The film began development in October 2004, and was initially conceived as a parody of martial arts films. However, director Stevenson decided instead to make an action-comedywuxia film that incorporated thehero's journey narrative for the lead character. The project was announced in September 2005. As with most DreamWorks Animation films, the score forKung Fu Panda was composed byHans Zimmer, on this occasion collaborating withJohn Powell. Zimmer visited China to absorb the culture, and used theChina National Symphony Orchestra as part of the scoring process.
In the Valley of Peace, a land inAncient China inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, Master Shifu, a crankyred panda, learns from his mentor, Master Oogway, a wisetortoise who is the founder of kung fu and the Valley's spiritual leader, that he predicts Shifu's former apprentice, thesnow leopard Tai Lung, will escape and attack the Valley for the Dragon Scroll, an artifact granting limitless power he was denied. In response, Shifu sends hispalace goose assistant Zeng to strengthen security at Chorh-Gom Prison, where Tai Lung is held, and then holds a tournament to identify the Dragon Warrior, the prophesied hero worthy of reading the Scroll. Agiant panda named Po, who helps hisgoose father Mr. Ping run their noodle restaurant but dreams of kung fu, arrives late to the tournament. Eager to see his idols, the Furious Five—Tigress,Monkey,Crane,Viper, andMantis—a group of kung fu masters trained by Shifu, Po tries to enter the arena and uses a chair propelled by fireworks, but he unintentionally lands in front of the Five as Oogway unexpectedly declares him the Dragon Warrior.
Shifu believes Oogway's choice is an accident, and the Five dismiss Po after a rough first day of training, leaving him dejected and considering quitting. However, Oogway encourages him to persevere through Shifu's challenging training, and Po befriends the Five with his resilience and humor. Tigress reveals that Shifu's toughness comes from his shame over Tai Lung's betrayal and having raised him as an infant. Meanwhile, Tai Lung uses one of Zeng's feathers to escape. Learning the bad news from Zeng, Shifu warns Oogway, who makes Shifu promise to believe in Po as the Dragon Warrior and names him his successor before ascending to the Spirit Realm. Shifu then tells Po and the Five about Tai Lung's escape, claiming Po is the only one who can stop him. Po makes Shifu confess he does not know how to train him as the Dragon Warrior. Tigress overhears and leads the Five in a secret attempt to stop Tai Lung themselves.
Shifu realizes Po's full potential for physical feats when food motivates him, so he trains Po in a unique kung fu style. Meanwhile, the Five confront Tai Lung, who defeats them with hisnerve-strike technique. Shifu decides Po is ready for the Dragon Scroll, but Po discovers it is blank. Thinking the Scroll is powerless, Shifu sends Po and the Five to evacuate the Valley while he faces Tai Lung alone. To comfort Po, Mr. Ping reveals that his "secret ingredient soup" has no secret ingredient at all, stating belief can make things special. Realizing this is the Dragon Scroll's message, Po rushes back to help Shifu.
At the Jade Palace, Tai Lung brutally defeats Shifu, only to find that the Scroll is missing. Po arrives with the Scroll and engages Tai Lung in combat with confusing techniques. Tai Lung gets the Scroll but cannot understand its blank surface. Enraged, he uses a nerve-strike on Po, who remains unaffected due to his body fat. Po overpowers Tai Lung and banishes him to the Spirit Realm with the Wuxi Finger Hold technique, which he taught himself, and is hailed as a hero by the Valley.
Kyle Gass andJR Reed voice KG Shaw and JR Shaw, respectively, two pigs who come across Po before the Dragon Warrior tournament.[5] Other actors with minor voice roles includeWayne Knight,Laura Kightlinger andKent Osborne.[5] The film's directors, John Stevenson and Mark Osborne, also have small voice roles.[5]
... we lovemartial arts movies. I wasn't interested in making fun of them, because I really thinkmartial 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 see if we can imbue it with real heart and emotion.
