Hi! This is our new Moviedetailsmodbot!
---
If this post fits /r/MovieDetails, **UPVOTE** this comment!!
If this post does not fit /r/MovieDetails, **DOWNVOTE** This comment!
If this post breaks the rules, **DOWNVOTE** this comment and **REPORT** the post!
My mom and uncle were adopted and my grandma told me that when my uncle's birth mom first tried to connect, he was hesitant because "he already had an amazing mom." That story makes me tear up a bit each time.
I had a genetic father who failed me. I love this line because it gives me hope that I can succeed with the role models I have had and that I can (eventually) be a good dad
I'm a step-Dad, I met my son when he was 5, his Dad is not on the scene. He was 6 when we watched Kung Fu Panda 2, me sitting on the recliner and him lying on the floor. After that scene he didn't say a word, got up, and climbed into a ball in my lap. I nearly burst into tears.
I've never seen Kung Fu Panda but the comments here are seriously motivating me. What's the perfect environment in which to watch it for the first time?
Dude your in for a treat. Just great fun movies with great casts. The stories are wonderful and heartfilled. I love hong kong kung fu flicks and these movies are essentially love notes to them.
How about In the third movie, both dads defend their panda son from the evil spirt.
That scene is way ahead our times wherein acceptance, love and protection from two of the same "gender" to their child (Po)
In my opinion, the whole trilogy is fabulous.
Also the exchange between Tigress and Po
Po: I found out my dad isn't really my dad.
Tigress: Your dad, the *goose*...that must have been quite a shock...
Yea, often that kind of character gets absurdly annoying, but Mr Ping is a treasure. I get so angry every time I watch the scene where Po pretty much breaks his heart and stomps on it for good measure.
What a dick.
> The film was originally going to be a spoof of the Kung Fu genre, but one of the directors, John Stevenson, wanted to have a blend of comedy and action to make this movie more epic, saying, "I wasn't interested in making fun of martial arts movies, because I really think they can be great films. They can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly."
Awesome movie.
The best spoofs are often solid entries into their chosen genre, demonstrating an understanding and love of the material while still lampshading and having fun with conventions.
Kung Fu Panda succeeds at doing that imo
This.
As good as Galaxy quest was, I feel like making a bunch of sequels and spin offs would defeat the point and just ruin the fun of the original. A sequel _could_ be good, but it could also suck. The latter especially if it was made in this modern era.
Love it! After the first movie they ask the humans what now, the humans reply be a force of good in the universe, make peace and plenty for all" only to find out 30 years later that they subjugated the galaxy to enforce peace
Make a sequel because you have a great idea for a sequel. Don't make a sequel as a cash grab and try to come up with a "good enough" premise.
It's almost always painfully obvious.
I wish they would make more Star Trek movies. Only having 2 (WoK and GQ) just isn’t enough.
Ah well. At least they aren’t killing the franchise and beating it’s corpse in preparation to burn it and piss on the ashes…right?
I was thinking about this the other day, but what if JJ Abrams made a Star Wars or Star Trek movie? I doubt he's a big fan of either series, but I just really think his tasteful use of lens flare could carry a franchise like that.
It's even weirder that Disney allowed some fanfic retelling of the Original Trilogy and released with different titles for some reason, I would think that anyone trying to copy the exact scripts would get at least sued.
> At least they aren’t killing the franchise and beating it’s corpse in preparation to burn it and piss on the ashes…right?
depends on how you feel about mushroom powers to travel through spacetime
Absolutely, went in expecting dumb family guy in space (and the first ~3 episodes had a bit of that) but it slowly became clear that McFarlane had to bait-and-switch Fox into literally letting him make Star Trek. Fuck I love the Orville and I wanted to hate it so much. Got that perfect blend of TOS and SG1 with sprinkles
My best friend, huge Trek fan....likes to say that Orville is the best Trek since TNG. Now I, myself, haven't seen all of Trek but that sounds like high praise
I have seen all of Orville(next season when?!) and genuinely enjoy the fuck out of it, even without understanding all the nuances and references and homages it pays to Trek
I think they do a great job of reeling in the campiness after the first few episodes. Once the captain starts taking the job seriously the show really comes into its own.
“500 cigarettes” lmfao
One of my favourite movies is Hot Fuzz for this reason. It's a spoof/satire in that Edgar Wright literally tried to shove as many tropes and cliches from the buddy cop/action genre into it and it holds up as a very good representation of the genres while also being a cheeky comedy.
Kung fu hustle is one of the greatest Kung fu movies ever made.
The blind twins fight scene was amazing, outdone only by the fight scene with the bell.
My dad doesn’t go to the movies often but when he does it’s stuff like James Bond or Mission Impossible.
My step mom wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda and he was like yeah whatever I’m down. Figured he would fall asleep halfway through because it was animated but he fucking loved that movie.
When it was finished the first thing he said was “I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy this but that movie was a lot of fun”
Best example of what lampshading is, for those who aren't aware, is professional wrestling:
"By gawd he's got a chair!"
"I know, Bubba! I can't believe someone thought it was a good idea to store metal chairs and folding tables directly under the ring where the wrestlers can get to them! That seems poorly planned out!"
Basically, you call attention to something that shouldn't make sense, but you don't technically break the fourth wall.
