Kung Fu Panda 3248340 226178877 2008-07-17T04:55:13Z Tiptoety 4296922 +pp-semi {{pp-semi|small=yes}} {{Infobox film | name = Kung Fu Panda | image = Kung fu panda poster.jpg | caption = Kung Fu Panda official movie poster | director = [[Mark Osborne (filmmaker)|Mark Osborne]]<br>[[John Stevenson]] | writer = [[Jonathan Aibel]]<br>[[Glenn Berger]]<br> | producer = [[Melissa Cobb]] | starring = [[Jack Black]]<br>[[Jackie Chan]]<br>[[Dustin Hoffman]]<br>[[Angelina Jolie]]<br>[[Lucy Liu]]<br>[[Seth Rogen]]<br>[[David Cross]]<br>[[Ian McShane]] | music = [[Hans Zimmer]]<br>[[John Powell]] | editing = |cinematography = [[Yong Duk Jhun]] | distributor = [[DreamWorks Animation]]<br>[[Paramount Pictures]] | released = '''[[North America]]:'''<br />[[June 6]], [[2008]]<br />'''[[Image:Flag of Australia.svg|25px]] [[Australia]]:'''<br />[[June 26]], [[2008]]<br/>'''[[Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|25px]] [[United Kingdom]]:'''<br />[[July 4]], [[2008]] | runtime = 92 min | awards = | language = [[English language|English]] | website = http://www.kungfupanda.com/ | imdb_id = 0441773 | budget = [[United States dollar|USD]]$130 million<ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Kung Fu Panda | work = | publisher = Box Office Mojo | date = | url = http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kungfupanda.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2008-06-11}}</ref> | gross = '''Domestic:'''<br>$202,154,311 <br>'''Worldwide:'''<br>$356,286,453 | preceded_by = | followed_by = }} '''''Kung Fu Panda''''' is a [[2008]] [[animated film]] about a bungling [[Giant Panda|panda]] who aspires to be a [[Chinese martial arts|kung fu]] warrior. ''Kung Fu Panda'' is directed by [[John Stevenson]] and [[Mark Osborne (filmmaker)|Mark Osborne]] and produced by Melissa Cobb. Although the concept of a kung fu panda has been around since at least 1993,<ref>Brown, Geoff. (October 19, 1993) [[The Times]] ''Who framed the animator's artistry?.'' Section: Features; Page 31: "In studios stretching from California to Ireland and the Far East, craftsmen sit bent over drawing boards, computer screens or lumps of plasticine, bringing to life everything from square-jawed superheroes and kids on the block to little blue aliens and a cuddly pawsome called the Incredible Kung Fu Panda."</ref> the idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance,<ref>[[PR Newswire]], [http://www.itnews.it/news/2007/0807132403284/imagi-announces-strategic-alliance-for-gatchaman-and-astro-boy-toy-development.html "Imagi Announces Strategic Alliance for Gatchaman and Astro Boy Toy Development"], IT news, [[August 7]], [[2007]].</ref> a [[DreamWorks Animation]] executive. Work on the film did not begin until 2004 and the film premièred at the [[2008 Cannes Film Festival|61st Cannes Film Festival]] in May 2008. The film was released internationally on [[June 6]], [[2008]], and was released in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[July 4]], [[2008]]. The film was animated by [[Dreamworks Animation]]'s studio in Glendale, California, and is distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]]. The film stars the voices of [[Jack Black]], [[Jackie Chan]], [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Angelina Jolie]], [[Lucy Liu]], [[Seth Rogen]], [[David Cross]], and [[Ian McShane]]. In the United States, it has been rated [[MPAA_film_rating_system#Ratings|PG]] by the [[MPAA]] for sequences of martial arts action and mild blood, and in the United Kingdom, [[British_Board_of_Film_Classification#Current_certificates|PG]] by the [[BBFC]]. ==Plot== Po ([[Jack Black]]) is a panda who works in a noodle restaurant owned by his goose father Mr. Ping ([[James Hong]]). He is a [[kung fu]] fanatic with secret dreams of becoming a great master in the discipline, however his weight and clumsiness seem to make his goal unattainable; Mr. Ping hopes instead that Po will one day take over the restaurant, and waits for the perfect opportunity to disclose the secret ingredient to his family's noodle recipe. The tortoise Master Oogway([[Randall Duk Kim]]) has a premonition that the evil [[snow leopard]] warrior Tai Lung ([[Ian McShane]]), the former student of his own protégé, the [[red panda]] Master Sifu ([[Dustin Hoffman]]), will escape from prison and return to threaten the Valley of Peace. While Sifu sends Zeng ([[Dan Fogler]]), a messenger goose, to Chorh-Gom Prison to have the security increased, Oogway orders a formal ceremony to choose the mighty Dragon Warrior who can defeat Tai Lung. Everyone assumes that one of the Furious Five — Tigress ([[Angelina Jolie]]), Monkey ([[Jackie Chan]]), Mantis ([[Seth Rogen]]), Viper ([[Lucy Liu]]), and Crane ([[David Cross]]) — a quintet of supremely skilled martial artists trained by Sifu,<ref>The Furious Five are homages to the [[Fujian White Crane|Crane]], [[Snake Kung Fu|Snake]], [[Monkey Kung Fu|Monkey]], [[Northern Praying Mantis (martial art)|Praying Mantis]], and Tiger styles of [[Chinese martial arts]]. ([http://www.kungfupanda.com/|Kung Fu Panda Official Site - Production - Five Fighting Warriors] Retrieved on 11 July 2008.)