‘Kung Fu Panda’: Philosophically (and, even practically) profound.

It was more than a decade ago that ‘Kung Fu Panda‘ was released. I have watched it more than a dozen times, I watched it again today after a long evening walk and decided to pen down my emotions about the movie.

Instead of writing a long, bloated essay(which happens to be my liking 😛 ), I have classified my thoughts in the following sections. Some thoughts might overlap(as per usual!). I have deliberately placed the sections like ‘Quotes’, ‘Scenes’, etc. before expressing my thoughts so that the readers can relate better. Feel free to skip the sections, if uninteresting.

• One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.
• Your mind is like this water, my friend! When it’s agitated, it’s difficult to see but if you allow to settle it down, the answer becomes clear!
• Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery but Today is a gift – that is why it’s called the Present.
• There are no accidents.
• The mark of a true hero is humility

Scenes

In addition to the above, embedded, scenes, there are several others that prove the strength of the direction by adhering to the film’s central themes/philosophy.

• Zeng’s feather proves a key for Tai Lung’s escape(relate it with ‘One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it’).
• Aplenty comic scenes that highlight personality traits of the characters – Shifu quotes “Believe me citizens, you haven’t seen anything yet” and Po shouts from outside of the premises “I know!”, Po’s first visit to the Jade Palace, Shifu grabbing the empty scroll from Po, Tai Lung mocking Po(“are you gonna sit on me?” and it does happen), Shifu annoyed by Oogway’s quote(‘There are no accidents’) and counting how many times has Oogway repeated it, Po exclaiming – “I thought it was just a regular peach tree”, Oogway quoting “That is bad news!”, etc.
• Oogway boosting Po’s morale under the peach tree. Note that when Oogway leaves after the small pep talk, he leaves the lantern behind for Po and also makes a peach fruit fall in Po’s hands – such a humble and kind gesture !
• How the annoyance of the Furious Five with Po gradually transforms into friendship – Mantis and Viper trying to heal Po with acupressure, Po befriending them with his culinary skills and jokes, the Furious Five react sympathetically and considerately when the Dragon Scroll turns out to be empty and now they cannot expect anything from Po.
• Oogway’s ascension and Shifu’s returning to the peach tree after an argument with Po are probably the most touching scenes of the movie.
• Realizations
  • Shifu discovering that food is Po’s motivation and ‘there are no accidents’.
  • (Refer the first and the last video in this ‘Scenes’ section) Po’s dream of walking proudly as an accomplished Kung-Fu warrior comes true, it’s just that instead of a robe and a hat, he’s wearing an apron and a pan :). Dreams might materialize a bit differently than you expect …
• ‘Punchlines’ or quotes that are repeated by various characters to suit the flow of the story
  • There are no accidents
  • You know this hold !
  • Look at you(quoted by Shifu twice)
  • There is now a level – 0

Lessons, Philosophy

• Several philosophies or schools of thoughts converge in the movie and provide a better, more complete picture.
• Perseverance is the foundation of success.
• It’s immaterial if you fail or succeed, one should at least try and follow one’s heart/passions/liking. At least, there won’t be a regret of not having tried to live the passion.
• This is the moment, Today is the day – sulking over past or worrying about the future won’t help much, your acts today will matter.
• Don’t irrationally compare self with others or vice versa. Each living being has it’s own strengths and weaknesses.
• Things happen in Time. Act and have faith in your deeds and destiny but remember, you cannot control the outcome.
• Revolutions, groundbreaking changes often manifest themselves in ways, manners, events that are unprecedented. They may defy long-held assumptions, expectations and even outcomes.

Characters

IMHO, the best character of the entire franchise. I was so impressed by this character that I wrote a post dedicated to Master Oogway on my (now defunct) blog, 7 years ago(and 5 years after I saw the movie). It’s impossible for me to wind up my thoughts in few lines in this post.

The old-school martinet! His transformation from a strict conformist to a more mature and adaptive teacher is touching.

High-spirited, active, workaholic, single-minded and business-minded(he’s talking about his plans to set up a new restaurant even in time of great danger and the village is being evacuated).

The Kung-Fu experts trained by Shifu. Despite of limited footage they get in the movie, their bond and coordination as a team, their discipline, their genuine concern for the villagers and their master create a soft corner for them in the viewer’s mind. While they are initially upset with Po, they are good at heart and eventually get along with him. Their personalities and traits are better depicted in ‘Secrets of the Furious Five‘ and ‘Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness‘.

The haughty antagonist of the movie. Sadly, he doesn’t hasn’t received much footage and is brought in only to complete the movie’s story line. They could have done better.

The lovable protagonist of the movie – polite, innocent, tolerant, lighthearted, stoical, self-learner and a gifted individual.

Voice over

Nothing much to write here – all the artists have done their parts impeccably! Even the relatively insignificant character of Zeng has been voiced so perfectly that after watching the movie, I was able to recall his timid and shaking voice when he visits Chorh-Gom prison.

Background Score

Hans Zimmer and John Powell deserve a standing ovation for their perfect blend of traditional Chinese music with the symphony orchestra of the Western music. Even today, I occasionally listen to ‘Oogway Descends’, ‘Panda Po’. ‘Hero’ was my morning alarm for 3-4 years. The background score of this movie is a gem.

Closing Notes

• I doubt that I have expressed all my emotions and observations about the movie. I may update this post in the future.
• I would love to have a constructive discussion about this movie in the comments section. I am willing to include the comments (along with the full credits) that appeal to me in the main body of the post.