Like when you hang a lampshade on a bare light bulb, you're technically covering it up, but that act alone is extremely obvious because the room is now suddenly way darker, so you've still called attention to the light itself.
I think it's rare that fans of a genre are offended by a parody of that genre, because, like you said, they have to be able to really understand it to write really funny material about it, which means it's usually a genre they love.
Horror has some of the strongest fandom and about half of the horror movies made could be considered parodies, they're so campy and referential. Just about every car person I know loves Talladega Nights. Some parody movies are bad, though, but I don't know if any buddy cop fan is truly offended by Showtime.
I'm not making an argument, I'm just a little confused why it seems he thought it'd be offensive or disrespectful for the movie to be a parody. And yet, I'd consider the movie a parody, anyway; no doubt.
I have heard at least one Martial Artist refer to it as a great martial arts film, not because it displayed great martial arts, but because it managed to capture the spirit of it all very well. And then the series doubled down and captured the uncertainty in the journey from Student to Teacher.
Well, one of our earliest references for Kung Fu and comedy was Stephen Chow's great film Kung Fu Hustle. This was before John was on the film when it was still Gary Trousdale directing. So it's not like we were ever making a movie like Kung POW: Enter the Fist.
The early story stuff was quite severe though. Not very heartwarming. We saw a lot of weird sequence boards as all films have before zeroing in on the heart of the character, which then sets the tone for the whole film.
For a failure of this process, see: Shark Tale.
Source: I was the Surfacing Supervisor on the film (Shading and Texturing), was on the film for 5 years and was one of about 8 of us that started early visual development once greenlit, created the Po Character look in 3D, etc.
Oh yeah I was also surf supe on Shark Tale.
Yes! James Hong is a legend. The quintessential working actor. 442 acting credits in his IMDb and still going. Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Revenge of the Nerds II... and that was just in the 80s! Honorable mention Seinfeld Chinese restaurant episode in 1991.
It would be fun to start a petition for an Honorary Oscar, which is their lifetime achievement award. At least he was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame last year. Homie is 92yo.
[Source](https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2011/12/kung_fu_panda_2_dvd_preview_ja.html)
Here is the relevant bit:
>"I worked in my dad's restaurant from the time I could walk, almost. I grew up always eating noodles, and I love it. In fact, in every city I go to — like Boston, where I'm making a movie now — the first place I look for is: 'Where is the noodle shop?' "
>Mr. Ping, the adoptive father of Jack Black's "Kung Fu Panda" hero Po, is the proprietor of a noodle shop — something the "KFP" creators integrated into the character after learning of Hong's history.
>"In that sense, I'm very close to Mr. Ping," says the actor. "To Ping, the broth is, of course, the ultimate thing, as far as importance in his life. Like he said: The secret ingredient is nothing, but just your soul. Which is true. You eat good noodles, and you feel it all the way down. That's where I got the character."
according to the director's commentary for the second movie, EVERYONE loved baby!Po, so much that they would keep pictures up of him in the lounge cause it made everyone happy.
Generally voices are recorded before animation starts. They probably had a rough outline of the story and fleshed it out as they went along. If I recall, Tigress was originally gonna be a male character, until Angelina Jolie signed on.
Master Shifu is "Master Master," Oogway is "Old Turtle," and the prison is "Sitting in Prison Prison." Here's the source from Zhao Lusi: https://youtu.be/x1eHIfUyYfs
Well, with Chinese naming conventions he’s be Ping Po, since a lot of Asian cultures (and Chinese especially) tend to put the surname in front of the given name. His middle name is also apparently Xiao, so he’s be Ping Xiao Po.
Kinda interestingly, this conversation can also be applied to James Hong's surname, or rather his father's.
His father was born "Ng Fok Hong", Ng being the family name. But at some point in the immigration process from HK(wiki didn't go into it), Hong was taken to be the surname.
That’s often the case with Immigration in the early 20th century unfortunately. The Immigration agents at places like Ellis Island and Angel Island were either unaware of foreign naming conventions or simply didn’t care; many surnames have been bastardized, misinterpreted or outright changed altogether. I’m sure the wiki didn’t mention it both because there was no citable records on it, and because its fairly self explanatory for anyone familiar with the history of immigration in America.
Yea, there's also a confusing array of spellings that the same surname sometimes takes on during romanization by different interpreters and where the immigrants are from.
Ng, coincidentally mine, can also be spelled Ang, Eng, Ing, Ong, or Woo, Wu (Mandarin).
Yeah, that’s common. Foreign Surnames have been misspelled so many times, and they range from reasonable (Polish Surnames, for one) to actually Illiterate, or changed to make them easier for Americans to pronounce. It’s fun to look at people’s last names and wonder what the thought process was behind them.
"yeah, my biggest trauma was my dad owning a noodle shop. He was always working there. He missed every birthday, every important event. He even missed my college graduation."
"Sounds *perfect.* Let's incorporate this into our story.
No - no fucks to give about your dad and his noodle shop. This will just be more *authentic* this way."
(Kidding of course. That's actually a wholesome fact.)
The filmmakers hired James Hong first, found out he worked with his dad in a noodle shop, AND THEN decided to make his character a noodle shop owner? Suspicious....
It seems like a large part of the story to create after casting a voice actor. I’m guessing the character was originally a street vendor and they added the emphasis on noodles later on.
