Kung Fu Panda (#1)

Kung Fu Panda- This was a nice surprise, from the appreciated clever use of the word awesome in the opening credits, to the exceptional character design, and well paced action; it was pretty enjoyable from start to finish. This was a great role for Jack Black, whose Jack Blackness was reigned in, more like School of Rock, then the awful Tropic Thunder performance. One nit pick would be somewhat pointless celebrity voice casting of all the supporting characters that had few, or no lines. Why cast Jackie Chan as a Monkey and then not let him say anything. The only thing that kept this from being a great animated movie was a clarity of theme or “message” in an unforced way.  The whole “there is no secret ingredient”, seemed a little awkward and not as effective as a culminating realization for the hero, should be. Overall though, it was enjoyable for its outstanding visuals, and silliness.