On Being Different or, Kung Fu Panda!
June 26, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Being different; being disruptive; looking different; smelling funny (according to those who think they don’t); yowling………
What do these apply to?
Are these perhaps a few reasons why a 2 year old and his mother were kicked off an American Eagle plane, or a 13-year-old’s parents had a restraining order filed against them, or a 5 year old was voted out of his class?
Well yes, but actually, nope.
The different-looking-and-being, disruptive-behaving, smelling-funny, yowly individual I am referring to is……………..Po aka Kung Fu Panda.
Charlie and I saw the movie Kung Fu Panda Tuesday evening. We haven’t seen a movie in a while and we had some free time on Tuesday and Charlie said “yes, movie!” when I asked him. I knew the movie’d been out for awhile so it wouldn’t be crowded (it wasn’t); we came about 15 minutes after the actual movie start time (in the past, Charlie has watched all the trailers and declared it time to go). We sat in the back row, with popcorn and a soda.
We had the funnest time.
Charlie’s eyes were (honest!) riveted to the screen, and even after he’d handed me the empty popcorn and soda containers. He wasn’t 100% quiet (a couple times, he imitated the animal characters, especially when Tay Long, the bad guy snow leopard (?), grunted some things and roly-poly Po responded cheerily and cheekily). He asked twice for the bathroom—the first time, he couldn’t get up because he was too engrossed in the movie; second time was right near the big fight finale, and we made it back just in time…….. There were a couple of much younger kids and mothers in front of us and some standing up, passing around of popcorn, eyes closed at the scary parts (that mountain prison, yikes!, and the rope bridge…….).
We left the theater in a thoroughly happy mood, with Charlie talking about eating noodles, which Po the panda’s father (a goose) doles out in a restaurant. As you know, we did not get noodles and I spent Tuesday night and Wednesday morning (when there was sunshine) scrubbing out the back and part of the front of the black car, whose windows had been left open overnight. Charlie took the day off from school—-maybe the popcorn (which he’s eaten before), or a stomach thing making its way ’round his classroom, or the pool water added up to Major Stomach Distress. He talked about “noodles” throughout the day and “PoPo” (that’s what he calls my mom; it’s Cantonese for “maternal grandmother”). And did he catch those occasional references to “all of China” and note the chopsticks and the dumplings the kung fu master Shi Fu uses to train (motivate) Po?
Charlie was really listening and something about that panda, with a touch of ADD and trying so hard to learn kung fu like the other animals and blundering and breaking holes in the paper walls….. I couldn’t help but think of Charlie’s whole-hearted attempts to learn and do his best, and how so often it just seems he’s been prejudged as Not Right, Too Different, and Just Can’t Do It. Po prevails beyond anyone’s (including his own) wildest expectations in the end; at one moment, he’s to gain a certain knowledge about the secret ingredient to more or less everything and he discovers that it’s……..
………………
………………
………………….a lot more and a lot less than you might think, but just right.
How is it that we can be so accepting of “difference” on the silver screen with DreamWorks animation, but when it comes to real life and real kids with real disabilities, it’s not easy? Though that doesn’t mean we can’t have a happy ending, or something close to it.
And some homemade won ton on the side.
(We know what the secret ingredient is.)
Well, good for you two, having a good time at the movie (though not so good about the stomach issues).
I actually wanted to see that movie, but there’s no way I can enjoy a movie in theater. It’s far to overstimulating and the “dramatic tension” music, while building dramatic tension, gives be the worst headache and can really screw with me.
Ah, well.
Cliff
I’ve been planning to see this since it came out. Hopefully soon.
Kristina, great minds must think alike, at least your’s, Marla Baltes, and then mine. She and I both recognized the similarities as you did in the movie to our own childrens lives. Your spin on the fact that such characters are much more accepted and celebrated give a new and interesting spin on the concept. I guess our kids need to be fuzzy and animal-like to get acceptance! lol thanks for sharing and glad you had such an awesome experience at the movie. I can relate to movie time being either really great, or just awful.
