Beehive Standard Weekly: 4 out of 5 Stars

Watching the commercials for the new animated feature Kung Fu Panda, the first thing that comes to mind is that a Panda doing Kung Fu seems a little awkward. After only a few minutes of the film from Dreamworks, you get the feeling that this was the intent of the writers.

Though the theme of Kung Fu Panda is about finding strength to believe in who you are, regardless of your personal image or "bone structure" issues, what makes this a special film for kids and parents alike is the successful mix of crystal clear graphics and a true cartoon look and feel. At several points in the film, one is reminded of famous gags from the original Bugs Bunny cartoons. And that is a compliment to the writers. Since high-tech graphics have awed audiences as of late, few recent animated films have borrowed so nicely upon the cartoon humor like Kung Fu Panda.  The viewer is blessed with true Warner Brothers cartoon-type humor.

This is not a film with a deep plot. That could also be said for the Roadrunner and Coyote series of cartoons -- but you still watched didn't you? In this film, the main character is a large Panda Bear voiced by Jack Black. The Panda Bear is accidently designated by a Kung Fu Master as the great Dragon Warrior. His job is to save the village from a great villain who has escaped from prison. This great villain had desired to be the Dragon Warrior himself, but was previously denied the title -- mostly because he was evil.

The only problem, of course, is that the Panda Bear has no Kung Fu skills. His peers are five super-hero type kung fu fighters who have long been training for the opportunity to test to become the Dragon Warrior. They are denied that privilege when Panda Bear stumbles on the scene. The Considering the Panda Bears complete lack of skills, the "five" become frustrated and at best unhelpful to Panda Bear's development.

The Grand Master, however, stands by his choice and says that there "are no accidents," which means that the choice was destiny. Others are not so sure. One of the main characters having doubts is the Teaching Master, who is voiced by Dustin Hoffman. The Teaching Master raised the villain from a child and was convinced that he was the Dragon Warrior, but ultimately he had to admit his error when the villain demonstrated his evil in an epic battle. The Teaching Master understands better than any other the great battle that looms in the not-to-far distance between the Dragon Warrior and the villain. He remains unconvinced that the clumsy Panda Bear has such greatness in his soul. Even Panda Bear is doubtful as his kung fu training makes for good humor in the film.

As the film progresses the Grand Master obtains an irrevocable promise from the Teaching Master that he will make the Panda Bear into the feared Dragon Warrior and gives the Panda Bear insight into his true destiny. The question remains, however, how can such a transformation occur. The Panda Bear is truly pathetic.

By accident, the Teaching Master discovers that the Panda Bear actually does have skills and is simply not aware of how to apply them. The Teaching Master then uses the Panda Bear's love of food to raise his skills to the necessary level where he can fight to defend the village. A film classic scene ocurrs when the Teaching Master and Panda Bear battle with chop sticks for the last dumpling. Panda Bear soon become what he was meant to be.

Of course, the audience members all know the villain and the hero will meet and how it will all end up. There are a few surprises, but nothing earth-shaking. The Panda Bear and the invinceable villain fight to the end.

Given Dreamwork's talent in graphics, the action in the film is fun to watch and Jack Black does a great job doing the voice of the Panda -- as does Dustin Hoffman as the Master Teacher.

The film is easily worth the price of admission and is highly recommended for families with young children. Those wanting to dwell upon the deep nuances of the inspirational story would be well advised to skip the early shows -- as the theater is filled with young families

Having said that, however, most of the humor appeals to the adults whereas the children enjoy the cartoon slap-stick. The time goes by quickly and fun will be had by all. We give the film four out of five stars.