Rush Hour

Rush Hour is a 1998 martial arts/buddy cop/comedy film and first installment in Rush Hour film series, directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. The film was successful, becoming the 7th top grossing film of 1998, with a gross of over $140 million dollars at the U.S. box office.

On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong police leads a raid at the docks, hoping to arrest the mysterious crime lord Juntao. He finds only Sang (Ken Leung), Juntao's right hand man, who manages to escape. However, Lee successfully recovers numerous Chinese cultural treasures stolen by Juntao, which he presents as a farewell victory to his departing superiors: Chinese consul Han (Tzi Ma) and British Commander Thomas Griffin (Tom Wilkinson).
Shortly after arriving in the United States to take up his new diplomatic post in Los Angeles, Han's daughter, Soo-Yung, is kidnapped. Unwilling to trust the FBI, Han calls in Lee to assist in the case.
The FBI, knowing Lee's incompetence, or success, will generate international embarrassment for them, pawn him off on LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), a fast-talking and arrogant police officer with aspirations of joining the FBI. Carter has recently caused severe collateral damage arresting bomb-maker Clyde Cod (Chris Penn) and his superiors give him a choice: keep Lee away from the investigation or face two months suspension without pay. Carter agrees, secretly intending to solve the case himself.
Carter meets Lee at LAX and then proceeds to take him on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, simultaneously keeping Lee away from the embassy and contacting several of his underworld informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes Carter and makes his way to the Chinese Consulate, where an anxious Han and a group of FBI agents are awaiting news about his daughter. Later, while being severely reprimanded by the FBI, Carter manages to accidentally involve himself in a phone conversation with the kidnappers, where he arranges a ransom drop.
After their arrival at the agreed drop point, Lee tries to warn the FBI that something is amiss, but is ignored until a bomb is detonated, killing several agents. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes after dropping a rare type of detonator. After showing it to Carter's colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Peña), then to Clyde Cod, the bomb-maker he arrested, they learn that Juntao was behind the kidnapping. Following a lead to a restaurant in Chinatown, Carter is captured after going in alone. He sees a surveillance video of Griffin evacuating Soo-Yung from the premises, but does not know who he is. Lee arrives and rescues Carter, and they are met outside by the FBI, led by Special Agent-in-charge Warren Russ (Mark Rolston), who blame them for ruining the ransom exchange. Sang phones the consul, angrily telling him that the ransom has been increased (the original ransom was $50 million) to $70 million, and begins threatening Soo-Yung's life. Disgraced and guilt-ridden, Lee and Carter are ordered off the investigation and Lee is sent back to Hong Kong. Finally realizing Soo-Yung's safety is more important than his career, Carter refuses to drop the case and confronts Lee on his plane to enlist his help. Carter tells Lee about the death of Carter's father, also a police officer, killed at a routine traffic stop because his partner didn't help him. Lee is surprised, as before then, Carter has seemed to care about no one but himself. They decide to save Soo-Yung together.
The final confrontation comes at the opening of a Chinese art exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which Han and Griffin are overseeing, while the ransom is being delivered. After Carter recognizes Griffin from Chinatown, he creates a scene by alerting the spectators about the threat of a bomb and tells them to evacuate. In the confusion, Lee sees Griffin talking to a waiter he recognises as Sang, and figures out Griffin's true identity as Juntao and confronts him. Griffin then threatens to explode a bomb attached to Soo-Yung if the delivery is interrupted. During the stand off, Carter and Johnson rescue Soo-Yung and bring the bomb within range to kill Griffin and his men, causing a gunfight to erupt. In a battle between Griffin's thugs on one side, and the FBI, Lee and Carter on the other, Carter shoots Sang dead in a stand off, Johnson defuses the bomb and rescues Soo-Yung, and Lee kills Griffin by causing him to fall from the center's roof and into a water fountain.
Han and Soo-Yung are reunited. Han sends Carter and Lee on vacation together to Hong Kong. Before leaving, the FBI investigators show up and offer Carter a position on the FBI. Carter refuses, telling them to take the badge and shove it up their asses, and that he will always be loyal to the LAPD. On the plane, Carter realizes the flight will take 15 hours... and demands another seat as soon as Lee starts singing "War".

