Kung Fu Panda
Headline: ** Hilarious, Exciting and Adorable **
Title: KUNG FU PANDA
Quality: * * * * Acceptability: +1
SUBTITLES: None
WARNING CODES:
Language: None
Violence: VV
Sex: None
Nudity: None
RATING: PG
RELEASE: June 6, 2008
TIME: 90 minutes
STARRING: The voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Cross, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, and Dan Fogler
DIRECTOR: John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
PRODUCER: Melissa Cobb
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: None
WRITERS: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
BASED ON THE NOVEL/PLAY BY: N/A
DISTRIBUTOR: DreamWorks Animation SKG/Paramount Pictures/Viacom
CONTENT: (PaPa, BB, C, Ro, VV, M) Non-specific Eastern, nominalistic, slightly mixed pagan worldview that tends to indicate it doesn't matter if there's good or evil and that people just pass on into the ether somehow which, although done tongue-in-cheek and humorously, could be problematic for younger children, but beyond the worldview there are moral and redemptive themes and character traits extolling overcoming one's limitations, sacrificing oneself for others, doing the right thing, being kind to others, and being humble, but mitigated by the central premise that, if you only believe, you can do anything, mixed with some Romantic themes of following your heart and pursuing your dreams; no foul language whatsoever; lots and lots of cartoon slapstick violence, including some of the most exciting cartoon kung fu sequences ever, but the violence includes shooting bows and arrows, throwing spears and ninja devices, beatings, kickings, and a host of other martial arts activities that will be problematic for younger children; no apparent nudity; no sex; no alcohol; no smoking; and, ridicule and mocking of slovenly fat kid.
GENRE: Animated/Comedy
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Older children to adults
REVIEWER: Dr. Ted Baehr
Please address your comments to:
Sumner Redstone, Chairman/CEO
Viacom
Brad Grey, Chairman/CEO
Paramount Pictures
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3197
Phone: (323) 956-5000
Website: www.paramount.com
SUMMARY: KUNG FU PANDA is a very funny, very exciting and very clean animated movie about a chubby, disheveled, but warm-hearted panda who is the only one standing in the way of an evil, treacherous snow leopard threatening his village. The movie extols personal themes and character traits espousing virtue, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice, but contains some non-specific Eastern mysticism and violence, so it requires caution for younger children.
IN BRIEF:
KUNG FU PANDA is very funny, very exciting and very clean. A quirk of destiny makes Po, a chubby, clumsy Panda, the new dragon warrior chosen to protect his village from the evil, treacherous snow leopard, Tai Lung. Shifu is visibly upset because he has personally trained the Furious Five martial arts masters. He's determined to show that this fat panda is a failure. When Shifu has to take over the martial arts academy, however, he begins to understand that there are no accidents and that it may have been his own pride that helped turn Tai Lung into a monster. Then, Tai Lung escapes from prison. The Furious Five cannot stop him. All that stands between Tai Lung and a scroll giving anyone unlimited powers is the silly, disheveled, warm-hearted, roly-poly Po.
KUNG FU PANDA is the best-written, best-executed, best-produced, best-animated movie so far of 2008. There's no sex, no profanity. Most of the characters are cute and adorable. And, the movie extols personal themes and character traits espousing virtue, honor, loyalty, and sacrifice. There is, however, some non-specific Eastern mysticism and violence, so it requires caution for younger children.
NOTE from Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide Magazine. For more information from a Christian perspective, order the latest Movieguide Magazine by calling 1-800-899-6684(MOVI) or visit our website at www.movieguide.org. Movieguide is dedicated to redeeming the values of Hollywood by informing parents about today's movies and entertainment and by showing media executives and artists that family-friendly and even Christian-friendly movies do best at the box office year in and year out. Movieguide now offers an online subscription to its magazine version, atwww.movieguide.org. The magazine, which comes out 25 times a year, contains many informative articles and reviews that help parents train their children to be media-wise consumers.
