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Although the film was a great success at the box office for its Chinese elements, it was doubted by many people at the same time. Some people think it’s an invasion of traditional Chinese culture, while some people think that it is a new construct of the image of China. Anyway, Kung Fu Panda did win a great success and was an interesting animation.
In this thesis, the Chinese elements in the film, the cultural background of characters and the conflicts and convergence of two cultures are analyzed. And the connotation and the significance of different cultures in the film are excavated.
2. Literature Review
The New York Times said, “At once fuzzy-wuzzy and industrial strength, the tacky-sounding Kung Fu Panda is high concept with a heart. Even better, this animated feature from DreamWorks is so consistently perting and visually arresting that it succeeds in transcending its storybook clichés.” (Bernstein 2008: 11) And another article said, “The main question being asked is: How could Western filmmakers have used Chinese themes to create such a brilliant animated movie with such widespread appeal to the Chinese themselves? Why, in other words, doesn’t China itself seem to be able to use its rich traditions to achieve such brilliant cinematic and commercial effect?” (Dargis 2008: 22)
Besides the comments from foreign magazines, there are also comments and analysis from Chinese magazines towards the film. In Fu Hong’s article about Kung Fu Panda, she analyzed the film as a colossal advertising film that propagates the American values. She mainly discussed two kinds of values in American culture: the inpidualism and inpidual heroism. She also advocated culture communication. “We should learn the merits and absorb fine achievements from other cultures, and dialogues between different cultures are beneficial to the integration of different cultures.” (Fu Hong, 2009: 14)
Another article written by Luo Tianyu and Zhong Yuanbo mentioned the Chinese elements and the culture background of the film. They inspired the Chinese cartoon industry to increase its creativity. “Despite the success of Kung Fu Panda, it reveals the narrow view of the Chinese film industry. The Chinese film industry lacks the ability of imagination and creativity, and is particularly short of deep comprehension of its native culture.” (Luo Tianyu & Zhong Yuanbo, 2008: 22)
3. Cultural Conflicts in Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is an American film based on Chinese culture, so the values reflected in the film are doubted by some people. The following part will analyze the conflicts in Kung Fu Panda, including the design of characters, different images of the hero and hierarchy and equality.