Kung Fu Panda (2008) - Review by Monica Van Ittersum

History & Historical Analysis of the Film:

The DreamWorks film, Kung Fu Panda, directed by Mark Osborn and John Stevenson was released in 2008. One of the producers, Jeffrey Katzenberg, called Kung Fu Panda, a “love letter from Hollywood to China.”[1] The cast features predominantly Caucasian actors, with Asian actors only playing minor roles. The production team studied ancient Chinese art and wuxia films in an attempt to avoid Asian stereotypes. The film is about Po—played by Jack Black—a panda who dreams of being a kung fu warrior, but he is stuck serving noodles at his father’s restaurant. Meanwhile, Oogway predicts Tai Lung will return. When it is time to select the dragon warrior, Po hears of the news. He flies into the arena on a chair of fireworks but lands in the middle of the arena, and Oogway selects him. The furious five and Shifu are disappointed, yet Oogway tells Shifu to believe that Po is the dragon warrior. Shifu discovers Po is motivated by food, so Shifu uses this to train Po. When Po is ready to read the dragon scroll, Po finds nothing in it. Soon, Po realizes why there was nothing in it; this allows him to defeat Tai Lung and bring peace to the valley.[2] The film made forty-one million dollars at the American box office, while over fifty-eight million dollars was made at the Chinese box office.[3] The film brought controversy to China. Its popularity concerned many Asian critics, calling the American film a “cultural invasion.”[4] The film has exploded into the Kung Fu Panda franchise, which is a series that consists of three films, three more films being planned, five short films, various tv series, book series, games and a theme park.[5]

[1] 李松 Huang, “Kung Fu Panda Brings Sichuan into Limelight,” September 28, 2016, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/kindle/2016-09/28/content_26925751.htm. [2] Kung Fu Panda (Paramount Pictures Corporation, 2008). [3] Guo, Qiuyue. "Chinese Perceptions of American Stereotypes in Dreamwork's Animation Kung Fu Panda." Order No. 1503816, University of Wyoming, 2011. https://libproxy.wlu.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.wlu.ca/docview/916754939?accountid=15090. 1. [4] “Kung Fu Panda Too American for Some.” South China Morning Post, June 18, 2011. https://www.scmp.com/article/971047/kung-fu-panda-too-american-some. [5] “Kung Fu Panda (Franchise).” Kung Fu Panda Wiki, n.d. https://kungfupanda.fandom.com/wiki/Kung_Fu_Panda_(franchise).

Kung Fu Panda is not intended to be non-fictional, and the film is not set in a specific dynasty. However, the film still portrays a version of ancient China. The film accurately represents ancient china visually through its art and architecture. Many of the film’s scenes are based off Chinese paintings and practices such as drip ink painting, paper cutting art, and shadow play.[1] The architecture is also based off Chinese paintings. Buildings are bright red, which is an often used and important colour in China.[2][3] The noodle shop offers an accurate demonstration through its traditional stove and noodle cart. The restaurant is based off old breakfast roadside stands in China.[4] While much of the architecture is thoughtfully presented, when the dragon warrior is selected, the film depicts a stadium-like-building. In ancient China, sports events took place in open spaces, not arenas.[5] The film both inaccurately and accurately depicts kung fu and Chinese philosophy. The “dragon warrior”, “dragon scroll”, “wuxi finger hold”, and “pool of sacred tears” are irrelevant to kung fu and ancient China,[6] but the production team effectively represents traditional fighting methods through the symbolism of each animal in the furious five. Each animal in the furious five represents a particular kung fu fighting technique.[7] The film also includes women participating in kung fu, which is accurate to ancient China.[8] The film highlights Chinese philosophical and spiritual symbols such as the peach tree and the turtle, Oogway. In ancient China, both the peach tree and turtle represent immortality and wisdom; this was successfully conveyed in the film.[9] Oogway promotes a Daoist philosophy by endorsing adages such as “Let go of the illusion of control.”[10] However, the philosophical and cultural power of the film is undermined by the push of western heroic values and individualism, as represented by Po who fights by himself and saves by himself. This clashes with the Confucian and Daoist values of collective power.[11]

[1] Zhao, Qing. "Seeing "Developing" Countries through American Animated Films — an Analysis of "Kung Fu Panda," "Rio," and "Madagascar"." Order No. 1590991, Dartmouth College, 2015. https://libproxy.wlu.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.wlu.ca/docview/1696070018?accountid=15090. 26. [2] Ibid. 22. [3] Hanna, Bridget. 2016. “The Balance of Power.” Screen Education, no. 82 (Winter): http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.wlu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=ufh&AN=116421498&site=ehost-live. 2. [4] Guo, Qiuyue. "Chinese Perceptions of American Stereotypes in Dreamwork's Animation Kung Fu Panda." Order No. 1503816, University of Wyoming, 2011. https://libproxy.wlu.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.wlu.ca/docview/916754939?accountid=15090. 27. [5] Yu, Ruqing, and Feng Qian. “The Historical Evolution and Regeneration Of The Athletics Stadium in Modern China.” UIA Seoul World Architects Congress , n.d. http://www.uia2017seoul.org/P/papers/Full_paper/Paper/Poster/P-0259.pdf. [6] Kung Fu Panda (Paramount Pictures Corporation, 2008). [7] Guo, Qiuyue. "Chinese Perceptions of American Stereotypes in Dreamwork's Animation Kung Fu Panda." Order No. 1503816, University of Wyoming, 2011. https://libproxy.wlu.ca/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.libproxy.wlu.ca/docview/916754939?accountid=15090. 29. [8] Lorge, Peter Allan. “Women in Warfare .” In Chinese Martial Arts: from Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. 13. [9] Hanna, Bridget. 2016. “The Balance of Power.” Screen Education, no. 82 (Winter): http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.wlu.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=ufh&AN=116421498&site=ehost-live. 3. [10] Kung Fu Panda (Paramount Pictures Corporation, 2008). [11] Wang, C.. (2017). The western gaze in animation: A case study of Kung Fu Panda. Journal of Content, Community and Communication. 11.