KUNG FU PANDA (2008) (***1/2)
Outside of the first SHREK film, KUNG FU PANDA is the best movie from DreamWorks Animation. Unlike other DreamWorks' productions that have relied too heavily on pop culture references, Mark Osborne and John Stevenson's film has a self-contained world with jokes based on the characters not FAMILY GUY-style "let's throw out as many references as we can and see what sticks." Containing the hallmarks of a good family film, PANDA doesn't talk down to anyone in the audience and provides something for everyone. Martial arts fans will particularly love the action and the subtle references to kung fu classics.
Po (Jack Black, HIGH FIDELITY) is a pudgy panda who dreams of becoming a great kung fu warrior like his heroes — the Furious Five. His father Mr. Ping (James Hong, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA), on the other hand, is grooming him to take over the family noodle business. Meanwhile, kung fu master Oogway the turtle (Randall Duk Kim, THE MATRIX RELOADED) senses that savage Tai Lung the snow leopard (Ian McShane, TV's DEADWOOD) will escape from prison and destroy the Valley of Peace. He decides it is time to select the mythical Dragon Warrior. His closest disciple, Master Shifu the mouse (Dustin Hoffman, TOOTSIE), presents the Furious Five as contenders for the legendary kung fu master title. However, on the day of the selection, Po makes an unexpected explosion onto the scene and is selected as the Dragon Warrior.