Sound in body, sound in mind, or how Panda became a fighter and on his way to knowledge overcame many obstacles only to realize that the biggest one was in his heart.
The model of a relationship between a teacher and his pupil has, in the context of oriental learning, a slightly different meaning and fulfilment than in the west. The institutional element, the passing of experiences with the goal of maintaining and developing human society, is in the East, defined by a more personal (and very often individual) approach which leads to the feeling of initiation and introduction to the circle of chosen ones.
The model of a relationship between a teacher and his pupil has, in the context of oriental learning, a slightly different meaning and fulfilment than in the west. The institutional element, the passing of experiences with the goal of maintaining and developing human society, is in the East, defined by a more personal (and very often individual) approach which leads to the feeling of initiation and introduction to the circle of chosen ones. This stereotype is changed right from the beginning in the case of the relationship between master Sifu and fighter Po because of the master´s disbelief in Panda´s abilities. The saving of the valley from the revenge of a demonic tiger Tai Lung becomes part of the legend along with the inevitable testing of the master´s confidence in his own ability to teach and form the character of his pupil. The confirmation of faith as the vehicle of the world's progress is ironically depicted in the final scene of the battle between two old opponents –good and evil.
Kung Fu Panda, the latest film from the Dreamworks studio, represents the efforts at another emancipation of the 3D animation as a fully independent medium which does not restrict itself only to intertextual references. The film is not a parody, the script is billed as being almost independent, and only uses classic motifs from kung-fu films. The humour is based on the nature and physical appearance of the main character who is far from the picture of an indestructable fighter we are all familiar with. The motif of overcoming obstacles in the fighter´s way is amplified by the unimaginable hardships our hero must endure. And in the style of clichéd wisdoms of Eastern teachers the solution of the seemingly hopeless situation lies within the panda's own character (the training fight for the last cookie is, without any doubt, one of the top scenes of the whole movie).
The difficult animated fight scenes not only manifest the technical skills and the potential of Dreamworks, but serve as an argument for aesthetic parts of the film which try to relate the fictional world to the real one. The real question is whether the worlds created in computers will work with shortcuts and gestures or whether they will directly confront feature films (more and more contaminated by animation). Kung Fu Panda does not say too much about this topic, it just implies. Maybe all we have to do is believe.
Mark Osborne
Osborne studied animation on Institute of the Arts in California. His final school project called Greener was screened on more than 40 film festivals.
John Stevenson
Is very experienced in 3D animation. Let's mention just a few of the films he worked on – AntZ, Toy Story 2 and Shrek.
Petr Pláteník