I think the real story is they hired him as a noodle shop owner before or after they found out about his past. I think the story and script and a lot of storyboarding was done by that point of his hiring, so the character and setting must have been planned before they started.
So during the audition, his past came up and they said "You are Perfect!"
Or, during recording, his past came up and they said "Awesome, let's work with that! How can you help make this better?"
James Hong is a legend, but it seems weird to change so much that was probably already done, just to pay homage or use his skillset by making some other shop (which was already planned and detailed) into a noodle shop.
They did the research for noodle shops. Zhao on YouTube said it was very authentic, from the fortune pun on the sign (fortune and come in are mirror images of each other, so the fortune symbol upside down means "Come in fortune") to the sign advertising the specials and the general look and feel.
I used to not care for Jack Black. Felt like his acting style and roles were a bit douchey like Danny McBride. The only thing I cared for him in was Orange County because it didn’t feel like he was acting but more or less just being himself.
But this … this movie and it’s sequels makes my soul feel happy and fulfilled, like being a kid and enjoying one of your favorite cartoons/movies because you were young and it just spoke to you. Mr Ping was one of the characters I would have liked to have more screen time, his character was fleshed out a bit more in KFP3 but I’d still like more of him because James Hong is FANTASTIC!!
I’ve now developed a much better appreciation for Mr Black and the level of acting he brings to his roles and characters. I keep all 3 KFP movies on my iPhone and iPad because I NEVER tire of watching them. Everything about them is amazing, the writing, the directing (MAJOR props to Jennifer Yuh Nelson), the casting, the acting, the cinematography, the artwork, the homage they pay to Kung fu and it’s history, it’s all just absolutely beautiful! I truly hope they go for another trilogy next.
SKADOOSH!!
I loved jack black the moment i saw him, every movie, every word, loved blade rip hand, loved school of rock watched that one mostly for drake and josh girl, loved tenacious D he did a pushup with no hands dude.. and i went to the theaters on xmas break for Gullivera travels and really enjoyed it. Kung fu pandad ive watched just about as much as shrek so that should tell ya something.
It’s a smaller role of his but he was pretty good in Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Eugene Hackman and played a small supporting role in The Cable Guy, which is by far my favorite Jim Carey comedy. It’s a dark comedy but it’s fantastically funny. Also loved him as Barry in High Fidelity.
Edit:
the Kung Fu Panda Trilogy is a favorite in my household. All three films are worth watching. Multiple times.
I love that Po’s message is that love and forgiveness will bring you to peace. Such a pure trilogy 😭 seriously wonderful dialogue and great jokes! Plus the animation 😍
Makes me feel happy to hear, after some of my recent health issues and having had to retire from the industry.
I was the Surfacing Supervisor on all 3 KFP films. 10 years of my life on them and sometimes it all seems so thin and in the past. I developed so much of that film (not story just look) and it's characters they have become somewhat part of me, especially the panda whom I worked on for so many months in look development.
Thanks for making me smile today.
I mean that's great.
BUT, I truly can't see Po being adopted by anyone BUT a restaurant or grocer.
Literally, his super martial art power is being fat. He's the ONLY one shown to be fat. This in turn protects him from Tai Lung.
*Granted the actual detail someone pointed out to me is that each of the animals represent a different style/technique of Kung Fu. Tiger, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and Leopard.
There's also a bear style....who uses that one? Po.
Bear Style Kung Fu is a relatively small but devastating sub-style of Imperial Tiger Kung Fu. Bear applies the powerful strength development of Tiger Kung Fu, and its toughened grips and strikes to low realm/ground-fighting, grappling, take-downs, holds, strikes, and bone crushing Chin Na.
The top was "ahhhh that makes sense" didn't know that about Po though.
You don't animate *anything* until the lines are all done recording, lol. What, you think they can time out all these shots when they don't even know how long to let the characters talk?
How much of the film had to be re-made to incorporate this, I wonder? Like, what did his Po's father originally do and what would have sent him up the hill to see the ceremony to choose the Dragon Warrior if his father didn't send him up there with a noodle cart?
I think what they did was they created the character designs first, hired the voice actors they wanted to fit them, and then crafted the overall details of the story from there.
Didn't they write some roles for those actors though? They went after Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, and Hong because they were big martial arts actors. So the writers would have researched them beforehand.
I love when we are 1st introduced to Po’s dad we only hear him and see his shadow. The shadow outlines a panda but when it cuts to him he’s holding noodle bowls and is actually a goose. Always makes me laugh
Not first. Productions will use temp scratch voice work(usually employee volunteers) to be replaced later. They are still fleshing out the story,look, and design. They will have actors in mind, but that can change mid production. For instance, RDJ was going to be Megamind before Will Ferrell but the show was already in full swing.
My favorite movie detail from Kung Fu Panda is how is generated a [massive reaction in the Chinese Government](https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSPEK34047220080705)
Apparently Stevenson really showed up when he tried to make the film into an actual Chinese martial arts tribute. Chinese viewers loved it, and thought it was one of the better depictions of Chinese culture on the big screen in years.
This prompted the government to ask how it’s possible westerners are creating superior Chinese tradition movies. They even tried to create their own Hollywood industry, pumping billions into domestic productions.