</ref> will be chosen for this honor. While the Five demonstrate their skills at the ceremony, Po arrives too late and finds himself locked outside the walled palace square. As a last-ditch attempt to get in, he ties several fireworks to a chair and ignites them, which sends him crashing into the center of the arena. Inspired by this sudden appearance, the old master tortoise designates Po the Dragon Warrior to everyone's shock. Despite Po's protests and Sifu's pleas to reconsider, Oogway stands by his decision. Revolted at having Po under his tutelage, Sifu attempts to make him quit by berating and humiliating him. The Five similarly dismiss Po as a worthless interloper. Although he becomes aware of Sifu's true intentions and is deeply hurt by his heroes' disdain for him, Po endures their abuse willingly for the dream to become something more than the failure he thinks he is. Master Oogway, still certain that Po is the right choice, gives him sage advice to believe in himself. Eventually, Po endears himself to the Five (except for Tigress) with his tenacity, good cooking, and sense of humor. At this time Tigress reveals to Po how Tai Lung came to be so evil. Sifu raised him from a cub and treated him like a son. When Oogway refused to make Tai Lung the Dragon Warrior, he became enraged and laid waste to the Valley. He then tried to take the dragon scroll. Sifu tried to stop him, but could not bear to destroy what he had created. Tai Lung was defeated by Master Oogway and imprisoned. Tigress ends her story by saying that Sifu loved Tai Lung like he never had before, or since. Meanwhile, Zeng's errand backfires when a tour of the prison given to him by the overly confident head of security, Commander Vachir ([[Michael Clarke Duncan]]), inadvertently enables Tai Lung to escape. Tai Lung orders Zeng to send word of his arrival to Sifu. In the Valley of Peace, Oogway passes away and ascends to the heavens, leaving his final wish that Sifu train Po. However, upon learning of Tai Lung's return, and realizing that he has to face the evil warrior, Po attempts to flee. Sifu stops the panda and promises to train him if he is truly destined to be the Dragon Warrior. When Po confesses his deep self-loathing due to his obesity and his belief that he may never be a match for Tai Lung, Sifu is at a loss for a solution. Overhearing this argument between Po and Sifu, Tigress takes it upon herself to intercept Tai Lung, and the rest of The Five follow her to assist. The following morning, Sifu discovers that Po is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food. Sifu leads Po to the countryside for an intensive training regime in which Po is offered food as a reward for learning his lessons. As Sifu hopes, Po excels and swiftly becomes a skilled combatant. The Five battle Tai Lung but are eventually hit with a specialized nerve-striking technique, which overpowers them, and they retreat to the valley in defeat. When they return, Sifu decides Po is ready to face the villain and gives him the sacred Dragon Scroll, which promises great power to the possessor. When Po opens it, he finds nothing but a blank reflective surface. Stricken with despair at the scroll's apparent worthlessness, Sifu orders his students to lead the villagers to safety while he stays to delay Tai Lung for as long as he can. As Po participates in the evacuation, he meets his father, who tries to cheer him up by telling him the secret ingredient of the family's noodle soup: nothing. Things become special, he explains, because people believe them to be special. Realizing that is the very point of the Dragon Scroll, Po rushes off to help Sifu. At this time, Tai Lung arrives at the palace and attacks Sifu and berates him for not granting him the title of Dragon Warrior just because Master Oogway did not choose him. For his part, Sifu is crippled by his profound feelings of guilt and responsibility for his former protégé, whom he loved and raised like a son, turning to darkness. When Tai Lung discovers that the Dragon Scroll is gone, he attempts to kill Sifu in his anger. But before he can, Po finally arrives and challenges him. Although Tai Lung scoffs at Po's abilities, the ensuing fight proves Po to be a formidable opponent. Despite Po's skill, Tai Lung