Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, Michael Clarke Duncan, Wayne Knight, Kyle Gass, JR Reed, Laura Kightlinger, Tanya Haden, Stephen Kearin, Mark Osborne, John Stephenson, Jeremy Shipp

Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Writer: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Producer: Melissa Cobb
Co-Producers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Burger
Art Direction: Tang Kheng Heng
D.O.P.: Yong Duk Jhun
Editor: Clare Knight
Music: John Powell, Hans Zimmer
Production Design: Raymond Zibach

Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po is the biggest fan of kung fu around... which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of kung fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five—Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey—under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu.

But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a kung fu master into reality? Po puts his heart — and his girth —into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cinematographic Process: Digital Intermediate (master), Digital (source)
Film Negative Format: Digital
MPAA Warning: Sequences of Martial Arts Action
Production Budget: $130 million
Production Companies: DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images (PDI)
Production Schedule: September 24th 2005 - 2007
Web Sites: Official Site - The IMDb

Interview: Jack Black for "Kung Fu Panda"
That zany Jack Black gets animated as he takes on a reluctantly heroic panda in the new animated feature, Kung Fu Panda. From his hilarious stint on American Idol, to a slew of successive films, Black is as busy...

Interview: Lucy Liu for "Kung Fu Panda"
The gorgeous Lucy Liu hisses along in elegant style as a snake who mentors Jack Black's Panda in the new animated comedy, Kung Fu Panda. Liu also confirms that while Cashmere Mafia may be resting with the fishes...

- The film premièred at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, where it received massive and sustained applause at the end of the film's screening.

- Initially, the idea for the film was to make it a parody and spoof, but co-director John Stevenson was not particularly keen on the idea so instead chose the direction of simplistic comedy.

- 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.

- Zibach said some of the biggest influence of him are the more artful martial-arts films such as Hero, and House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

- Kung Fu Panda was the first DreamWorks Animation CGI film to be made in 2.35:1 widescreen format.

- 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.

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