Cast And Characters

Jackie Chan as Chief Inspector Lee
Chris Tucker as Detective James Carter
Tom Wilkinson as Thomas Griffin/Juntao
Mark Rolston as Special FBI Agent In Charge Warren Russ
Tzi Ma as Consul Solon Han
Rex Linn as FBI Agent Dan Whitney
Ken Leung as Sang
Chris Penn as Clive Cod
Elizabeth Pena as Detective Tania Johnson

Trivia

Martin Lawrence was the original choice for Carter.
Dave Chappelle was considered for Carter.
Carter's Vette's license plate has the same three-letter combination as the license plate of the van that the consul's daughter is held in.
At Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Carter shows Inspector Lee the foot prints of John Wayne. In Shanghai Noon (2000) Jackie Chan plays a character called Chon Wang - which is a play on John Wayne.
According to director Brett Ratner, during the scene at Grauman's where Detective Carter bribes Stucky for information, there was so much improvisation between Chris Tucker and John Hawkes that they almost did not think they could edit it together as a coherent conversation. There are still continuity errors in the dialogue for this reason.
Chris Tucker improvised much of his dialogue as he normally does in his films.
The afro and mustache in the photo on Detective Carter's badge were added as an afterthought in post-production.
Brett Ratner was a big fan of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong movies. He felt that American audiences would not be familiar with the jokes in Jackie's other movies, and deliberately re-used some of his gags. For example, the scene where Inspector Lee accidentally grabs Johnson's breasts is a reference to Jackie Chan's film Mr. Nice Guy (1997).
Elizabeth Peña played a prank on Director Brett Ratner in which she appeared on the set wearing nothing but her character's bomb squad vest. According to Peña, she thought Ratner would laugh and howl; instead he was extremely nervous and embarrassed.
Though released in 1998, the movie is set in 1997. Britain handed over Hong Kong to China on July 1st, 1997.
In one scene of the film, a couple of Asian tourists ask Inspector Lee for directions to Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. This may be a reference to the movie, Jackie Brown, in which Chris Tucker's character is lured to his death by Samuel L. Jackson through being promised a free dinner at Roscoe's.

Reception
Rush Hour opened at #1 at the North American box-office with a weekend gross of $33 million in September 1998. Rush Hour grossed over $244 million worldwide.

The film gained relatively positive reviews from critics. Many critics praised Chris Tucker for his comical acts in the film and how he and Chan formed an effective comic duo.

Sequels
A sequel Rush Hour 2, was made in 2001. A third movie, Rush Hour 3, was released on August 10, 2007.Tucker earned $25 million for his role in the third film and Chan received the distribution rights to the movie in Asia.
A fourth film in the series is in negotiations, and reportedly may be set in Moscow.

Soundtrack
Main article: Def Jam's Rush Hour Soundtrack
The soundtrack features hit single "Can I Get A..." by Jay-Z, Ja Rule and Amil, as well as tracks by Flesh-n-bone, Wu-Tang Clan,Charli Baltimore and Montell Jordan

Awards and nominations
1999 ALMA Awards
Winner: Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film (Elizabeth Peña)
1999 BMI Film and TV Awards
Winner: BMI Film Music Award (Lalo Schifrin)
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
Winner: Favorite Duo- Action/Adventure (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker)
Nomination: Favorite Supporting Actress- Action/Adventure (Elizabeth Peña)
1999 Bogey Awards (Germany)
Winner: Bogey Awards in Silver
1999 Golden Screen (Germany}
Winner: Golden Screen
1999 Grammy Awards
Nomination: Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television (Lalo Schifrin)
1999 Image Awards
Nomination: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture (Chris Tucker)
1999 Kids' Choice Awards (USA)
Nomination: Favorite Movie Actor (Blimp Award) (Chris Tucker)
1999 MTV Movie Awards
Winner: Best On-Screen Duo (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker)
Nomination: Best Comedic Performance (Chris Tucker)
Nomination: Best Fight (Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker) (For the fight against the Chinese gang)
Nomination: Best Movie Song (Jay-Z) (For Can I Get A...)

Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials. The character first appeared in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, to be followed by Temple of Doom in 1984, The Last Crusade in 1989, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles from 1992 to 1996, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. As well as film and television appearances, the character has been featured in novels, comics, video games, and other media. Jones is also featured in the theme park attraction Indiana Jones Adventure, which exists in similar forms at Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.
Jones is most famously played by Harrison Ford; he has also been portrayed by River Phoenix (as the young Jones in The Last Crusade), and in the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles by Corey Carrier, Sean Patrick Flanery, and George Hall. Doug Lee has supplied Jones's voice to two LucasArts video games, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine, while David Esch supplied his voice to Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb.
Tom Selleck was originally cast in the role in Raiders of the Lost Ark; however, due to Selleck's commitment to Magnum PI, he was replaced by Ford. The character's iconic outfit was designed by Jim Steranko. Jones is notable for his bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, and fear of snakes.Since his introduction in 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark (later retitled on VHS and DVD box covers as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark), Indy has made appearances in three more feature films, a three-season TV series entitled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, novels, comic books, video games, role-playing games, and even his own theme park rides.
Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, was first introduced in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, set in 1936. He is portrayed as an adventurous throwback to the 1930s film serial treasure hunters and pulp action heroes, with an alter ego of Doctor Jones, a respected archaeologist at Marshall College (named after producer Frank Marshall) - a fictional college in Connecticut. In this first adventure, he is pitted against the Nazis, traveling the world to prevent them from recovering the Ark of the Covenant (see also Biblical archaeology). He is aided by Marion Ravenwood and Sallah. The Nazis are led by Jones's archrival, a Nazi-sympathizing French archaeologist named René Belloq, and Arnold Toht, a sinister Gestapo agent.
The 1984 prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, set in 1935, took the character into a more horror-oriented story, skipping his legitimate teaching job and globe trotting, and taking place almost entirely in India. This time, Jones attempts to recover children and the Sankara Stones from the bloodthirsty Thuggee cult.
The third film, 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in 1938, returned to the formula of the original, reintroducing characters such as Sallah and Marcus Brody, a scene from Professor Jones's classroom (he now teaches at Barnett College), the globe trotting element of multiple locations, and the return of the infamous Nazi mystics, this time trying to find the Holy Grail. The film's introduction, set in 1912, provided some back story to the character, specifically the origin of his fear of snakes, his use of a bullwhip, the scar on his chin, and his fedora hat; the film's epilogue also reveals that "Indiana" is not Jones's first name, but a nickname he took from the family dog. The film was a buddy movie of sorts, teaming Jones with his father, often to comical effect. Although Lucas intended at the time to do five films, this ended up being the last for over eighteen years, as Lucas could not think of a good MacGuffin to drive the next installment.
The 2008 film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, became the latest film in the series. Set in 1957, 19 years after the third film, it pits an older, wiser Indiana Jones against Soviet agents bent on harnessing the power of a crystal skull discovered in South America by his former colleague Harold Oxley (John Hurt). He is aided in his adventure by an old lover, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen), and her son — a young greaser named Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), later revealed to be his biological child Henry Jones III. This film also reveals that Jones was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (a predecessor department to the CIA) during WWII, attaining the rank of Colonel and running covert operations with MI6 agent George McHale on the "Reds", which could mean the Soviet Union and/or allied nations aligned with the Soviets.
Originally, Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford; Lucas resisted the idea, since he had already cast the actor in three of his movies (American Graffiti, Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back), and did not want Ford to become known as his "Bobby De Niro" (in reference to the fact that fellow director Martin Scorsese regularly cast Robert De Niro in his films). During an intensive casting process, Lucas and Spielberg auditioned many actors, and finally cast then little-known actor Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones. Shortly afterward pre-production began in earnest on Raiders of the Lost Ark.
However, CBS refused to release Selleck from his contractual commitment to Magnum, P.I. (which was gradually gaining momentum in the ratings), forcing him to turn down the role.After Spielberg suggested Ford again, Lucas finally gave in, and he was cast in the role — less than 3 weeks before filming of Raiders began.

