DIRECTOR'S CUT: Therapist Reacts to KUNG FU PANDA
Does belief in yourself actually make a difference? Is it the secret ingredient?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright talk about some of the lessons we can learn from Po's journey and Master Oogway's and Master Shifu's advice in Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda. They talk about how we can find inner peace, the importance of authenticity and embracing who you are, and the amazing physical comedy in this movie. Inner peace and mindfulness can help us with self-acceptance, as well as handling being stressed or anxious, and can definitely help us win chopstick dumpling kung fu fights.
Comments (11)
This was my favorite movie as a kid. But the 5th time watching it I finally got the message of “there is no secret ingredient”. That’s when I was introduced to the aspect of movies telling us things.
Re: Leaving the forest "Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake coming down from the trees in the first place, and some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no-one should ever have left the oceans." - Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
That Power Rangers song slaps! A gem!
They got their Siri set to Australian, that's funny
One of the most profound moments that i didn’t realize until after seeing it a few times was the scene when shifu tells the duck to fly to the prison + up the protection. When oogway says “one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it,” he’s foreshadowing what will happen to shifu’s face, and shifu doesn’t even realize it. the only reason that tai lung gets out of prison is because of that duck going to the prison. without the duck, tai can’t get out of his immobilized state and he can’t escape. so because shifu tried to take the path to avoid tai lung escaping, he caused oogways vision to come true.
I love that Alan picked up on the kung fu moves they used in the movie! Master Shifu is a red panda though, not a rodent 😆 Something else to add that Dreamworks did extra, going above and beyond, is using language to add to the characters. They named the Furious Five as their animals in English, but Master Wugui 烏龜 is Master Tortoise 🐢. Shifu 師傅 is teacher/master, so Master Shifu is Master Teacher and his journey was learning how to master being a teacher to Po. Interestingly enough TaiLong 太龍 (the snow leopard) means the supreme dragon 🐲 He’s already named as a dragon 🐉 and a supreme one at that, so it is even more meaningful when he looks at the dragon scroll and sees nothing 📜 He believes that he is nothing, so he is nothing; despite having the name that Shifu gave him.
One quick thing, Alan! Shifu isn’t a rodent, he’s a red panda.
Late to the party, but one of my favorite moments is during the training scene when Shifu smiles before he chases Po to try and get the dumpling. He's able to enjoy himself and enjoy training a student again instead of constantly being reminded of his time with Tai Lung.
I have to force myself not to cry every time I see Oogway's death or hear "Oogway Ascends"
I love that Alan agrees that some of the best movies made in the last 20 years are animated. My husband sometimes teases me for enjoying "kids movies," but they're so relevant to all of us. More animated movies for Best Picture, please!
I can’t believe Alan doesn’t like Shrek 2, it’s one of the best sequels ever made