~co-directorJohn Stevenson on the comedic approach to the martial arts film.[6]
DreamWorks Animation had previously produced aPlayStation video game with a similar premise,T'ai Fu: Wrath of the Tiger, in 1999 under its defunct video game division, DreamWorks Interactive (now known asDanger Close Games).[7] In spring 2004,Eric Whitacre wrote a setting ofThe Seal Lullaby, the opening poem ofThe White Seal byRudyard Kipling, which DreamWorks intended to adapt for an animated feature. A few weeks later, it was decided to abandon the idea and start production onKung Fu Panda instead.[8] Publicized work on the film began in October 2004.[9] In September 2005, DreamWorks announced the film alongside Jack Black, who was selected to be the main voice star.[10]
In November 2005, DreamWorks announced that Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and Ian McShane would join Black in the cast.[11] This is also the second DreamWorks Animation film in which Black and Angelina Jolie have co-starred together (the first being 2004'sShark Tale).[12]
The idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks Animation executive.[13] Initially, the idea was to make it aspoof, but co-directorJohn Stevenson was not particularly keen on it and instead chose the direction of a character-basedwuxia comedy.[6]
The screenplay for the film was written byJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who before were writers and producers for various TV series, includingThe George Carlin Show,Mad TV, andKing of the Hill, with a story conceived byEthan Reiff and Cyrus Voris. Reportedly inspired byStephen Chow's 2004martial arts action comedy film,Kung Fu Hustle,[14] the directors wanted to make sure the film had an authentic Chinese and kung fu feel to it. Production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Tang Heng spent years researchingChinese painting, sculpture, architecture and kung fu films to help create the look of the film.[15] Zibach said that some of the biggest influences for him were the more artful martial arts films, such asHero,House of Flying Daggers andCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[15] Stevenson's aim for the film, which took four years to make, was to make "the best looking film DreamWorks has ever made".
We've had some productions that were stressful, but this one ran very smoothly and DreamWorks is [sic] this production as a template on how they would like future productions to run. We lucked out, and there really was a sense of harmony on the animation. Even the production people. We all seemed like we were on the same page, believing in the film. That doesn't happen very often. I tell animators, you will be working on dumpers for most of your career, but every once in a while you get a gem. Kung Fu Panda was a gem.
Other reviewers have compared the opening to the evocative style ofGenndy Tartakovsky'sCartoon Network seriesSamurai Jack.[19][20] The rest of the film is moderncomputer animation, which uses bright, offbeat colors to evoke the natural landscape of China.[17] The end credit sequence also features hand-drawn characters and still paintings in the background.[17]
The computer animation used throughout the film was more complex than anything DreamWorks had done before. When the head of the production handed the script to VFX Supervisor Markus Manninen, she reportedly laughed and wished him "good luck". "When we started talking", said Manninen, "the movie was still a high concept. But for everyone that looked at it, it screamed complexity. We launched off by saying, how can you make this movie tangible? How can you find smart ways to bring this world to life in a way that makes it a great movie and not feel like the complexity becomes the driver of the story, but the story and the emotion being the driver?"[21] In preparation, the animators took a six-hour kung fu class.[22]
Producer Melissa Cobb said that Po was originally "more of a jerk", but that the character changed after they heard Black.[22] According to Black, he worked mostly "in isolation", although he and Dustin Hoffman did spend a day together, which Cobb said helped with the scene in which their characters face off.[22] Lucy Liu said that the film "was quite different because it was such a long process".[23] Liu said that when she was presented with the project, they already had artwork of her character, as well as a "short computerized video version of what she would look like when she moved".[23]
The film held itsworld premiere at the61st Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2008,[24] where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.[25]Kung Fu Panda later had national premieres in IMAX in the United States on June 1, 2008, atAMC andRegal Cinemas inHollywood, California,[26] and in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2008, atLeicester Square inLondon.[27] To promote the film's Japanese release, amanga based on the story was released in Japan in the September 2008 issue ofKerokero Ace magazine.[28] The illustrations were done by Takafumi Adachi.[29]
Kung Fu Panda was released onDVD andBlu-ray on November 9, 2008,[30] and on 3D Blu-ray on December 6, 2011, as aBest Buy exclusive.[31] The DVD double-disc release ofKung Fu Panda also includes the short animated film,Secrets of the Furious Five.[30] The film was released on4K UHD on March 12, 2024, and included the short filmSecrets of the Scroll.[32]Kung Fu Panda was released on Peacock on June 6, 2024.