The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 apocalyptic science-fiction film that depicts the catastrophic effects of both global warming and global cooling. It was once part of the top 50 grossing film of all time, with total revenue of US $542,771,772. It is the second highest grossing movie not to be #1 in the US box office (behind My Big Fat Greek Wedding). The movie was filmed mostly in Montreal, and is the highest grossing Hollywood film in history to be filmed in Canada.
The Day After Tomorrow premiered in Mexico City on May 17, 2004 but it was also shown to contestants on the reality television series Big Brother Australia beforehand, which is not classified as the premiere for the movie. It was released worldwide from May 26 to May 28 except in South Korea and Japan where it was released June 4 and June 5, respectively. The film was originally planned for release in summer 2003. The film made $110,000,000 in DVD sales, bringing its total film gross to $652,771,772.The movie opens with Jack Hall in Antarctica with two colleagues, Frank and Jason, drilling for ice core samples on the Larsen Ice Shelf for NOAA. The ice shelf cracks and breaks off from the rest of the continent, nearly killing Jack. He travels to a United Nations conference held in New Delhi, India on global warming. Diplomats from several countries, particularly the vice-president of the United States, are not particularly convinced by Jack's theory. The idea, however, resonates with Dr. Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Centre in Scotland. Shortly after Dr. Rapson arrives back in Scotland from the conference, two buoys in the North Atlantic simultaneously show a massive drop in water temperature. Rapson concludes that the melting of the polar ice has begun to disrupt the North Atlantic current and calls Jack to see if his paleoclimatological weather model could be used to predict what, and when it will occur. Jack is surprised because he predicted that the events would not happen in his lifetime, but rather in a hundred or a thousand years in the future. Across the world, violent weather causes mass destruction and chaos.
In Los Angeles, a tornado warning is issued, due to a sudden outbreak of telltale funnel-systems. The first tornado strikes a residential area, where a man saw the tornado touching the ground. Another tornado destroys the Hollywood Sign as seen on a news helicopter. In Downtown Los Angeles, a huge tornado, presumably intended to be an F-5, devastates the entire area. A news van reporting on the storm spots two large tornadoes in Los Angeles International Airport apparently merging as they devastate planes. As the news crew travels through the city, they narrowly avoid being struck by vehicles thrown through the air by the tornadoes in the Greater Los Angeles. A separate news report shows that the Los Angeles Skyline is destroyed. The on-scene news reporter is killed by a flying billboard, and the Capitol Records Building is shown being torn apart. Eventually, it is shown that 99 % of the city has been leveled.
The US President authorizes the FAA to suspend all air-traffic over the United States, although the order comes too late, as two planes are brought down by severe turbulence (including an Avianca Boeing 707). Not long after, three RAF helicopters that were supposed to carry the Royal Family to safety are flying through one of three massive hurricane-like superstorms when they enter the eye, only to almost immediately encounter a massive and phenomenal temperature drop lower than −150 °F (−101.1 °C) that instantly freezes their fuel lines and their rotors causing them to crash. Later one of the flight crews opens the door on the damaged craft, only to get instantly frozen.
