Let's do something I don't do often, review an animated film, here's my review of Kung Fu Panda.
As I always do, I'll start with the characters and story. Po is a brilliant main character, he's an extremely likable character, not just because of how side splitting funny he is, but because of his dream, and the conflict he has with Shifu is one of the driving forces of the film. Po is a panda who doubts himself, and that doubt is a sizable part of his arch throughout the film. As I said earlier he is also side splittingly funny, because he is, but really there isn't a character in this film that isn't funny. The only one that I wouldn't really call funny is Oogway, who is one of the most badass characters in the film, he is the wise, old Kung Fu master, and he's good at it, he too is an extremely likable character. Shifu is a very interesting character, he has a really interesting arch throughout the film, just like Po, and the film's as much about him finding peace as it is about Po learning Kung Fu, and he has a very interesting backstory and relationship with the film's villain. Which brings us on to Tai Lung, who is a cool villain. The first time you see him is some menacing stuff, and he is completely badass from the instant he appears. He's not just a black and white villain though, he's more complex than that, and it makes him a very interesting and surprisingly likable character, his motive is simple, but his reasons are far more complicated. The Furious Five are less interesting, but then they're funny, so there's no reason to complain, and when they throw down they too are completely awesome. The film's story is driven by these characters, so while it may be very straightforward, a panda learning Kung FU, it's a very funny film with funny and likable characters. And it allows for some very fun fight scenes and training scenes with Po and Shifu.
This is an animated film, so the quality of the animation is something moderately important, fortunately, this film has really good animation, the characters and environments all look great, and the animation is fast and energetic during the Kung Fu scenes. I can't hold off saying it any longer, this is the most visually beautiful animated film I've ever seen, I find the aesthetic of ancient China to be really cool, and this film is crammed full of it, not in a cheesy way, but in a way that was clearly created with respect and love. The music is the same, this film sounds wonderful, and it really fits the aesthetic. This film also has some absolutely stunning imagery. Everything works for me, the aesthetic of the world, the design of the characters and environments, the fun animation. And the colours, holy shit the colours, they look absolutely stunning, there are times when this film looks like a painting, exploding with amazing design and gorgeous colours, and it's an absolute joy to look at. Certain times in particular really stand out, including every scene involving the sacred peach tree, the prison break scene, and the final battle with Tai Lung. These 3 examples are what stand out when I think about it, but there are others, and the film doesn't have a dull moment, you're always either looking at something beautiful, watching fun Kung Fu, or laughing out loud, none of them are bad. You'd think this film has an element of parody to it, given that it's about anthropomorphic animals, but the film takes itself seriously enough to have some surprisingly heavy scenes, the majority of which involve Shifu. It's also very light hearted, and has a great blend of comedy, adventure and more impactful, emotional stuff.
Kung Fu Panda is one of my favourite animated films, because it has everything I want in an animation, it has really nice looking animation, stunning imagery and colour, a fun light hearted tone, yet some heavier moments, and really funny and likable characters, it's just an all round good film, and it's definitely a must watch.
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