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Kung Fu Panda by Dreamworks (Mark Osborne, John Stevenson)

overall rating: 93%, excellent
movie rewatchable: 92%, pretty darn likely
director rewatchable: 90%, very likely
recommendation: See it in the theater, take the kids. I'll probably buy this one when it hits DVD.

This flick is solid entertainment. The animation is excellent, the storyline well-paced, the plot is simple yet full, the characters believable, developed, and engaging.

Strong points: I loved the animation, particularly the stylized old-china parts, although the martial arts slow-mo and split-screen clips paid nice homage to the genre. The story itself is strong, with the messenger duck's feather providing the vehicle for the villain's escape, even as the wise old master had cautioned; and Po the Panda's finding the answer within himself, but only able to see it after he had accepted his father and his humble roots; and the master's finding the way to teach Po by considering him with unbiased eyes. Fat and out-of-shape jokes abounded, but they weren't tiresome, and were handled in a very kindly manner; and since Po's fatness turned out to be a strength, they are yet another way this story was solid and tight.

Weak points: Hardly any. Suspension of disbelief was tight as a drum, characters were as deep as they needed to be, and the story was well-executed. Maybe some of the plot progression was a little quick, but I'd have to dig very hard to come up with a good specific. The plot was formulaic... but the strength of the story carries it through easily.

The movie was a very fun ride, with some dark moments and some serious kung-fu action (probably enough to scare younger kids), but there was no actual carnage-and-death type stuff. Even so, the humor is not in-your-face juvenile; I think this is one of those few gems that will work for all ages watching. See it in the theater.