Meanwhile, Jack's son, Sam, is traveling to New York City for an academic competition, with friends Brian and Laura, arriving there before the airports are shut down. On the flight over, there is severe turbulence, and Sam grabs Laura's hand in fright. The weather becomes increasingly violent with strong winds and torrential rains. After the competition, Sam and his friends are stuck in New York, as the flight they were supposed to leave on was grounded due to suspension of air travel. Sam calls his father, promising Jack that he'll be on the next train home. Sam and his friends, meanwhile, stay with a new friend (that Sam really dislikes) they had met, J.D., and take a tour of New York. The group take shelter in J.D.'s apartment for the night while the storm worsens, forcing tunnels to close due to flooding, which shuts down the Grand Central Station. J.D. offers to give them a ride to Philadelphia, where they can continue to Washington by other means.
As the four walk to J.D.'s car, a Storm surge (or possibly a rogue wave) surges towards Manhattan, while splashing through the Statue of Liberty. The massive wave blankets the island, lifting a bus up and leaving the streets under several feet of water. Sam and his friends just barely make the shelter of the New York Public Library. In Scotland, Rapson and his coworkers are trapped in their research lab by the deepening snow. They are last seen drinking scotch as their power supply fails. The remainder of the story concerns itself with the proof of Hall's theory and the beginning of a new Ice Age. Survivors are forced to flee to the Southern and Southwestern United States and Mexico. Jack decides to make the dangerous journey to Manhattan to find his son. Frank and Jason accompany him. Along the way, Frank falls through the glass roof of a shopping mall, as they are traveling over the top of it which is covered in snow. He cuts the rope he's attached to, sacrificing himself in order to save his friends.
Inside the library, Sam and the other survivors use advice Sam received from his father to outlast the cold. They burn books to keep warm and break the library's vending machines for food. The same night, Sam finds Laura having a fever. He confessed his true feelings to Laura, and they kiss. The following day, after Laura is found to be afflicted with severe blood poisoning, Sam, Brian, and J.D. decide to search for penicillin in a Russian cargo ship that drifted inland during the storm. While within the ship, the three are attacked by a pack of hungry wolves. While the three escape, J.D. suffers a bite wound. During the escape, however, the eye starts to pass over the city with its −150 °F (−101.1 °C) instant freeze, spot it while freezing the Empire State Building, so the three hurry back to the library with the medicine, just barely escaping the freeze.
Jack and Jason soon arrive in New York City, passing the now frozen Statue of Liberty and continue towards Manhattan. Eventually, they find the library buried nearly up to its roof in a snow drift. They manage to find everyone inside the library alive and signal for help, but by then the storms are already dissipating for unknown reasons. Jack, Jason, Sam, and all the people inside the library are rescued by a group of helicopters. As they leave, they see people on the rooftops of buildings and helicopters approaching to evacuate them. The movie ends with a satellite view of the Earth, revealing that the entire northern half has been covered in ice. A couple of astronauts in space look down on the earth and report that skies have never looked more clear.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a 2007 fantasy film directed by Jay Russell. The screenplay, written by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, is an adaptation of Dick King-Smith's children's novel The Water Horse. It stars Alex Etel as a young boy who discovers a mysterious egg and cares for what hatches out of it: a 'water horse' (loosely based on the Celtic water horse) which later becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster. Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin, and David Morrissey also star.
