6.06.2008

Kung Fu Panda!

I don't know why, but I was unsure of how I felt about this movie, simply based on the trailers and advertisements. I wasn't too excited, but was sure I wanted to see what it was all about, so a friend and myself caught a midnight show last night. All I can say is that this is giving (one of my all-time-favorites) Pixar's Ratatouille a run for its money in animation as well as beautiful colors, textures and surfaces.



Kung Fu Panda is one CG animated film that goes the extra mile with color design and the animation is top-notch. The animators really have outdone themselves. The character traits are very inventive, detailed, human, exaggerated, cartoony and active. The voices are fun and the script is very good.



I could go on and on in detail what I enjoyed and critique it in depth, but I'll keep it to this: Overall I give this film two thumbs up. From a creative standpoint, I couldn't enjoy it much more than I did. It is definitely worth checking out, so go see it this weekend - twice!
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2 comments:

C.B. Canga said...

nice blog. good job.

Everybody's gotta be in a Gang said...

Couldn't agree more, Joe- I saw it yesterday and really enjoyed it. The expressions go even farther than in "The Incredibles"- especially in the old turtle character who has the look and feel of a really old man who has lost his teeth, and has subtle and accurate movements. As you said, the color and texture are really well done and it was very enjoyable to watch. In addition, the animators actually did some martial art training to better understand and feel what the body does when doing various moves, and brilliantly interpreted them into their corresponding animals.
Also, I liked how they kept some of the philosophy behind most martial arts intact- like how Po (the Panda) decides that he's not hungry anymore after he earns the right to eat the last dumpling. He's showing the Buddhist trait of eliminating desire which shows his spiritual advancement.