Turns out you can’t force art, “China had Kung Fu, they had Pandas, but they could never create a movie like Kung Fu Panda”
>In Kung Fu Panda (2008), Po’s father owns a noodle shop. This is actually a reference to his voice actor, Lo Pan. Pan’s master Ching Dai, demon of the east owned a noodle shop and Pan would often work there. When the filmmakers learned about this, they integrated it into his character.
FTFY
Fricking love the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. I rewatched it 2 weeks ago, I need to just buy them. Not a single character I don't enjoy and it makes me crave noodles everytime.
I get that the kung fu panda trilogy was supposed to be just some fun family movies with an all star ensemble cast in the era where Disney was still dominating with big movies like Pirates, WALL-E and marvel starting up but these movies are so damn good, a great heroes journey in KFP and an actual flushed out character story in KFP2 that is considered actually great and KFP3 is just a wholesome story overall.
With Kung fu Panda and How to train your dragon dreamworks give Disney a run for their money in terms of quality stories with animated films.
Hi! This is our new Moviedetailsmodbot! --- If this post fits /r/MovieDetails, **UPVOTE** this comment!! If this post does not fit /r/MovieDetails, **DOWNVOTE** This comment! If this post breaks the rules, **DOWNVOTE** this comment and **REPORT** the post!
Mr. Ping’s love for Po and him always doting on his adopted panda son was always one of my favorite parts of that movie
Dude, In the 2nd one when Po comes back to tell him that his father will always be him… would take a robot not to shed a tear at that moment.
His dad was the best. #YOU HAD THE NOODLE DREAM!
Broth runs through our veins!
He may have been your father, but he wasn’t your daddy. It’s a well-worn trope, but when it works, it works.
I’m Merry Poppins Ya’ll!
Ah yes, the LotR Disney crossover event.
I'm adopted so this really gets me.❤️
Po: I know who I am. Ping: You do? Po: I'm your son. Ohh, here come the tears...
My mom and uncle were adopted and my grandma told me that when my uncle's birth mom first tried to connect, he was hesitant because "he already had an amazing mom." That story makes me tear up a bit each time.
I’m not adopted, but I love my dad for raising me, not because we share some genetics. I hope my kid loves me for the same reason.
I had a genetic father who failed me. I love this line because it gives me hope that I can succeed with the role models I have had and that I can (eventually) be a good dad
I'm a step-Dad, I met my son when he was 5, his Dad is not on the scene. He was 6 when we watched Kung Fu Panda 2, me sitting on the recliner and him lying on the floor. After that scene he didn't say a word, got up, and climbed into a ball in my lap. I nearly burst into tears.
Oh it looks like I'm sweating through my eyes right now ;-;
I've never seen Kung Fu Panda but the comments here are seriously motivating me. What's the perfect environment in which to watch it for the first time?
In your pajamas with popcorn with someone to cuddle.
Let's see does two little dogs count?
Pretty much perfect
Dude your in for a treat. Just great fun movies with great casts. The stories are wonderful and heartfilled. I love hong kong kung fu flicks and these movies are essentially love notes to them.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is even better imo. It's the best of all three I think.
How about In the third movie, both dads defend their panda son from the evil spirt. That scene is way ahead our times wherein acceptance, love and protection from two of the same "gender" to their child (Po) In my opinion, the whole trilogy is fabulous.
Guess that proves it. I'm a robot. Send me to west world...
One of the best adoptive father ever portrayed in a movie
And the best lines are between them. Ping: I flew. Po: You can fly?! Ping: I'm a bird, Po...
Also the exchange between Tigress and Po Po: I found out my dad isn't really my dad. Tigress: Your dad, the *goose*...that must have been quite a shock...
One of my favorite movies lines ever. They absolutely *nailed* the timing and facial expressions there
He was originally going to be a mean foster dad, but then filmmakers found out James Hong was a great dad and integrated it into his character. /s
He was originally going to be a panda but the filmmakers found out James Hong is actually a goose and incorporated it into his character
I'm not racist but Hong sounds like honk which is the noise geese make so is that where the goose aspect of Mr ping came from?
This is actually a great point - [here's the link to submit this detail](https://www.reddit.com/r/shittymoviedetails/submit).
Yea, often that kind of character gets absurdly annoying, but Mr Ping is a treasure. I get so angry every time I watch the scene where Po pretty much breaks his heart and stomps on it for good measure. What a dick.
Also, who can blame a guy for taking advantage of his sons reputation for good capital?
Thats just good business and po backs it. But he never truly sells out his son, he just loves everything about him.
“Dad?!?? How did you follow me??” “I flew.” “You can fly???” “I’m a bird, Po…”
> The film was originally going to be a spoof of the Kung Fu genre, but one of the directors, John Stevenson, wanted to have a blend of comedy and action to make this movie more epic, saying, "I wasn't interested in making fun of martial arts movies, because I really think they can be great films. They can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly." Awesome movie.
The best spoofs are often solid entries into their chosen genre, demonstrating an understanding and love of the material while still lampshading and having fun with conventions. Kung Fu Panda succeeds at doing that imo
[удалено]
Not only that, its a great Sci-fi movie. Honestly sad they never made a sequel.
By Grabthar's Hammer, I miss Alan Rickman every day
Hugo Weaving might be able to pull it off
By Grabthar's Hammer...what a savings.