The film was produced by Revolution Studios and Walden Media, in collaboration with Beacon Pictures, and was distributed by Columbia Pictures. Visual effects, which included the computer-generated imagery of the water horse (named "Crusoe" by Etel's character) were completed by the New Zealand-based companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop — visual effects companies who worked with Walden Media before on the productions of The Chronicles of Narnia films. The Water Horse was released in the United States on December 25, 2007 (Christmas Day) and in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2008.A tourist couple are told a story by an old man about the Loch Ness Monster. In 1940s Scotland, young boy Angus MacMorrow lives in a large manor house on the shores of Loch Ness with his mother Anne (housekeeper), his sister, a cook, a maid and an old game keeper. Later they are joined by Lewis Mowbray, who comes to work as a handyman in the manor. Angus' father — a sailor in the Royal Navy — is missing since his ship has been sunk in the war. However, Angus is unable to accept that he may be dead.
One day, while looking for abandoned shells by their respective organisms, he discovers a big mysterious egg. He leaves it in his father's shed and returns later to check it out. An unknown creature hatches from it whom he calls Crusoe after Robinson Crusoe, that becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster. Angus keeps the creature a secret, but eventually tells his sister and (reluctantly) Lewis about it. Lewis explains to young Angus that it is a 'water horse' and that there is always only one such creature: creatures of this species asexually reproduce through parthenogenesis, and always die before the egg hatches.
The next day troops of the 12th Medium Regiment Royal Artillery, commanded by Captain Thomas Hamilton, a friend of Lord Mackilern, the owner of the house who is serving with the RAF, arrive at the house. An artillery battery is set up near the lake as defence against possible attacking or hiding German U-boats and the troops set up camp on the grounds of the house. An anti-submarine net is also raised at the mouth of the lake to prevent the entrance of German U-boats into the lake. Meanwhile, Crusoe grows so fast that hiding him becomes impossible and eventually Angus has no other option but to allow Lewis to bring it to the lake.
Captain Hamilton persuades Angus' mother to allow him to teach Angus some discipline and make a soldier out of him. She agrees but after a few days Angus escapes and returns to the lake were he left his friend. Crusoe lets him ride on its back. After some time, it begins to dive underwater, coming to the surface from time to time for breathing. Angus, scared of the water, loudly protests that it should stop diving, but later enjoys himself, perhaps even overcoming his phobia for the sea. The peaceful setting doesn't last long; Crusoe suffers from shell shock after almost getting shot by "Victoria" (a cannon; originally meant to stop submarines) aimed at the lake during a firing demonstration.
Two people who previously saw Crusoe while fishing on the lake attempt to take a photo of it in order to become rich. When they realize that they won't be able to photograph the real thing due to the bombardment test, they decide to create an imitation, which results in the real-life faked picture of The Loch Ness Monster, also known as "The Surgeon's Photo".
The photo, however fake, piques the interest of a few soldiers who venture out on the lake at night to kill it. The surprise attack proves futile for the soldiers, as Crusoe easily capsizes their boat. Angus attempts to calm Crusoe down and wades into the lake where he loses his footing and sinks. Crusoe comes to Angus' rescue and saves his life. After much coaxing from Angus, Crusoe decides to leave the loch for shelter and safety. Crusoe attempts to jump over the anti-submarine net but instead crushes it with its weight and escapes from the lake. Angus finally accepts that his father may never return home and sees from afar (along with Lewis and his family) Crusoe's departure.
After the story was told (it is revealed that the story teller is Angus himself), a mother calls out to her son, who is walking down the beach and spots a rock. The rock looks similar to the egg that the water horse, or 'Nessie' as known in modern times, had hatched from. The last thing that is heard in the film is a crack from the egg, hinting to the viewers that Crusoe has died, but not before leaving an egg behind.

