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Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
With deep foreboding, I walked into this movie braced for second rate animation (at least compared to Pixar), endless fights between cartoons (as in the CGI "Clone Wars"), and a cultural sensitivity that was either painfully preachy (like "Mulan") or outright insulting (like "Aladdin").
At first, my dread seemed confirmed. Poor Dustin Hoffman mangles Chinese names without mercy - so much so that James Hong, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan have to mispronounce words them just to match what he says.
But once the movie got rolling, I found myself grinning from ear to ear in sheer delight. Yes, it's true, Dreamworks can't compete with Pixar's technology, but they make up for it with beautiful graphic design, sheer wit and - of course - those hilariously quivering "Scrat Eyes". What's more, the animators somehow manage to make Kung Fu battles between cartoons both exciting and enjoyable - every bit the match of live action fights (which nowadays are nothing more than CGI fights with famous faces pasted on).
However, what was most remarkable was how faithful this film was to Chinese culture - family dynamics, Buddhist philosophy, values, and even martial arts - this film simply HAD to be written by Chinese. There was never a moment when it strained to "score points" with political correctness: all of its cultural messages were subtle, buried within a plot crammed with excitement and laughter. Here you experience how parental love turns into suffocating pressure, here you see adolescent rebellion as a monstrosity rather than a virtue, here you see the quirky characters of a city (complete with that wobbly "bound foot" walk), here you hear the wisdom of Zen detachment, and here you experience the sacred relationship between student and teacher.
Perhaps my opinion is biased by the surprise this movie gave to my low expectations, but I can't help but see this film as an unappreciated but precious gem. Now if only they could do such a great job on Islamic culture...!