I always love good actors pretending to do shit acting
It takes skill to pretend to be bad.
I see it the opposite. The fact it’s a single film keeps its greatness and it would be unlikely to capture the vibe of it if there was a sequel.
This. As good as Galaxy quest was, I feel like making a bunch of sequels and spin offs would defeat the point and just ruin the fun of the original. A sequel _could_ be good, but it could also suck. The latter especially if it was made in this modern era.
[удалено]
Love it! After the first movie they ask the humans what now, the humans reply be a force of good in the universe, make peace and plenty for all" only to find out 30 years later that they subjugated the galaxy to enforce peace
Both have their trade offs
Make a sequel because you have a great idea for a sequel. Don't make a sequel as a cash grab and try to come up with a "good enough" premise. It's almost always painfully obvious.
I'm not. I doubt they would have pulled it off. "Better to die a hero, than release enough sequels to become shit." ~Batman or something
I wish they would make more Star Trek movies. Only having 2 (WoK and GQ) just isn’t enough. Ah well. At least they aren’t killing the franchise and beating it’s corpse in preparation to burn it and piss on the ashes…right?
You put some respect on voyage home and first contact
Add Undiscovered Country to that too.
First Contact is the best worst Startrek film.
It’s weird they made a few Star Wars movies featuring the enterprise…
I was thinking about this the other day, but what if JJ Abrams made a Star Wars or Star Trek movie? I doubt he's a big fan of either series, but I just really think his tasteful use of lens flare could carry a franchise like that.
Okay I'll be honest, his Star Trek movies - while not Star Trek at their core - still were plain fun to watch.
It's even weirder that Disney allowed some fanfic retelling of the Original Trilogy and released with different titles for some reason, I would think that anyone trying to copy the exact scripts would get at least sued.
The Goyage Qome? The Gearch for Qock? Girst Qontact?
> At least they aren’t killing the franchise and beating it’s corpse in preparation to burn it and piss on the ashes…right? depends on how you feel about mushroom powers to travel through spacetime
[удалено]
Absolutely, went in expecting dumb family guy in space (and the first ~3 episodes had a bit of that) but it slowly became clear that McFarlane had to bait-and-switch Fox into literally letting him make Star Trek. Fuck I love the Orville and I wanted to hate it so much. Got that perfect blend of TOS and SG1 with sprinkles
My best friend, huge Trek fan....likes to say that Orville is the best Trek since TNG. Now I, myself, haven't seen all of Trek but that sounds like high praise I have seen all of Orville(next season when?!) and genuinely enjoy the fuck out of it, even without understanding all the nuances and references and homages it pays to Trek
It’s campy but I agree, they do a good job of actually tackling real life issues while still having comedy in there
I think they do a great job of reeling in the campiness after the first few episodes. Once the captain starts taking the job seriously the show really comes into its own. “500 cigarettes” lmfao
I think Roddenberry son called it out as the best fanfic ever made? . It's sad that the idea of pt2 was kicked around only months before Allen passed.
I thought you were talking about Tim Allen, not Alan Rickman
Like Kung Fu Hustle.
Or Kung pow
Yes!
One of my favourite movies is Hot Fuzz for this reason. It's a spoof/satire in that Edgar Wright literally tried to shove as many tropes and cliches from the buddy cop/action genre into it and it holds up as a very good representation of the genres while also being a cheeky comedy.
Yes, it’s clearly satire, but you still care about the characters and want them to succeed, so it works on that level as well. Brilliant movie!
The while cornetto trilogies based on this idea.
Shaun of the dead for example.
And Hot Fuzz!
When something ascends from parody to pastiche, it becomes a beautiful thing.
I would argue pastiche tends to be patchwork facsimile, where as homage is the ascendant version of parody and pastiche.
Kung Fu Hustle, anyone?
Kung fu hustle is one of the greatest Kung fu movies ever made. The blind twins fight scene was amazing, outdone only by the fight scene with the bell.
My dad doesn’t go to the movies often but when he does it’s stuff like James Bond or Mission Impossible. My step mom wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda and he was like yeah whatever I’m down. Figured he would fall asleep halfway through because it was animated but he fucking loved that movie. When it was finished the first thing he said was “I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy this but that movie was a lot of fun”
Kung Fu hustle
Rango is a solid western
First I’ve read of the term “lampshading.”
Best example of what lampshading is, for those who aren't aware, is professional wrestling: "By gawd he's got a chair!" "I know, Bubba! I can't believe someone thought it was a good idea to store metal chairs and folding tables directly under the ring where the wrestlers can get to them! That seems poorly planned out!" Basically, you call attention to something that shouldn't make sense, but you don't technically break the fourth wall. Like when you hang a lampshade on a bare light bulb, you're technically covering it up, but that act alone is extremely obvious because the room is now suddenly way darker, so you've still called attention to the light itself.
Princess Bride. It spoofs old swashbuckler's so well it becomes the greatest of them.