With 7,486,642 DVD units sold in 2008,Kung Fu Panda was the fourth highest-selling film and the highest-selling animated film of 2008, aboveWALL-E, which sold 7,413,548 units.[33] As of February 2010, 17.4 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide.[34]
The film topped the box office in its opening weekend, grossing $60.2 million for a $14,642 average from 4,114 theaters,[35] and performing much better than analysts had been expecting.[36] It was also the highest-grossing opening for a non-sequel DreamWorks Animation film at the time.[36] In its second weekend, the film retreated 44% to second place behindThe Incredible Hulk, grossing $33.6 million, for a $8,127 average, from expanding to 4,136 theaters.[37] It closed October 9, 2008, after 125 days of release, grossing $215.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $416.3 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $631.7 million.[3]Kung Fu Panda was the highest-grossing non-Shrek film from DreamWorks Animation in the United States and Canada before it was surpassed byHow to Train Your Dragon in 2010.[38]
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 87% of 191 reviewers gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Kung Fu Panda has a familiar message, but the pleasing mix of humor, swift martial arts action, and colorful animation makes for winning summer entertainment."[39] AtMetacritic, the film has an average score of 74 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[40] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on a scale of A+ to F.[41]
Richard Corliss ofTime magazine gaveKung Fu Panda a positive review, stating the picture "provides a master course in cunning visual art and ultra-satisfying entertainment".[42]
The New York Times said, "At once fuzzy-wuzzy and industrial strength, the tacky-soundingKung Fu Panda is high concept with a heart," and the review called the film "consistently diverting" and "visually arresting".[18]
Chris Barsanti ofFilmcritic.com commented, "Blazing across the screen with eye-popping, sublime artwork,Kung Fu Panda sets itself apart from the modern domestic animation trend with its sheer beauty ... the film enters instant classic status as some of the most gorgeous animation Hollywood has produced since the golden age of Disney."[43]
Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune called the film "one of the few comedies of 2008 in any style or genre that knows what it's doing".[44]
However, Tom Charity ofCNN criticized the action for tending "to blur into a whirlwind of slapstick chaos", and considered the character of Po too similar to others played by Black.[45]
Peter Howell ofThe Toronto Star awarded the film two and a half stars, considering it to have a "lack of story" that "frequently manages to amuse, if not entirely to delight".[46]
Kung Fu Panda was also well received in China.[47] It made nearly 110 millionyuan by July 2, 2008, becoming the first animated film to earn more than 100 million yuan in China.[48][49] The Chinese directorLu Chuan commented, "From a production standpoint, the movie is nearly perfect. Its American creators showed a very sincere attitude about Chinese culture."[50][51] The film's critical and commercial success in China led to some local introspection about why no film to similar standards had been produced domestically, with commentators attributing the problem variously to lower film budgets in China, too much government oversight, a dearth of national imagination, and an overly reverent attitude to China's history and cultural icons.[52][53][54]
By contrast,Kung Fu Panda won tenAnnie Awards (including Best Animated Feature) out of sixteen nominations, which sparkedcontroversy, with some accusing DreamWorks headJeffrey Katzenberg of rigging the vote by buyingASIFA-Hollywood memberships (with voting power) for everyone at DreamWorks Animation.[58]
Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR Animation in a Feature Film
Ethan Van Der Ryn Erik Aadahl Mike Hopkins Jonathan Klein Adam Milo Smalley Peter Oso Snell Wayne Lemmer Paul Pirola P.K. Hooker Dan O'Connell John Cucci
ComposerHans Zimmer scoredKung Fu Panda. Zimmer visited China to absorb the culture, and got to know theChinese National Symphony as part of his preparation.Timbaland also contributed to the soundtrack.[74] The soundtrack also includes a partially rewritten version of the classic song, "Kung Fu Fighting", performed byCee-Lo Green and Jack Black for the end credits. In some versions, the end credit was sung byRain.[citation needed] Although Zimmer was originally announced as the main composer of the film, CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKGJeffrey Katzenberg announced during a test screening that composerJohn Powell would also be contributing to the score. This marked the first collaboration in eight years for the two, who had previously worked together on DreamWorks'sThe Road to El Dorado and the action-thrillerChill Factor. The soundtrack album was released byInterscope Records June 3, 2008.[75]