Kung Fu Panda

Kung Fu Panda is an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated and 11 time Annie award winning 2008 American animated comedy blockbuster. It was directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. The film was produced by DreamWorks Animation's studio in Glendale, California and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars the voices of Jack Black as the panda, Po, along with Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim and Jackie Chan. Set in ancient China, the plot revolves around a bumbling panda who aspires to be a kung fu master. After a much feared warrior escapes from prison, Po is foretold to be the Dragon Warrior, much to the chagrin of the resident kung fu warriors. DreamWorks is working on a sequel to Kung Fu Panda, which is currently in pre-production.
Although the concept of a "kung fu panda" has been around since at least 1993, the idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks Animation executive. Work on the film did not begin until 2004. The film was originally intended to be a parody, but director Stevenson decided to instead shoot an action comedy martial arts film in the spirit of Hong Kong action cinema that incorporates the hero's journey narrative archetype for the lead character. The computer animation in the film was more complex than anything DreamWorks had done before. As with most DreamWorks animated films, Hans Zimmer (collaborating with John Powell this time around) scored Kung Fu Panda. He visited China to absorb the culture and get to know the China National Symphony Orchestra as part of his preparation.
Kung Fu Panda premiered in the United States on June 1 2008, and has since received very favorable reviews from critics. The film currently garners an 89% "Certified Fresh" approval rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Kung Fu Panda opened in 4,114 theaters, grossing $20.3 million on its opening day and $60.2 million on its opening weekend, resulting in the number one position at the box office. The film has resulted in DreamWorks' biggest opening for a non-sequel film, highest grossing animated movie of the year, and the third-largest weekend overall for a DreamWorks animated film, behind Shrek the Third and Shrek 2.
In China (populated entirely by anthropomorphic characters), the Valley of Peace is protected by the Furious Five - Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane - a quintet of warriors trained in kung fu by tortoise Master Oogway and his protégé, the red panda Master Shifu. One day, Master Oogway has a premonition that Shifu's former pupil and foster-son, the snow leopard Tai Lung, who was imprisoned after turning to evil, will escape from prison and attack the Valley. Oogway instructs Shifu and the others to hold a tournament in order to choose the legendary Dragon Warrior, worthy to receive the power of the Dragon Scroll, which is said to give limitless power to whoever reads it.
Po, a young Giant panda and kung fu fanatic who works in his goose father's noodle restaurant, is anxious to see the tournament, but is instead forced to take a noodle cart up the mountain to the Jade Temple. When he arrives, the gates are closed and the tournament has already started. Desperate to see the tournament, Po straps himself to a set of fireworks, by which he propels himself into the middle of the arena just as Oogway is about to point out the new Dragon Warrior, so that Oogway indicates Po as such. Unwilling to believe that a clumsy, fat panda can become the Dragon Warrior, Shifu attempts to berate and humiliate Po into quitting, subjecting him to a grueling series of matches with the Five, all of whom despise Po as an upstart. Po is dejected after his first day of training; but advised by Master Oogway, he refuses to quit. Soon he endears himself to the Five, though he is still unable to grasp the basics of kung fu.
Meanwhile, Tai Lung escapes from prison and returns to the Valley. Oogway, meanwhile, perishes and ascends to heaven in a swirl of flower petals, having exacted a promise from Shifu that the latter will train Po. Upon hearing that Tai Lung is coming, Po panics and tries to flee the Temple. Shifu refuses to let him go, insisting that Oogway's advice must be obeyed, but Po has lost all confidence and Shifu is at a loss for answer. Seeing this argument, Tigress leads the Furious Five to stop Tai Lung themselves. The next morning, Shifu discovers that Po displays impressive agility when he is motivated by food. Therefore he takes Po for solitary training in the mountains and, by promising food as a reward, trains Po into a skilled warrior.
The Five confront Tai Lung over a long rope bridge, but he sends them back to the Valley defeated. Feeling that Po is ready to fight, Shifu gives him the Dragon Scroll, which he opens to reveal nothing but a blank, reflective surface. Shifu, despairing, orders Po and the Five to evacuate the valley while he prepares to face Tai Lung. During the evacuation, Po finds his father who, in an attempt to console him, reveals that the long-withheld secret ingredient of his famous "secret ingredient soup" is nothing except the belief in the soup's specialty. Po realizes this idea is the point of the Dragon Scroll and returns to face Tai Lung.
At the temple, Tai Lung confronts Master Shifu and demands the Scroll. When Shifu refuses, Tai Lung attacks Shifu and nearly kills him before Po arrives. Tai Lung can hardly believe that the "Dragon Warrior" is a "big, fat panda"; but as he battles Po to take the Scroll, Po unexpectedly proves himself an equal. Tai Lung gains the upper hand and opens the Scroll, but cannot comprehend its symbolic value. Po explains that "there is no secret ingredient" other than the warrior's belief in himself; but Tai Lung fails to understand and attacks again. With the combination of his new understanding and his own natural resilience, Po finally defeats Tai Lung and destroys him by means of a technique called the "Wuxi Finger Hold", which Shifu had earlier revealed by threatening to use it on Po.
The Furious Five accept Po as a kung fu master and their superior. Po returns to Shifu and finds that he is exhausted but alive, and finally at peace now that Tai Lung has been defeated and peace restored. In a post-credits sequence, Po and Shifu are seen eating dumplings under Oogway's favorite peach tree, where a peach seed Shifu had planted earlier has begun to sprout into a seedling