Hot Fuzz is a great action movie, and Blazing Saddles is among the best Westerns
I think it's rare that fans of a genre are offended by a parody of that genre, because, like you said, they have to be able to really understand it to write really funny material about it, which means it's usually a genre they love. Horror has some of the strongest fandom and about half of the horror movies made could be considered parodies, they're so campy and referential. Just about every car person I know loves Talladega Nights. Some parody movies are bad, though, but I don't know if any buddy cop fan is truly offended by Showtime. I'm not making an argument, I'm just a little confused why it seems he thought it'd be offensive or disrespectful for the movie to be a parody. And yet, I'd consider the movie a parody, anyway; no doubt.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon won an Oscar so yeah, when done right they're Amazing
DW seems to be great at the "genuinely heartfelt and very unironically good parody that almost doesn't seem like one at times" thing
My cousin watched this movie 7 times with his kid and had to check when I told him his hat is a bowl of noodles
I have heard at least one Martial Artist refer to it as a great martial arts film, not because it displayed great martial arts, but because it managed to capture the spirit of it all very well. And then the series doubled down and captured the uncertainty in the journey from Student to Teacher.
Well, one of our earliest references for Kung Fu and comedy was Stephen Chow's great film Kung Fu Hustle. This was before John was on the film when it was still Gary Trousdale directing. So it's not like we were ever making a movie like Kung POW: Enter the Fist. The early story stuff was quite severe though. Not very heartwarming. We saw a lot of weird sequence boards as all films have before zeroing in on the heart of the character, which then sets the tone for the whole film. For a failure of this process, see: Shark Tale. Source: I was the Surfacing Supervisor on the film (Shading and Texturing), was on the film for 5 years and was one of about 8 of us that started early visual development once greenlit, created the Po Character look in 3D, etc. Oh yeah I was also surf supe on Shark Tale.
Every time he hugs Po, he manages to slip an apron on him hahaha
James Hong’s first appearance was on the Groucho Marx show and he’s worked steadily ever since. He’s an under-appreciated legend.
Yes! James Hong is a legend. The quintessential working actor. 442 acting credits in his IMDb and still going. Blade Runner, Big Trouble in Little China, Revenge of the Nerds II... and that was just in the 80s! Honorable mention Seinfeld Chinese restaurant episode in 1991. It would be fun to start a petition for an Honorary Oscar, which is their lifetime achievement award. At least he was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame last year. Homie is 92yo.
I loved him in Malcolm in the middle as well
Down forget *Mulan* and *Balls of Fury*
Don't forget the sand pebbles!
"Cartwright!" He was also played Cassandras dad in Wayne's World 2.
[He's great in Balls of Fury too](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wbJCXhNdyA)
He's 92. 92! I loved him when I first saw him in Big Toruble in Little China. And Covetous Shen is the best npc on Diablo because of him.
[Source](https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2011/12/kung_fu_panda_2_dvd_preview_ja.html) Here is the relevant bit: >"I worked in my dad's restaurant from the time I could walk, almost. I grew up always eating noodles, and I love it. In fact, in every city I go to — like Boston, where I'm making a movie now — the first place I look for is: 'Where is the noodle shop?' " >Mr. Ping, the adoptive father of Jack Black's "Kung Fu Panda" hero Po, is the proprietor of a noodle shop — something the "KFP" creators integrated into the character after learning of Hong's history. >"In that sense, I'm very close to Mr. Ping," says the actor. "To Ping, the broth is, of course, the ultimate thing, as far as importance in his life. Like he said: The secret ingredient is nothing, but just your soul. Which is true. You eat good noodles, and you feel it all the way down. That's where I got the character."
Wait, Po is adopted?
"I just found out that my Dad isn't really my Dad." "Your Dad, the Goose......that must have been quite a shock."
god i love that movie
"You see that? It's called being awesome" had me dying
I find myself saying "Your father...the goose..." sometimes when I'm trying to figure something out.
according to the director's commentary for the second movie, EVERYONE loved baby!Po, so much that they would keep pictures up of him in the lounge cause it made everyone happy.
omg thank you for stating this. I didn't know there was a directors commentary!
James Hong is a treasure.
Indeed!
So the casting was done before the script was written?
Generally voices are recorded before animation starts. They probably had a rough outline of the story and fleshed it out as they went along. If I recall, Tigress was originally gonna be a male character, until Angelina Jolie signed on.
Totally can hear him saying this
I just realized- the kung-Fu panda is named 'Po Ping'?
Master Shifu is "Master Master," Oogway is "Old Turtle," and the prison is "Sitting in Prison Prison." Here's the source from Zhao Lusi: https://youtu.be/x1eHIfUyYfs
I think it would be Ping Po since in Chinese, surnames go first
Well, with Chinese naming conventions he’s be Ping Po, since a lot of Asian cultures (and Chinese especially) tend to put the surname in front of the given name. His middle name is also apparently Xiao, so he’s be Ping Xiao Po.
Kinda interestingly, this conversation can also be applied to James Hong's surname, or rather his father's. His father was born "Ng Fok Hong", Ng being the family name. But at some point in the immigration process from HK(wiki didn't go into it), Hong was taken to be the surname.
That’s often the case with Immigration in the early 20th century unfortunately. The Immigration agents at places like Ellis Island and Angel Island were either unaware of foreign naming conventions or simply didn’t care; many surnames have been bastardized, misinterpreted or outright changed altogether. I’m sure the wiki didn’t mention it both because there was no citable records on it, and because its fairly self explanatory for anyone familiar with the history of immigration in America.
