In China, the big, fat and clumsy Panda Po is a great fan of martial arts and worships The Furious Five - Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey – and their Master Shifu. He works in the restaurant of his father specialized in noodles, but he dreams on being a kung fu hero. When Master Oogway summons the population to announce who would be The Dragon Warrior, he surprisingly points out to the slacker Po, frustrating the expectations of Master Shifu and Tigress. Po joins the academy of Master Shifu that does not believe that Po might be The Dragon Warrior. Meanwhile the evil Tai Lung breaks out the high-security prison where he has been arrested for twenty years and heads to the temple of Oogway, expecting to get the Dragon Scroll and becomes more powerful. The Furious Five tries to intercept Tai Lung, but they are defeated. Now the only chance to stop Tai Lung is the glutton Po.

"Kung Fu Panda" is a very funny and entertaining animation, with the delightful story of a clumsy Panda that dreams on being a hero. The computer-animated heroes and villain are hilarious, supported by the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angeline Jolie and other magnificent actors and actresses. Po is tailored for Jack Black and I can not imagine this character without his voice. Dustin Hoffman also makes the difference with the voice of the wise Master Shifu. I just regret that I did not pay much attention to this animation before and only now I have watched it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Kung Fu Panda"

(Synopsis) Kung Fu Panda is the story of Po, (voice Jack Black),a sweet, but clumsy Panda who has dreams of fighting with the legendary Furious Five and protecting the city against all threats. The only problem is that Po has no real life experience of kung fu, and his real job is serving noodles at his dad's noodles shop. News of selecting the Dragon Warrior is sent out from the Jade Temple, and the whole city along with Po, go to the celebration. The competition is between the Furious Five: Tigress (voice Angelina Jolie),Viper (voice Lucy Liu),Crane (voice David Cross),Monkey (voice Jackie Chan),and Mantis (voice Seth Rogen). Po accidentally enters the contest and is named the Dragon Warrior. Master Shifu (voice Dustin Hoffman) must find a way to train Po and make him a Kung Fu Master, especially, after they learn that the snow leopard, Tai Lung (voice Ian McShane),is headed their way.

(My Comment) This is a cute animated comedy that also inspires lessons in life. The audience can relate to people who have dreams of doing the impossible, just as Po. Po ultimately learns that if he believes in himself, he can do anything. Jack Black (Po) and Dustin Hoffman (Shifu) voices were just right for their parts, and the chopstick fight between them is fantastic. Ian McShane (Tai Lung) was also wonderful as the villain, and his battle sequence on the rope bridge is spectacular. This film is for the whole family, because adults will enjoy the movie just as much as their children. (DreamWorks, Run Time 1:28, Rated PG)

I had the fortune of seeing this film the same day I saw another Dreamworks film in the theater--MONSTERS VS. ALIENS. Because of this experience, I think I enjoyed KUNG FU PANDA much more, as by comparison it was a much better film. In fact, though the Oscar folks would heartily disagree, I even enjoyed it more than last year's Oscar winner, WALL-E. That's because while these other films looked exceptionally nice, KUNG FU PANDA actually looked as good but offered a lot more entertainment and fun. Sure, it wasn't as deep as WALL-E, but it was enjoyable and didn't try to be a message film. And MONSTERS VS. ALIENS had a great idea, but the laughs were rather sparse.

The film is essentially a story about a young panda learning that he has a lot of heart and skills deep within--in other words, it was a lot like THE KARATE KID. But it also had a lovely artistry that I admired---the scenery and style looked very Chinese (although too many voice actors were non-Asians).

I could say a lot more, but now it's a year after the film debuted and there are a bazillion reviews already. Suffice to say that I was surprised that I liked this film so much--it made me smile and was fun from start to finish.