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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 Rogen
Lucy Liu
David Cross
CinematographyYong Duk Jhun
Music byHans Zimmer
John Powell
Distributed byDreamWorks Animation
Paramount Pictures
Release dates
June 6, 2008
LanguageEnglish

Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 animated film about a bungling panda who aspires to be a kung fu warrior. Kung Fu Panda is directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. Although the concept of 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. Work on the film, didn't begin until 2004 and the film premièred at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008. The film was released in the US on June 6, 2008 and will be released in the UK on July 4, 2008. The film is distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film stars the voices of Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross and Ian McShane. In the United States, it has been rated PG by the MPAA for sequences of martial arts action, and in the United Kingdom, PG by the BBFC.

Plot

Opening sequence

The film opens with a hand-drawn, vividly colored dream sequence that has been made to resemble Chinese shadow puppetry[3], then the film shifts into a more modern style of computer animation that uses bright, offbeat colors to evoke the natural landscape of China.[3]

Cast

Actor Role Animal
Jack Black Po Panda
Dustin Hoffman Master Shifu Red Panda
Angelina Jolie Master Tigress South China Tiger
Ian McShane Tai Lung Snow Leopard
Randall Duk Kim Master Oogway Turtle
David Cross Master Crane Red-crowned Crane
Seth Rogen Master Mantis Praying Mantis
Lucy Liu Master Viper Viper
Jackie Chan Master Monkey Gee's Golden Langur
James Hong Mr. Ping Goose
Dan Fogler Zeng Goose
Michael Clarke Duncan Commander Vachir Javan Rhinoceros

Two additional voices were provided by winners of a Nickelodeon competition.[4]

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 martial arts film[5]

Publicized work on the film began before October 2004[6] at about the same time the PlayStation 2 videogame Ribbit King was released with its kung fu panda character, "Pan-Pan."[7] In September 2005, DreamWorks Animation announced the film alongside Jack Black, who was selected to be the main voice star.[8] 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.[5] Reportedly inspired by Stephen Chow's 2004 martial arts action comedy, Kung Fu Hustle,[9] the co-directors wanted to make sure the film also had an authentic Chinese and kung fu feel to it. Production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Tang Heng spent years researching Chinese painting, sculpture, architecture and kung fu movies to help create the look of the film.[10] Zibach said some of the biggest influence of him are the more artful martial-arts films such as Hero, and House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[10] 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 it an "epic" feel, unlike other DreamWorks animated features which resorted to "pop songs and celebrity references."[11] In November 2005, Dreamworks Animation announced that Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, and Ian McShane joined Jack Black in the cast of Kung Fu Panda.[12]

Technical specifications

Kung Fu Panda was 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 scored the film. Zimmer visited China in order to absorb the culture and get to know the Chinese National Symphony as part of his preparation. Timbaland also contributed to the soundtrack.[13]

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 would 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.

A soundtrack album was released by Interscope Records on June 3, 2008.[14]

Release

The film premièred at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.[15][16] A video game adaptation of the film was developed and published by Activision.[17]

Reception

Kung Fu Panda has received very positive reviews from critics. As of June 6, 2008, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 85% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 104 reviews. The film has a rating of 75% from select top critics and a rating of 86% from users of the site.[18] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.[19] The movie received an average score of 76.3% from 58 film critics according to Movie Tab.[20]

Box Office

Kung Fu Panda grossed estimated amount of $20.3 million on its opening day. It made an estimate $60 million in box office to be at #1. The film is also DreamWorks Animation's biggest opening for a non-sequel animation, and the third-largest opener over all (behind Shrek the third and Shrek 2).[21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ Brown, Geoff. (October 19, 1993) The Times Who framed the animator's artistry?. Section: Features; Page 31: "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. ^ a b Chris Hewitt (2008-06-06). "'Kung Fu Panda' is fresh, surprising and beautiful". Twin cities. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  4. ^ http://www.nick.com/ads/dreamworks/kungfupanda08//rules.jhtml
  5. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2008-06-02). "EXCL: Kung Fu Panda Co-Director John Stevenson". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  6. ^ 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.")
  7. ^ Buchanan, Levi. (June 24, 2004) Chicago Tribune "Ribbit King" hits our fairway. Section: Tempo. Page 5.
  8. ^ "Dreamworks Animation Plans Kung Fu Panda". Empire. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  9. ^ Gaul, Lou. (November 4, 2005) Bucks County Courier Times. 1104 Film Clips. Section: ToDo; Page 2E.
  10. ^ a b "'Kung Fu Panda' gets cuddly". New York Daily News. 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-06-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Colin Covert (2008-06-03). "'Kung Fu Panda' pushes boundaries of cartoon art". The News & Observer. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  12. ^ UPI Entertainment News. (November 9, 2005) DreamWorks Announces the Cast of "Kung Fu Panda"
  13. ^ Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster (2007-09-18). "The Big Screen Scene". National Ledger. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  14. ^ Jonathan Cohen (2008-05-12). "Jack Black, Cee-Lo cover 'Kung Fu Fighting'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  15. ^ "Cannes Film Festival on MSN Movies". MSN. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  16. ^ ""Kung Fu Panda" a martial arts masterpiece". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter. 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  17. ^ "Are you sitting down? Kung fu Panda revealed!." Xbox360Fanboy.com.
  18. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  19. ^ "Kung Fu Panda (2008)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  20. ^ "Kung Fu Panda Reviews - Movie Tab". Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  21. ^ Carl DiOrio (2008-06-08). "'Kung Fu Panda' beats projections". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  22. ^ "'Panda' beats Sandler with $60 million weekend". Yahoo! Movies. 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  23. ^ "Panda kicks Sandler at U.S. box office". Yahoo! Movies. 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
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