temporarily stuns him and gains the Dragon Scroll, but is unable to understand its symbolism. Po tries to explain the wisdom of the scroll to Tai Lung, but the frustrated leopard tries to subdue Po with his nerve strikes. The attack proves useless on the panda, as his nerves are difficult to find due to his body fat. Emboldened, Po counter-attacks with an improvised combat style that takes advantage of his girth to absorb and deflect the force from Tai Lung's attacks back at him. In the end, Po uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung (a technique Sifu had previously threatened to use on Po, which Po claims to have "figured out" on his own), killing him in a large explosion of light that ripples through the valley. The Five return to the valley to investigate and find a slightly dazed but triumphant Po. Deeply impressed at Po's victory, Tigress leads the Five to acknowledge the panda as a Kung Fu master. The villagers, including Po's father, follow suit and hail Po as a hero. Po suddenly remembers that his teacher is badly wounded, and rushes back to Sifu. At first the master appears to be dying, and Po panics. But it turns out that he is only resting after such a terrible battle with Tai Lung. Po, deeply relieved, rests on the floor with Sifu. After a few seconds, Po suggests that they get something to eat and Sifu agrees. At the end of the credits, Sifu and Po are seen eating together by the peach tree. A peach seed planted by Sifu before Oogway's passing has sprouted into a new plant. ==Cast== {{main|List of characters from Kung Fu Panda}} {| class="wikitable" !Voice Actor!!Role!!Animal |- | [[Jack Black]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Po|Po]] | [[Giant Panda]] |- | [[Dustin Hoffman]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Shifu|Master Shifu]] | [[Red Panda]] |- | [[Angelina Jolie]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Tigress|Tigress]] | [[South China Tiger]] |- | [[Jackie Chan]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Monkey|Monkey]] | [[Golden Langur]] |- | [[Lucy Liu]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Viper|Viper]] | [[Viperidae| Green Tree Viper]] |- | [[David Cross]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Crane|Crane]] | [[Red-crowned Crane]] |- | [[Seth Rogen]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Master Mantis|Mantis]] | [[Praying Mantis]] |- | [[Ian McShane]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Tai Lung|Tai Lung]] | [[Snow Leopard]] |- | [[Dan Fogler]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Zeng|Zeng]] | [[Goose]] |- | [[Randall Duk Kim]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Grand Master Oogway|Grand Master Oogway]] | [[Tortoise]] |- | [[James Hong]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Mr. Ping|Mr. Ping]] | [[Goose]] |- | [[Michael Clarke Duncan]] | [[List of characters from Kung Fu Panda#Commander Vachir|Commander Vachir]] | [[Javan Rhinoceros]] |} ==Production== ===Development=== {{quote box|width=40%|quote= "...we love martial arts movies. I wasn't interested in making fun of them, because I really think martial arts movies can be great films, they can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly […] Let's try to make it a real martial arts movie albeit one with a comic character and let's take our action seriously. Let's not give anything up to the big summer movies. Let's really make sure that our kung fu is as cool as any kung fu ever done, so that we can take our place in that canon and make sure it's a beautiful movie, because great martial arts movies are really beautiful-looking movies and then let's see if we can imbue it with real heart and emotion."|source= —co-director [[John Stevenson]] on the comedic approach to the martial arts film.<ref name="John CS"/>}} Publicized work on the film began before October 2004<ref>Aggerholm, Barbara. (October 5, 2004) [[Waterloo Region Record|Kitchener Record]] ''[http://www.tjgalda.com/About/Appearances_files/record_shark_some_bite.html Giving a shark some bite; Local animator swims with the big boys.]'' Section: Front; Page A1. (writing, "Although working on yet another movie -- Kung Fu Panda, slated for release in 2007 -- Galda was called back for the final stage of the Shark Tale project as one of a skilled group of animators who fixes imperfections.")</ref> at about the same time the [[PlayStation 2]] videogame ''[[Ribbit King]]'' was released with its kung fu panda character, "Pan-Pan."<ref> Buchanan, Levi. (June 24, 2004) [[Chicago Tribune]] ''"Ribbit King" hits our fairway.'' Section: Tempo. Page 5.</ref> In September 2005, [[DreamWorks Animation]] announced the film alongside Jack Black, who was selected to be the main voice star.