Kung Fu heroes are always physically fit, agile, and brave. The story of Kung Fu Panda gives this stereotype a really nice twist by making the hero a fat and cowardly Panda who is always hungry.
Kung Fu Panda is an action-comedy animated movie directed by Mark Osborne and John Wayne Stevenson. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation with Melissa Cobb and was distributed by Paramount Pictures.
The story is set in a fictional place called Valley of Peace in ancient China. In this world, the inhabitants are anthropomorphic animals who can talk and move just like humans. The main character in the story is Po— a fat panda that is weirdly the son of a goose named Mr. Ping who owns a noodle house restaurant. Po, voiced by Jack Black, is a die-hard Kung Fu fan. He really idolizes the Furious Five and their master who are the protectors of the village staying in the Jade palace.
The Furious Five include Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis which are voiced by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen respectively. Their master is a red panda named Master Shifu voiced by Dustin Huffman.
Master Oogway, an old turtle kung fu master who is the mentor of Shifu, had a vision that Tai Lung, Shifu's old student whom he treated as his son but has turned evil, will escape from prison and return to have revenge and take the Dragon Scroll which is hidden in the Jade palace. The Dragon Scroll holds the secret to limitless power and must only be given to the legendary Dragon Warrior who is the only one capable of defeating Tai Lung.
Tai Lung, a snow leopard, always thought that he is the legendary Dragon warrior as he was being raised and encouraged by Shifu. However, Oogway sensed evil in his heart and denied him the Dragon Scroll. Enraged and desperate, Tai Lung tried to steal the Dragon Scroll but was stopped by Oogway's nerve attack which temporarily paralyzed him. After that, he was sent to a prison where no one has ever escaped.
When Shifu was informed of Oogway's vision, he held a tournament for the Furious Five so that Oogway can choose among them who the legendary Dragon Warrior is. At that time, Po was supposed to bring a noodle cart in the tournament as ordered by his father since there will be many people watching the tournament.
Fortuitously, Po arrived late and by his desperation to watch the tournament, he rocketed himself inside the Jade palace with fireworks and was "accidentally" chosen to be the legendary Dragon Warrior by Oogway who pointed at him. Shifu believes it was an accident but Oogway believes that there are no accidents.
Thus, Po was recognized as the Dragon Warrior and had to endure the initial dire treatment of Shifu and the Furious Five along with the harsh trainings as he discovered his real Kung Fu skills which are truly unique and powerful.
The movie has become so popular that several Kung Fu Panda games have been made. Kung Fu Panda games are available as video games and online flash games. Popular Kung Fu Panda games are the self-titled Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 for various gaming platforms.