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Mmmm, comfort food

Kim Hollis: Does the Kung Fu Panda result show that audiences are looking for something new as opposed to the same old, same old in animation?

Max Braden: I haven't seen Kung Fu Panda yet but it doesn't strike me as anything new or different. It reminds me of Robin Williams' genie in Aladdin and Disney's animated Robin Hood from 35 years ago. I think it just shows there's a market for basic fun in animation as much as there is for eye popping visuals like in Ratatouille and Wall-E.

Joel Corcoran: I agree with Max - I don't see anything new or different in Kung Fu Panda. It follows the same basic formula as Shrek, which (as I alluded to earlier) is essentially the same formula as the "Road to ... " movies sixty years ago. Take a leading comedian of the day (Bob Hope, Jack Black, or Mike Myers) and surround him with comedians and entertainers who are somewhat popular, but who still won't steal the star's limelight (Bing Crosby, Anthony Quinn, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow). Then throw in a female foil (Dorothy Lamour, Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie) and toss the whole mix into a basic, simple, easy-to-follow traveling plot and you've got a hit. Lather, rinse, and repeat for sequels. DreamWorks has simple copied the formula that Paramount Pictures made popular during World War II.





Tim Briody: It was certainly different and inventive enough than your typical talking animals animated feature, which is otherwise pretty played out. Sorry, Space Chimps.

Kim Hollis: The thing about Kung Fu Panda that is surprising is that the commercials and trailers don't really give away the best bits. It is gorgeously animated, which has not been typical for DreamWorks productions. It's closer to feeling like a Pixar film than a DreamWorks film, honestly, because it's got a wonderful, patient story that isn't dumbed down in the least. I would still say that Pixar's technological expertise when it comes to animation is better, but DreamWorks took a big, big step forward here. That qualifies as "different" to me.

David Mumpower: I'm not sure originality is a good thing for a family film anyway, at least not from a financial perspective. Kim is absolutely correct that the visual landscape in Kung Fu Panda is easily the best DreamWorks has done, though. More than anything else, what I think the movie accomplishes is that it encourages their production staff to, well, try. The people who worked on Shrek the Third should be summarily demoted and forced to work under the KFP crew.

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