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In the great tradition of lovable but challenged cartoon heroes, along comes Po (Jack Black), the well-meaning if awkward Panda bear who happens to be the world’s biggest fan of kung fu - or so it seems. It isn’t exactly a talent needed for his place of employment, which happens to be his family’s noodle shop. But in the category of “stranger things have happened,” the klutzy Po actually manages to hook up and practice the great martial art with his own dream team - legends known as the Furious Five, including seductive Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and the hilarious Monkey (Jackie Chan, of course). This all takes place under the watchful eye of the group’s esteemed leader, Master Shifu (think Mr. Miyagi as voiced by Dustin Hoffman). After a series of sequences showing Po in full Rocky/Karate Kid training mode, his newfound skills are put to use when the threatening Snow Leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane) enters the scene and starts to wreak havoc, forcing Po to summon up every ounce of courage and save the day.
Dreamworks, whose previous animated hits have included Shrek, Madagascar and Bee Movie, has very successfully mined the brand of CGI ‘toons that rely heavily on their all-star voice casts. Kung Fu Panda is no exception, and, in fact, probably has the best mix of celebrity voice talent to date with a cast that most notably reunites Shark Tale stars Jack Black and Angelina Jolie. Black is a dead-on perfect choice to voice the clumsy but friendly kung-fu loving Po. He creates a wonderfully likeable Panda, getting the audience on his side right from the very first moments. Jolie, Cross, Rogen and Liu, who make up the core of the Furious Five, all have their moments - but just not enough of them. Overall, though, this is one fine movie.