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empireonline.com/News/story.asp?nid=17136 |title=Dreamworks Animation Plans Kung Fu Panda|publisher=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=2005-09-21|accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref> Initially, the idea for the film was to make it a [[parody|parody and spoof]], but co-director [[John Stevenson]] was not particularly keen on the idea so instead chose the direction of simplistic comedy.<ref name="John CS">{{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=45494|title= EXCL: Kung Fu Panda Co-Director John Stevenson|author=Edward Douglas|publisher=ComingSoon.net|date=2008-06-02|accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref> Reportedly inspired by [[Stephen Chow]]'s 2004 [[martial arts film|martial arts]] action comedy, ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]],''<ref>Gaul, Lou. (November 4, 2005) [[Bucks_County,_Pennsylvania#Industry_and_commerce|Bucks County Courier Times]]. ''[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22Kung+Fu+Panda.%22+The+computer-animated+picture+was+reportedly+inspired+by+Stephen+Chow%27s+action+comedy%2C+%22Kung+Fu+Hustle.%22&btnG=Search+Archives&hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8 1104 Film Clips.]'' Section: ToDo; Page 2E.</ref> the co-directors wanted to make sure the film also had an authentic Chinese and kung fu feel to it. Production designer Raymond Zibach and art director Tang Heng spent years researching [[Chinese painting]], sculpture, architecture and kung fu movies to help create the look of the film.<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2008/06/01/2008-06-01_kung_fu_panda_gets_cuddly.html|title='Kung Fu Panda' gets cuddly|publisher=''New York Daily News''|date=2008-05-31|accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref> Zibach said some of the biggest influence of him are the more artful martial-arts films such as ''[[Hero (2002 film)|Hero]]'', and ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'' and ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]''.<ref name="dailynews"/> The aim for the film, which took four years to make, was to make it a good blend of the two, as well as to give it an "epic" feel, unlike other DreamWorks animated features which resorted to "pop songs and celebrity references."<ref name="News Observer">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/1569/story/1094727.html|title='Kung Fu Panda' pushes boundaries of cartoon art|author=Colin Covert|publisher=[[The News & Observer]]|date=2008-06-03|accessdate=2008-06-05}}</ref> In November 2005, Dreamworks Animation announced that [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Jackie Chan]], [[Lucy Liu]], [[Seth Rogen]], [[David Cross]] and [[Ian McShane]] joined Jack Black in the cast.<ref>UPI Entertainment News. (November 9, 2005) [http://movies.about.com/od/moviesinproduction/a/kungfu110905.htm DreamWorks Announces the Cast of "Kung Fu Panda"]</ref> ===Music=== {{main article|Kung Fu Panda (soundtrack)}} As with most DreamWorks animated films, composer [[Hans Zimmer]] scored the film. Zimmer visited China in order to absorb the culture and got to know the [[China National Symphony Orchestra|Chinese National Symphony]] as part of his preparation; in addition, Timbaland also contributed to the soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=17&num=16128&printer=1 |title=The Big Screen Scene|author=Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster|publisher=National Ledger|date=2007-09-18|accessdate=2008-06-07}}</ref> The soundtrack also includes a partially rewritten version of the classic song, "[[Kung Fu Fighting]]", performed by [[Cee-Lo Green]] and [[Jack Black]] for the end credits. Though Zimmer was originally announced as the main composer of the film, during a test screening [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]], CEO of DreamWorks Animation SKG, announced that composer [[John Powell]] would also be contributing to the score. This marked the first collaboration in eight years for these two, having previously worked together on Dreamworks' ''[[The Road to El Dorado]]'' and the action thriller ''[[Chill Factor]]''. The film's music was performed by the [[China National Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maintitles.net/reviews/kung-fu-panda/|title=Kung Fu Panda - Hans Zimmer and John Powell|publisher=MainTitles|accessdate=2008-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/kung_fu_panda.html|title=Kung Fu Panda (Hans Zimmer/John Powell)|publisher=Film Tracks (Modern Soundtrack Reviews)|accessdate=2008-07-05}}</ref> A soundtrack album was released by [[Interscope Records]] on June 3, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i595b48df06c95e2eed05e9c3eb45a08c |title=Jack Black, Cee-Lo cover 'Kung Fu Fighting'|author=Jonathan Cohen|publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=2008-05-12|accessdate=2008-06-04}}</ref> ===Animation=== The hand-drawn animation sequence at the beginning of the film was made to resemble Chinese [[Shadow play|shadow puppetry]].