kung fu panda

this is one of the few summer movies that slipped past me unseen. until now! i had wanted to take my little nephew to go and see it, but it just never worked out while i was visiting grand rapids.it finally came to the dollar theater, so i figured this was my chance!
i wasnt expecting a whole lot, the commercials didnt make it look good enough to race out and see, but i still wanted to check it out. and i am glad i did- this movie is hilarious!!! it is like most animated movies, enough action and fun for the kids, and some wit thrown in to keep the adults awake. except that this one does it amazingly well! the story is one we have seen before: the main character wants to live his dreams, but no one believes in him until he first believes in himself. standard fare, except that it is done with so much humor and great storytelling, that this old premise comes alive again! the panda, po, wants to become a kung fu warrior, but the problem is he is fat and a nobody. by an unexpected chain of events he finds himself in a position where he must train with the greatest fighters alive. they dont believe that he is the great warrior told of in legend, so he must prove himself to them. the best part of this movie is the fact that it does not fall into the lame 'shrek' formula: tired pop culture references and knowingly winking at its own sincerity. this one is genuine all the way through and all the humor comes from within its own story, not from hip one liners meant to prove how hip it really is. this one is sweet, genuine, and genuinely funny! jack black does a perfect job as the oblivious panda trying to be the best he can be.
oh, and when he uses his silly word- skadoosh- its one of the best laughs ive had at the theater in months!