Making Kung Fu Panda Kick Butt!

Citysearch meets John Stevenson, the director of the year’s biggest animated hit, Kung Fu Panda.

Editorial Review

In our exclusive interview, Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson reflects on his four year journey making the movie, a 300-pound panda named Po, Jack Black and a frog called Kermit.

How did you become involved with such a cool project?
I was directing a TV show for DreamWorks called Father of the Pride when I was asked to work on a project called Kung Fu Panda. Growing up, I loved Kung Fu movies and had some very strong ideas about animating one – so I said yes.

Po, voiced by Jack Black is such an adorable character – where did the inspiration come from?
Po reminds me very much of my favourite all-time character – a green frog called Kermit. I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, and when I encountered Kermit for the first time in the Muppets’ Cinderella (1970), I saw the potential for animated characters to have wonderful human sensibilities. I was fortunate to go and work with Jim Henson – a wonderful experience.

The time from the story concept of Kung Fu Panda to the movie hitting the screens stretched over four years and involved a crew of 350 – what was that like?
It was a long process – and it really was 24/7 – long nights and weekends all the way through. The thing with animation is, you can try things – then if they don’t work, change them until you find the perfect solution – and that takes time. A lot of effort was put into the script too. We didn’t want to do a kung fu spoof with funny accents and gags about bad dubbing – we wanted to be true to the art form. As for the crew of 350 – that gives you some idea of the incredible world that is animation – but when you see the scene depicting the fight on the bridge – you begin to understand the skill and talent involved in bringing such an epic scene to life.

We have to ask: what was it like working with Jack Black?
Jack was the key to everything. We didn’t even have a second choice for Po in mind – there was no plan B – it all hinged on Jack – and thankfully he said yes. As far as working with him – it was amazingly easy because in the role of Po, Jack basically got to play himself – and he loved it.

Do your kids think you’re pretty cool?
(Laughing) They thought I was cool for about five minutes a couple of weeks ago when their class came to a screening – after the movie and the Q&A, I just went back to being their boring dad.

What do you want people to take from this story?
We tried hard to make an animated movie that would stand the test of time. We avoided pop culture references and ‘in’ jokes. We wanted to tell a timeless story – a classic hero’s journey – one where the character discovers what he considers weaknesses are actually his greatest strengths. I hope we’ve succeeded!

Cath Pope, Managing Editor, Citysearch

Read our review and watch the trailer here.