Kung Fu Panda is an animated film about a panda who learns martial arts and then uses this new ability to fight his enemies. Kung Fu Panda is being directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. The idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks Animation executive. The film is due for release on June 6, 2008. It will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film stars the voices of, among others, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu.

Po (Jack Black) is a panda who is an apprentice noodle-maker and kung fu fanatic, but whose defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest animal in ancient China. Evil warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has escaped from prison, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophecy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. He has a kung fu master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) who "has trained five of the greatest warriors that the world has ever known", to help him.

Notably, all the original disciples of the main masters are animal stances or styles commonly used in the art of kung fu - Tigress (Tiger), Monkey, Viper, Crane and Mantis. Shen Lung Kung Fu uses those animals as a base for the whole system.

# Jack Black as Po - Giant Panda
# Jackie Chan as Master Monkey - Monkey
# Dustin Hoffman as Shifu - Red Panda
# Angelina Jolie as Master Tigress - South China Tiger
# Lucy Liu as Master Viper - Viper
# Ian McShane as Tai Lung - Snow Leopard
# David Cross as Master Crane - Japanese Crane
# Seth Rogen as Master Mantis - Praying Mantis
# Michael Clarke Duncan as Commander Vachir - Javan Rhinoceros
# James Hong as Mr. Ping - Goose
# Dan Fogler as Zeng - Palace Goose
# Randall Duk Kim as Oogway - Tortoise

Genres: Animation
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of martial arts action.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures
Production Co.: Pacific Data Images
Studios: DreamWorks Animation
Produced in: United States

Technorati Tags: Animation Cinema