<ref name="twincities">{{cite news|url=http://www.twincities.com/movies/ci_9488296?nclick_check=1|title='Kung Fu Panda' is fresh, surprising and beautiful|author=Chris Hewitt|publisher=[[Twin cities]]|date=2008-06-06|accessdate=2008-06-07}}</ref> The opening, which was directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and animated by [[James Baxter (animator)|James Baxter]], was praised by ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' reviewer [[Manohla Dargis]] as "striking" and "visually different from most mainstream American animations."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/06/06/movies/06pand.html|title=Fuzzy Outsider, Kicking His Way Toward His Dream|author=Manohla Dargis|publisher=The New York Times|date=2008-06-06|accessdate=2008-06-10}}</ref> Other reviewers have compared the opening to the evocative style of [[Genndy Tartakovsky|Genndy Tartakovsky's]] ''[[Samurai Jack]]''.<ref name="review1">{{cite web|url=http://www.kungfucinema.com/?p=2198|title=Kung Fu Cinemapoo ''Kung Fu Panda'' review}}</ref><ref name="timeout">{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/85508/kung-fu-panda.html|title=Timeout ''Kung Fu Panda'' review|author=Stephen Garrett|work=[[Time Out]]}}</ref> The rest of the film is modern computer animation, which uses bright, offbeat colors to evoke the natural landscape of China.<ref name="twincities"/> ==Release== ===Reception and performance=== ''Kung Fu Panda'' has received very good reviews from critics. [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that 88% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 134 reviews. The film has a rating of 75% from select top critics and a rating of 89% from users of the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kung_fu_panda/ |title=Kung Fu Panda (2008)|accessdate=2008-06-05 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] reported the film had an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 12 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/kungfupanda |title=Kung Fu Panda (2008)|accessdate=2008-06-05 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> The film premiered at the [[2008 Cannes Film Festival|61st Cannes Film Festival]], where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.msn.com/movies/cannes-film-festival/may16-blog|title=Cannes Film Festival on MSN Movies|publisher=[[MSN]]|date=2008-05-16|accessdate=2008-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN1631324020080516|title="Kung Fu Panda" a martial arts masterpiece|publisher=[[Reuters]]/[[Hollywood Reporter]]|date=2008-05-16|accessdate=2008-06-01}}</ref> [http://www.artnet.com/artist/423911616/zhao-bandi.html Zhao Bandi], a Chinese artist and [[fashion designer]] who specializes in panda-related designs, launched an [[online]] petition suggesting that the film should be boycotted.<ref name="variety">{{cite web|url=http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6314/1/|title=Chinese artists can't bear "Panda"|publisher=''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] Asia online|accessdate=2008-06-23}}</ref><ref name="wsj">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/06/17/is-%E2%80%98kung-fu-panda%E2%80%99-ready-for-the-china-challenge/?mod=googlenews_wsj|title=Is ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Ready for the China Challenge?|publisher=''[[Wall Street Journal]]''|accessdate=2008-06-22}}</ref> Of the reasons Zhao Bandi claimed in his petition includes that Hollywood is seeking to profit from Chinese culture especially right after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, the film was in poor taste to be released after the Earthquake (given that pandas live in the quake zone), and protested against the fact that the film was produced by DreamWorks, which is owned by Steven Spielberg, who withdrew from his role as an adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics over concerns about China’s role in Sudan (although Spielberg is not one of the producers of ''Kung Fu Panda''). Zhao Bandi also admitted that he has not seen the film himself prior to the petition.