…or attractiveness.

So begins Dreamworks Animation’s latest offering, Kung Fu Panda, in the same light-hearted morality fable mould as Madagascar and Over the Hedge. With the all-star voice casting one has come to expect, this tribute of sorts to the Chinese martial arts culture continues to delight audiences both young and old.

Jack Black voices Po, a panda who works for his father’s noodle shop but dreams of being a martial arts master. When the old tortoise Master Oogway predicts that an old adversary will return, a ceremony to choose a champion – the Dragon Warrior – begins. Po rushes to attend the grand event, but inadvertently lands in the middle of the proceedings and is designated the Dragon Warrior, much to the surprise and shock of Master Shifu and his students, the Furious Five. So begins Po’s journey of learning, as his dreams of becoming a martial artist are now in the process of becoming reality. Before that, however, he has to earn the respect and trust of Shifu and the Furious Five, who are still horrified at the seemingly accidental choice of an overweight, lazy glutton to be their champion.

As I mentioned earlier, Jack Black leads an all-star cast in this “epic”-feeling animation. You have A-listers in the likes of Angelina Jolie (who voices Tigress) and Lucy Liu (who voices Viper), industry veterans like Dustin Hoffman (who voices Shifu) and Jackie Chan (who voices Monkey), with comedic up-and-comers like Superbad and Knocked Up’s Seth Rogen (who voices Mantis), Arrested Development’s David Cross (who voices Crane) and Randy Daytona from Balls of Fury Dan Fogler (who voices Zeng, the cowardly messenger). Throw into the mix the likes of the unmistakable Michael Clarke Duncan (who voices Commander Vachir) and North America’s pioneering Asian actors Randall Duk Kim (who voices Oogway) and James Hong (who voices Mr. Ping) and you’ve got a veritable combination of celebrity, talent and everything in between.

Yet, despite the meaningful plot, the beautifully created animation, the sheer genius among the voice talents, Kung Fu Panda never managed to achieve even one truly memorable moment. It was a pity, really, because the movie began with a lot of promise, with one laugh-out-loud scene following another. Perhaps it was the pace, or simply that the script slowly ran out of comedic material after the first half-hour.

What I am appreciative of, however, is that it is rare for any Hollywood movie to actually carry a family-friendly mainstream movie with a meaningful moral at the end of the day without resorting to sex appeal or toilet humour to give it that “edge”. Kung Fu Panda may not be the best Dreamworks Animation production, but it definitely is a step in the right direction.

I give it: 3 out of 5 Pandas!

This is hugely ironic considering what the post before this was… but thank You, Heavenly Father, for the amazing four days (and nights!) that have just passed, and for whatever other plans you have for me.

Truly, it was only when I was ready to give of myself to You totally, that You knew I was ready to have my prayers answered.