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To make something special you just have to believe it's special.

# Review

This is perhaps my fifth time rewatching this film. The story follows Po (Jack Black), an overweight and unathletic panda who is selected to be the Dragon Warrior, the prophesied hero who will protect the Valley of Peace from the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

It’s one of my favourite Dreamworks films and one of my favourite animated films made in the 2000s. It’s a fun and lighthearted film that packs a ton of meaning. The voice acting features a surprisingly star-studded cast such as Angelina Jolie (who voices Tigress), Seth Rogen (who voices Mantis), and Dustin Hoffman (who voices Shifu). As with all good kung fu movies, there is plenty of Asian representation in the cast, such as Jackie Chan (who voices Monkey), Lucy Liu (who voices Viper), and James Hong (who voices Mr. Ping). My favourite performances are Black’s Po, Hoffman’s Shifu, and Randall Duk Kim’s Oogway.

The story contains many kung fu film tropes such as overcoming adversity, developing a relationship between master and student, and pursuing one’s destiny. There are plenty of tidbits from Eastern philosophy, such as the concept of fate and duty. Some tropes, such as Po and Shifu overcoming their respective shortfalls in the face of adversity, I agree with. Other tropes, such as one’s destiny being fixed and unchangeable, I disagree with.

The animations are extremely well made and the film features many gorgeous shots with vibrant colours. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and John Powell is fantastic and is a perfect blend of Eastern and Western musical influences (my favourite piece is probably “Oogway Ascends”).

# Conclusion

A parody kung fu movie that is respectful of its source material and has plenty of depth.

# Overall rating: 8.5

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