Dreamworks runs a very close second to Pixar in animated movies these days. This is the studio that has brought us Shrek and its sequels, Over The Hedge, and now Kung Fu Panda. The story is charming, the animation is, like Pixar, extremely realistic, and Jack Black is far funnier when you don't actually see him.There is the rather standard "believe in yourself and you can do anything" message, but this is not empty self-esteem BS. Our Panda hero Po actually has to work and train hard to harness his inborn talent to achieve something worthwhile, and his teacher Master Shifu manages to adjust his teaching methods to accomodate how his student learns. These are lessons that would greatly enrich our real lives.
Oh yeah, each of us in my party laughed our heads off during the entire movie. Get up and go already while it's still in theaters.