Amanga based on the film was released in Japan inKerokero Ace magazine's September 2008 issue.[76] It was written by Hanten Okuma and illustrated by Takafumi Adachi.[77]
A television series titledKung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness aired onNickelodeon, with its premiere September 19, 2011.[78] From the cast ofKung Fu Panda, only Lucy Liu and James Hong reprised their roles of Master Viper and Mr. Ping, respectively.[79] In the series, Po continues to defend the Valley of Peace from all kinds of villains while making mistakes, learning about the history of kung fu, and meeting other kung fu masters. In the United States, the series ended its run June 29, 2016, with a total of three seasons and 80 episodes. However, prior to premiering in the U.S., the final few episodes premiered in Germany from December 30, 2014, to January 7, 2015.[citation needed]
Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny is an animatedweb-television series produced by DreamWorks Animation, released forAmazon Prime November 16, 2018. It is the second TV series in theKung Fu Panda franchise, followingKung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.Mick Wingert reprised his role as Po fromLegends of Awesomeness.[80]
A video game adaptation of the film was published June 3, 2008, byActivision.[83] The game was released forPlayStation 3,Xbox 360,Wii,PlayStation 2,Nintendo DS andPC platforms. The plot follows the same basic plot as the film, but with Tai Lung portrayed as the leader of various gangs that surround the Valley of Peace, which Po, who possesses some basic martial art skills that can be upgraded as the game progresses, must defeat. The game was released forMicrosoft Windows, as well as multipleconsoles.
The game received mostly positive reviews. It scored aMetacritic rating of 76%,[84] and a 7.5 out of 10 fromIGN.[85] In 2009, it won the International Animated Film Society's Annie Award for Best Animated Video Game, "in recognition of creative excellence in the art of animation".[86]
Following the financial success ofKung Fu Panda, DreamWorks Animation began development on a sequel.[87]Kung Fu Panda 2 surpassed the box-office take of the first film,[88] and received a similarly positive critical and audience response.[89] A third film,Kung Fu Panda 3, was released in 2016,[90] becoming one of thehighest-grossing films of 2016.[91]Kung Fu Panda 4 released on March 8, 2024.[92]
DreamWorks Animation was sued in 2011 by a writer, Terence Dunn, for allegedly stealing the idea forKung Fu Panda from him.[93] Dunn alleged that DreamWorks Animation had stolen his pitch for a "spiritual kung-fu fighting panda bear" that he sent to a DreamWorks executive in 2001.[93] DreamWorks Animation denied any wrongdoing, and after a two-week trial, the jurors found in favor of DreamWorks.[93]
In 2011, another lawsuit was brought against the studio by an illustrator named Jayme Gordon. Gordon had supposedly created characters under the name "Kung Fu Panda Power" and registered them with theU.S. Copyright Office in 2000.[94] He had allegedly pitched this concept toDisney while Jeffrey Katzenberg, who left Disney and formed DreamWorks Animation in 1994, was working there. Gordon withdrew his claim just before the trial was due to take place.[95] On December 20, 2015, federal prosecutors charged Gordon with four counts ofwire fraud and three counts ofperjury for allegedly fabricating and backdating drawings to support the claims in his lawsuit, and for allegedly tracing some of his drawings from a coloring book featuring characters from Disney'sThe Lion King franchise.[96] On November 18, 2016, Gordon was convicted for wire fraud and perjury, facing a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.[97] In May 2017, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay $3 million in restitution.[98]
^Giardina, Carolyn (June 1, 2008)."Helmers talk 'Kung Fu Panda'".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. RetrievedMarch 27, 2012.
^Bernstein, Richard (July 20, 2008)."The Panda That Roared".The New York Times.Archived from the original on December 17, 2011. RetrievedJuly 23, 2008.
^DuBois, Stephanie; Emily Feimster (September 18, 2007)."The Big Screen Scene".National Ledger.Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. RetrievedJune 7, 2008.
