Viewed in
2008
Premise
An unskilled panda is appointed as the warrior savior of a town threatened by an angry snow leopard.
Who should watch
Martial arts fans who want something cute and funny and family-friendly.
Thoughts
I had a ton of fun with this film. As expected, it was goofy and over-the-top with martial arts action and cute, talking animals.
What I did not expect was how consistently funny and lively it was. I found the panda (voiced by Jack Black) to be very charming. Another unexpected aspect was how inventive the fight scenes were; the film makers did a nice job of mixing free-flowing camera movement with unique, fighting animated animals.
My favorite scene was the panda's reaction to acupuncture. I had not cried/laughed that hard since Ricky Bobby stabbed himself with a scalpel in 'Talladega Nights'.
Obviously, this film was not a Best Picture contender, and some of the minor characters were forgettable. But the film knew what it was, and did a great job of maintaining its creativity and humor.
What I would change
Not hired all the 'big names' to play minor characters, the celebrity of their voices was a non-factor.
