What films influenced Kung Fu Panda?

Chosen by prophecy but doubted by all, Po is an unlikely choice for the mystical title of the Dragon Warrior—a clumsy panda thrust into the world of kung fu as a deadly enemy threatens the Valley of Peace. Under reluctant guidance by Master Shifu and the Furious Five, Po must embrace who he is to unlock the power that no scroll can teach.

Year2008

CountryUnited States

DirectorJohn Stevenson & Mark Osborne

Films with Similar Energy

Cinematic Threads

We looked at a lot of martial arts films, both classic and modern. We looked at everything from the Shaw Brothers films to Kurosawa’s films, like Seven Samurai and Ran, for their sense of epic scale and character. We also looked at more recent films like Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Zhang Yimou’s Hero and House of Flying Daggers for their choreography and visual poetry. We wanted to combine the grandeur of those films with the fun of our own story.

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