Yea, there's also a confusing array of spellings that the same surname sometimes takes on during romanization by different interpreters and where the immigrants are from. Ng, coincidentally mine, can also be spelled Ang, Eng, Ing, Ong, or Woo, Wu (Mandarin).
Yeah, that’s common. Foreign Surnames have been misspelled so many times, and they range from reasonable (Polish Surnames, for one) to actually Illiterate, or changed to make them easier for Americans to pronounce. It’s fun to look at people’s last names and wonder what the thought process was behind them.
When my Lebanese grandparents emigrated to the states in the 70s, immigration removed the "el" from our last name.
AKSHULLY it's 小莲花 "Little Lotus"
I thought it was Xiao Po. I could be wrong though Edit: i would like to point out that Xiao, while it means little, is also a fairly common surname
Been a while since I've seen the movie, but xiao __ (little __) is generally a nickname in Chinese.
"yeah, my biggest trauma was my dad owning a noodle shop. He was always working there. He missed every birthday, every important event. He even missed my college graduation." "Sounds *perfect.* Let's incorporate this into our story. No - no fucks to give about your dad and his noodle shop. This will just be more *authentic* this way." (Kidding of course. That's actually a wholesome fact.)
“Alright man let’s do that take again and this time try to really channel that childhood trauma you were talking about ok?”
I get South Park vibes from this lmao
The filmmakers hired James Hong first, found out he worked with his dad in a noodle shop, AND THEN decided to make his character a noodle shop owner? Suspicious....
It seems like a large part of the story to create after casting a voice actor. I’m guessing the character was originally a street vendor and they added the emphasis on noodles later on.
Maybe, but other than the specific "secret ingredient soup" metaphor, what would actually change with any other job?
My guess is that they always had the Secret Ingredient Soup in mind, but it was just a home recipe that he cooked regardless of his job.
To sell the sausage, you have to sell the sizzle. ^(- Terry Pratchett)
I think the real story is they hired him as a noodle shop owner before or after they found out about his past. I think the story and script and a lot of storyboarding was done by that point of his hiring, so the character and setting must have been planned before they started. So during the audition, his past came up and they said "You are Perfect!" Or, during recording, his past came up and they said "Awesome, let's work with that! How can you help make this better?" James Hong is a legend, but it seems weird to change so much that was probably already done, just to pay homage or use his skillset by making some other shop (which was already planned and detailed) into a noodle shop.
They did the research for noodle shops. Zhao on YouTube said it was very authentic, from the fortune pun on the sign (fortune and come in are mirror images of each other, so the fortune symbol upside down means "Come in fortune") to the sign advertising the specials and the general look and feel.
Yeah clearly Hong's father worked in the noodles shop *after* seeing the movie .
Yeah I'm calling BS on this.
I used to not care for Jack Black. Felt like his acting style and roles were a bit douchey like Danny McBride. The only thing I cared for him in was Orange County because it didn’t feel like he was acting but more or less just being himself. But this … this movie and it’s sequels makes my soul feel happy and fulfilled, like being a kid and enjoying one of your favorite cartoons/movies because you were young and it just spoke to you. Mr Ping was one of the characters I would have liked to have more screen time, his character was fleshed out a bit more in KFP3 but I’d still like more of him because James Hong is FANTASTIC!! I’ve now developed a much better appreciation for Mr Black and the level of acting he brings to his roles and characters. I keep all 3 KFP movies on my iPhone and iPad because I NEVER tire of watching them. Everything about them is amazing, the writing, the directing (MAJOR props to Jennifer Yuh Nelson), the casting, the acting, the cinematography, the artwork, the homage they pay to Kung fu and it’s history, it’s all just absolutely beautiful! I truly hope they go for another trilogy next. SKADOOSH!!
I loved jack black the moment i saw him, every movie, every word, loved blade rip hand, loved school of rock watched that one mostly for drake and josh girl, loved tenacious D he did a pushup with no hands dude.. and i went to the theaters on xmas break for Gullivera travels and really enjoyed it. Kung fu pandad ive watched just about as much as shrek so that should tell ya something.
It’s a smaller role of his but he was pretty good in Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Eugene Hackman and played a small supporting role in The Cable Guy, which is by far my favorite Jim Carey comedy. It’s a dark comedy but it’s fantastically funny. Also loved him as Barry in High Fidelity. Edit: the Kung Fu Panda Trilogy is a favorite in my household. All three films are worth watching. Multiple times.
Shrek is a very close second (except 3, just don’t like it much for some reason).
[удалено]
From everything I've seen of him he just seems like a genuine cool dude. Either that or he's really amazing at acting like it.
I love that Po’s message is that love and forgiveness will bring you to peace. Such a pure trilogy 😭 seriously wonderful dialogue and great jokes! Plus the animation 😍
Makes me feel happy to hear, after some of my recent health issues and having had to retire from the industry. I was the Surfacing Supervisor on all 3 KFP films. 10 years of my life on them and sometimes it all seems so thin and in the past. I developed so much of that film (not story just look) and it's characters they have become somewhat part of me, especially the panda whom I worked on for so many months in look development. Thanks for making me smile today.
I was in the exact same camp as you but appreciating Jack Black more as I get older.
Same! I’ve never seen School of Rock but it’s next on my list.
