‘Kung Fu Panda’ lively and likeable

Overweight panda Po (voiced by Joe Black) has a passion for kung fu, though no natural ability. Instead, he is destined to inherit the family noodle shop run by his long-suffering father, Mr Ping (James Hong).

Unthinkably, local sensei Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) anoints Po as the next Dragon Warrior, who must protect the village from harm, specifically from the threat posed by escaped prisoner Tai Lung (Ian McShane).

Oogway’s choice of successor stuns his protege Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and loyal students Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Tigress (Angelina Jolie) and Viper (Lucy Liu), better known as The Furious Five, who have trained their entire lives for such an honour. They feel certain that Oogway should have chosen one of them instead and wait patiently for Po to fall by the wayside.

‘Kung Fu Panda’ is the best family-oriented offering from DreamWorks Animation since box office smash ‘Shrek’.

Lush, colourful visuals and excellent vocal performances guarantee a lively and enjoyable 88 minutes of low blows and last-gasp victories.

Mark Osborne and John Stevenson’s computer-animated comedy wins us over instantly with its lovable characters and affection for martial arts clichés.

Rating: 3/5