<ref name="Yahoo">[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080620/ts_alt_afp/entertainmentfilmchinaquakeus_080620124406]</ref> However, while postings on his website both praised and criticized the film, many others said there was no reason to boycott it and Zhao's complaints have prompted a backlash online asserting that an entertaining film paying tribute to Chinese heritage would be welcome at this difficult time<ref name="variety2">{{cite web|url=http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/6335/1/|title="Panda" bounces back at China B.O.|publisher=''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] Asia online|accessdate=2008-06-24}}</ref>, and some even questioned whether this is just a publicity stunt by the artist.<ref name="Yahoo"/> Regardless of the controversy, the film's opening was enthusiastically received in China<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=24549|title="Kung Fu Panda" Received with Enthusiasm in Asia|publisher=''[[Toonzone]]|accessdate=2008-06-24}}</ref>. The film grossed $20.3 million on its opening day. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $60.2 million, ranking #1 at the box office. It is also DreamWorks Animation's biggest opening for a non-sequel film, and the third-largest opening weekend overall for a DreamWorks animated film (behind ''[[Shrek the Third]]'' and ''[[Shrek 2]]'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1751753614c1db7737c2fd374182f332|title='Kung Fu Panda' beats projections|author=Carl DiOrio|publisher=Hollywood Reporter|date=2008-06-08|accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20080608/121295880000.html|title='Panda' beats Sandler with $60 million weekend|publisher=Yahoo! Movies|date=2008-06-08|accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20080608/121296571800.html|title=Panda kicks Sandler at U.S. box office|publisher=Yahoo! Movies|date=2008-06-08|accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref> ===Franchise development=== Jeffrey Katzenberg has publicly stated since that the film's premiere exceeded expectations, a ''Kung Fu Panda'' series of up to six films is likely depending on the overall performance of the initial film's release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23842107-5005368,00.html|title='Kung Fu Panda to become franchise|author=CShannon Harvey|publisher=PerthNow|date=2008-06-10|accessdate=2008-06-22}}</ref> With the subsequent strong box office performance of the film, [[preproduction]] of the first sequel is underway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://themovingpicture.net/kung-fu-panda-2-moves-forward|title=Kung Fu Panda 2 Moves Forward |author=James Cook|publisher=The Moving Picture|date=2008-06-26|accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> ==Merchandising== ===Video game=== {{main article|Kung Fu Panda (video game)}} A [[Kung Fu Panda (video game)|video game adaptation of the film]] was developed and published by [[Activision]] on June 3, 2008.<ref>"[http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/03/12/are-you-sitting-down-kung-fu-panda-revealed/ Are you sitting down? Kung fu Panda revealed!]." ''Xbox360Fanboy.com''.</ref> It follows the same plot as the film. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * [http://www.kungfupanda.com/ Official Site] * {{imdb title|id=0441773|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * {{bcdb title|id=65706|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * {{rotten-tomatoes|id=kung_fu_panda|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * {{metacritic film|id=kungfupanda|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * {{mojo title|id=kungfupanda|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * {{amg movie|id=1:354676|title=Kung Fu Panda}} * [http://www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/kungfupanda/ Trailers] at [[Apple.com]] * [http://www.conservation.org/kung_fu_panda/ ''Kung Fu Panda''] at [http://www.conservation.org/ Conservation International] {{Box Office Leaders USA | before = [[Sex and the City: The Movie]] | date = June 8 | year = 2008 | after = [[The Incredible Hulk (film)|The Incredible Hulk]] }} {{DreamWorks animated films}} [[Category:2008 films]] [[Category:American films]] [[Category:English-language films]] [[Category:Fictional pandas]] [[Category:Fictional martial artists]] [[Category:Computer-animated films]] [[Category:Anthropomorphic martial artists]] [[Category:DreamWorks Animation films]] [[ar:كونغ فو باندا]] [[de:Kung Fu Panda]] [[es:Kung Fu Panda]] [[fr:Kung Fu Panda]] [[ko:쿵푸팬더]] [[it:Kung Fu Panda]] [[ka:კუნგ-ფუ პანდა]] [[nl:Kung Fu Panda]] [[ja:カンフー・パンダ]] [[pl:Kung Fu Panda]] [[pt:Kung Fu Panda]] [[ru:Кунг-Фу Панда]] [[sv:Kung Fu Panda]] [[th:กังฟู แพนด้า จอมยุทธ์พลิกล็อค ช็อคยุทธภพ]] [[tr:Kung Fu Panda]] [[uk:Кунг-фу Панда]] [[wuu:功夫大熊猫]] [[zh:功夫熊猫]]