson
Written byJonathan Aibel
Glenn Berger
Produced byMelissa Cobb
StarringJack Black
Dustin Hoffman
Angelina Jolie
Ian McShane
Jackie Chan
Seth Rogan
Lucy Liu
David Cross
CinematographyYong Duk Jhun
Music byHans Zimmer
John Powell
Distributed byDreamWorks Animation
Paramount Pictures
Release dates
June 6, 2008
SpracheEnglisch

Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 animated film about a panda who learns martial arts and then uses this new ability to fight his enemies. Kung Fu Panda is being directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. Although the idea for a kung fu panda has been around since at least 1993,[1] the idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance,[2] a DreamWorks Animation executive. The film premièred at the May 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Due for US release on June 6 and UK release on 4 July, 2008, the film will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film stars the voices of, among others, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross and Ian McShane.

This film has been rated PG by the MPAA for sequences of martial arts action. The film was also rated PG by the BBFC.

Plot

Po (Jack Black) is a panda who is an apprentice noodle-maker and kung fu fanatic, but whose defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest animal in ancient China. Evil warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has escaped from prison, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophecy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. He has a kung fu master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) who "has trained five of the greatest warriors that the world has ever known", to help him.

Cast

Two additional voices were provided by winners of a Nickelodeon competition.[3]

Production

Development

"...we love martial arts movies. I wasn't interested in making fun of them, because I really think martial arts movies can be great films, they can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly […] Let's try to make it a real martial arts movie albeit one with a comic character and let's take our action seriously. Let's not give anything up to the big summer movies. Let's really make sure that our kung fu is as cool as any kung fu ever done, so that we can take our place in that canon and make sure it's a beautiful movie, because great martial arts movies are really beautiful-looking movies and then let's seen if we can imbue it with real heart and emotion."

—co-director John Stevenson on the comedic approach to the marital arts film[4]

Publicized work on the film began before October 2004[5] at about the same time the PlayStation 2 videogame Ribbit King was released with its kung fu panda character, "Pan-Pan".[6] In September 2005, DreamWorks Animation announced the film alongside Jack Black, who was selected to be the main voice star.[7] Initially, the idea for the film was to make it a parody and spoof, but co-director John Stevenson was not particularly keen on the idea so instead chose the direction of simplistic comedy.[4] Reportedly inspired by Stephen Chow's 2004 martial arts action comedy, Kung Fu Hustle,[8] the co-directors wanted to make sure the film also had an authentic Chinese and kung fu feel to it. The aim for the film, which took four years to make, was to make it a good blend of the two, as well as to give at "epic" feel, unlike other DreamWorks animated features which resorted to "pop songs and celebrity references."[9] In November 2005, Dreamworks Animation announced that Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, and Ian McShane joined Jack Black in the cast of Kung Fu Panda.[10]

Technical specifications

This will be the first DreamWorks Animation CGI film to be made in 2.35:1 widescreen format.

Music

Main article: Kung Fu Panda (soundtrack)

As with most DreamWorks animated films, composer Hans Zimmer was hired to score the film. Zimmer is said to be visiting China at some point in order to absorb the culture and get to know the Chinese National Symphony, all as part of his preparation to write music for Kung Fu Panda.

Though Zimmer was originally announced as the main composer of the film, during a test screening Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG, announced that composer John Powell will also be contributing to the score. This marked the first collaboration in eight years for these two, having previously worked together on Dreamworks' The Road to El Dorado and the action thriller Chill Factor. This was publicly confirmed by DreamWorks Animation on March 21, 2008.

A soundtrack album was released by Interscope Records on June 3, 2008.[11]

Release

Marketing

A video game adaptation of the film was developed and published by Activision.[12]

Reception

The film premièred at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.[13][14] Kung Fu Panda has received very positive reviews at its release. As of June 5, 2008, it holds a 88% fresh rating out of 26 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[15] Metacritic shows generally favourable reviews with a 72/100, based on 8 reviews.[16]

References

  1. ^ Brown, Geoff. (October 19, 1993) The Times Who framed the animator's artistry?. Section: Features; Page 31. (writing, "In galleries and auction houses, vintage animation artwork fetches fancy prices. In studios stretching from California to Ireland and the Far East, craftsmen sit bent over drawing boards, computer screens or lumps of plasticine, bringing to life everything from square-jawed superheroes and kids on the block to little blue aliens and a cuddly pawsome called the Incredible Kung Fu Panda.)
  2. ^ PR Newswire (August 7, 2007) Imagi Announces Strategic Alliance for Gatchaman and Astro Boy Toy Development.
  3. ^ http://www.nick.com/ads/dreamworks/kungfupanda08//rules.jhtml
  4. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2008-06-02). "EXCL: Kung Fu Panda Co-Director John Stevenson". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  5. ^ Aggerholm, Barbara. (October 5, 2004) Kitchener Record Giving a shark some bite; Local animator swims with the big boys. Section: Front; Page A1. (writing, "Although working on yet another movie -- Kung Fu Panda, slated for release in 2007 -- Galda was called back for the final stage of the Shark Tale project as one of a skilled group of animators who fixes imperfections.")
  6. ^ Buchanan, Levi. (June 24, 2004) Chicago Tribune "Ribbit King" hits our fairway. Section: Tempo. Page 5.
  7. ^ "Dreamworks Animation Plans Kung Fu Panda". Empire. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  8. ^ Gaul, Lou. (November 4, 2005) Bucks County Courier Times. 1104 Film Clips. Section: ToDo; Page 2E.
  9. ^ Colin Covert (2008-06-03). "'Kung Fu Panda' pushes boundaries of cartoon art". The News & Observer. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  10. ^ UPI Entertainment News. (November 9, 2005) DreamWorks Announces the Cast of "Kung Fu Panda"
  11. ^ Jonathan Cohen (2008-05-12). "Jack Black, Cee-Lo cover 'Kung Fu Fighting'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  12. ^ "Are you sitting down? Kung fu Panda revealed!". Xbox360Fanboy.com.
  13. ^ "Cannes Film Festival on MSN Movies". MSN. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  14. ^ ""Kung Fu Panda" a martial arts masterpiece". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  15. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  16. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
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