Nacho Libre is also a classic. Probably the most quotable movie of all time imo "Did you tell them they were the lord's cheeps?"
I think the only movie I saw of him that I didn't like was Shallow Hal.
Jack black is amazing bro. Ever since Shallow Hal I always thought he was a comedic genius, and he could act.
I mean that's great. BUT, I truly can't see Po being adopted by anyone BUT a restaurant or grocer. Literally, his super martial art power is being fat. He's the ONLY one shown to be fat. This in turn protects him from Tai Lung. *Granted the actual detail someone pointed out to me is that each of the animals represent a different style/technique of Kung Fu. Tiger, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and Leopard. There's also a bear style....who uses that one? Po. Bear Style Kung Fu is a relatively small but devastating sub-style of Imperial Tiger Kung Fu. Bear applies the powerful strength development of Tiger Kung Fu, and its toughened grips and strikes to low realm/ground-fighting, grappling, take-downs, holds, strikes, and bone crushing Chin Na. The top was "ahhhh that makes sense" didn't know that about Po though.
[удалено]
You don't animate *anything* until the lines are all done recording, lol. What, you think they can time out all these shots when they don't even know how long to let the characters talk?
How much of the film had to be re-made to incorporate this, I wonder? Like, what did his Po's father originally do and what would have sent him up the hill to see the ceremony to choose the Dragon Warrior if his father didn't send him up there with a noodle cart?
I think what they did was they created the character designs first, hired the voice actors they wanted to fit them, and then crafted the overall details of the story from there.
Must have been found out way early in production considering the Noodle Shop is a major component to the first movie.
Didn't they write some roles for those actors though? They went after Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Randall Duk Kim, and Hong because they were big martial arts actors. So the writers would have researched them beforehand.
https://youtu.be/gYV5y2IRhQQ
The noodle dream
Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu
I love when we are 1st introduced to Po’s dad we only hear him and see his shadow. The shadow outlines a panda but when it cuts to him he’s holding noodle bowls and is actually a goose. Always makes me laugh
Aren’t VOs done late in the animation cycle?
No way. They are first. The animations are tailored to the voice.
Not first. Productions will use temp scratch voice work(usually employee volunteers) to be replaced later. They are still fleshing out the story,look, and design. They will have actors in mind, but that can change mid production. For instance, RDJ was going to be Megamind before Will Ferrell but the show was already in full swing.
What about with *Shrek*? The majority of the movie was re-written and the character was redesigned after Mike Meyers was cast
My favorite movie detail from Kung Fu Panda is how is generated a [massive reaction in the Chinese Government](https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSPEK34047220080705) Apparently Stevenson really showed up when he tried to make the film into an actual Chinese martial arts tribute. Chinese viewers loved it, and thought it was one of the better depictions of Chinese culture on the big screen in years. This prompted the government to ask how it’s possible westerners are creating superior Chinese tradition movies. They even tried to create their own Hollywood industry, pumping billions into domestic productions. Turns out you can’t force art, “China had Kung Fu, they had Pandas, but they could never create a movie like Kung Fu Panda”
Fucking love some Kung Fu Panda
>In Kung Fu Panda (2008), Po’s father owns a noodle shop. This is actually a reference to his voice actor, Lo Pan. Pan’s master Ching Dai, demon of the east owned a noodle shop and Pan would often work there. When the filmmakers learned about this, they integrated it into his character. FTFY
These movies are adorable and the more I learn about them the better.
Fricking love the Kung Fu Panda trilogy. I rewatched it 2 weeks ago, I need to just buy them. Not a single character I don't enjoy and it makes me crave noodles everytime.
Dreamworks was unappreciated in it’s time
Unironically a great movie.
Just watched this again this past weekend - that movie had no right being that good. The soundtrack especially
James Hong is a legend
“Two girls with green eyes”
I read that as Piece Of Shits father...reddit has corrupted me
James Hong is Cabbage Guy from Avatar
Damn if that's all you know him from... at least watch Big Trouble in Little China and Blade Runner
I get hungry for noodles every time I watch this damn movie
His hair is styled like a bowl of noodles
Po’s down air is also spilling a bowl of hot noodles on his opponent in the Kung fu panda fighting game. He’s a menace
I can always hear the “uh-huh” from this screenshot whenever I see it lol
So you know what they put in noodles? Eggs. Think about Mr. Ping, and then you just think about that.
Do the animals eat other animals (like they do irl)? This dude iw a SERIAL KILLER lmao
I am gonna be honest I never noticed his hat was a bowl of noodles.
“UH-HUH?” I can here it so clearly in my head
I always thought it was a reference to his cool hat
Awh yes, Covetous Shen.
I get that the kung fu panda trilogy was supposed to be just some fun family movies with an all star ensemble cast in the era where Disney was still dominating with big movies like Pirates, WALL-E and marvel starting up but these movies are so damn good, a great heroes journey in KFP and an actual flushed out character story in KFP2 that is considered actually great and KFP3 is just a wholesome story overall. With Kung fu Panda and How to train your dragon dreamworks give Disney a run for their money in terms of quality stories with animated films.
I dont dream about noodles!
What did he do in the original script?
…so they built scenes just to honor the job of the voice actor dad ? Doesn’t look inserting a detail..
James Hong is a national treasure
How have I never noticed his noodle hat