Kung Fu Panda (2008)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A bumbling giant panda is unexpectedly chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior and must face a powerful snow leopard.
The story
In the Valley of Peace in ancient China, a bumbling giant panda named Po dreams of becoming a kung fu master. When the legendary Dragon Scroll is sought by the masters of the Furious Five, Po is unexpectedly named the Dragon Warrior. While the other masters doubt his abilities, Po must find his inner strength to prepare for the impending threat of Tai Lung, a savage snow leopard who has escaped from prison and seeks the scroll's power. Po must overcome his own limitations and the skepticism of his peers to fulfill his destiny and protect the valley.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the Valley of Peace, Master Shifu learns that the snow leopard Tai Lung will escape and seek the Dragon Scroll. Shifu holds a tournament to name a Dragon Warrior from the Furious Five, but the title is unexpectedly bestowed upon Po, a clumsy panda. While the Five doubt him, Shifu trains Po in a unique style. When Tai Lung escapes and defeats the Furious Five, Shifu tells Po he is the only one who can stop him. After discovering the scroll is blank, Po realizes the 'secret ingredient' of life is belief. He rushes back to find Shifu battling Tai Lung. Po joins the fray, and despite Tai Lung's initial advantage, Po's unique physique and his mastery of the 'Wuxi Finger Hold' allow him to defeat the villain and become a hero.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 92
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Stevenson; Mark Osborne
- Writers
- Jonathan Aibel · screenplay; Glenn Berger · screenplay; Ethan Reiff · story; Cyrus Voris · story
- Cast and characters
- Jack Black · Po; Dustin Hoffman · Master Shifu; Angelina Jolie · Master Tigress; Ian McShane · Tai Lung; Seth Rogen · Master Mantis; Lucy Liu · Master Viper; David Cross · Master Crane; Randall Duk Kim · Grand Master Oogway; James Hong · Mr. Ping; Dan Fogler · Zeng; Michael Clarke Duncan · Commander Vachir; Jackie Chan · Master Monkey
- Genres
- martial arts; comedy; animated
- Themes
- self-belief; destiny; perseverance
- Tone and mood
- action-comedy; wuxia
- Setting
- Ancient China, Valley of Peace
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; animal characters; hero's journey
- Franchise connections
- Kung Fu Panda
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2008.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 191; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Annie Award · Best Animated Feature · win; Academy Award · Best Animated Feature · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was initially conceived as a parody of martial arts films.; The score was composed by Hans Zimmer and John Powell.; The opening sequence was designed to resemble Chinese shadow puppetry.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…