Hey, I just found you via Sister Wolf and I gotta say; HOORAY!
I am down for seeing Kung Fu Panda this weekend. My little guy likes the end credits so we have an arrangement with the cinema manager where we go from screen to screen watching the end of blockbusters.
But this one sounds like we could get through it.
I love that you found an analogy. (and does the movie refer to “all of china” as Tibet?! or Taiwan??)
I will start reading all your back issues tonight, so forgive me if you have already covered this:
What did you make of “Happy Feet”?
ps. Kung Fu Panda does look different doesnt he? Does that make it easier than looking like everyone else, but acting VERY different!.
so glad to find you xxxxxx
And having to leave real fast out the door—–sometimes the sound was too loud and Charlie covered his ears.
Here’s Bonnie’s review, and here’s Marla on Lesson from Kung Fu Panda, Autism & Eye Contact.
It was definitely worth seeing, per my movie critic.
@hammie,
glad to find you!
we didn’t make it through Happy Feet—–got about 2/3 of the way. too many subplots, like the Robin Williams penguin guru! but Charlie might warm up more to it now.
I was wondering if the movie would explain why Kung Fu Panda was the ONLY panda—-maybe that’s the sequel!
Tibet…..conveniently not alluded to in the year when the Olympics are to be in Beijing……
I really liked Kung Fu panda. It makes me want to rekindle my dream of studying kung fu… and also samurai arts.
dang, do I ever want to study samurai arts. I wonder if I could do both at the same time, but it would be like studying Japanese and Chinese at the same time and I’m currently trying to cram more Japanese Kanji into my head which gives me a headache… But if you learn kung fu you get to learn to use THE FAN AS A WEAPON.
With samurai arts though, one can learn how to use A SAMURAI SWORD which I have wanted since i was about 13!!! Two of them.
I don’t know why people don’t realize that everyone is different. You’d think people would know this by now and not care that this person’s skin is darker, sometimes this person has this tic or makes this noise and it’s just something to accept and respect and not shun.
Also martial arts would help with my somewhat panda-like figure that is irratating me.
Charlie is maturing and better able to attend to a movie. Yea Charlie!
My kids didn’t like it that much. The theater where we saw it was way too loud, and I think it overwhelmed them. They also didn’t really seem to identify with any of the characters, or maybe were too overwhelmed by the “bad guy,” who was pretty much scaring every child in the theater. I spent most of the time distracting myself over a perceived anti-feminist subtext. There were some funny parts, and the closeup animation was amazing in its detail. I have a feeling that if (or really, when) we see it on the smaller screen (i.e., our TV), we’ll enjoy it more.
Anti-feminist subtext?
Yes. The woman (tiger) who’s been working her tookus off since youth and has reached the pinnacle of success, proficiency, and competence in her field is passed over for the top spot in favor of a newly arrived, less qualified male. Ha.
Sorry, I’m old and those of us who have experienced various permutations of that scenario have a certain…sensitivity. I realize that I’m weighing down a child’s movie with my own personal chip, but…could we not, just once, have the girl be The Chosen One? Think how revolutionary it’d've been if Po had been female. The women are always the secondary characters in children’s movies, unless they’re princesses. We need more tigresses.
And I’m not sure what to make of the pigs and rabbits as the Chinese peasantry……….the kids in front of us were really scared by the sequences with Tay Long, the bad guy, especially the way he was imprisoned in that prison (if I were their age, I would have been too). Charlie took it in stride.
I thought those Tay Long scenes were pretty scary. And what was up with the pigs and rabbits as peasants?
You see how us ivory-tower types tend to overintellectualize, eh?
Really, it was very cute, and I liked the kung fu warriors and the panda. And I liked both of the messages (teaching to the individual; what was on the scroll). But I sure did NOT like how loud it was, and Mr. DMFP and I both were surprised at the depth of badness of Tay Long–none of the reviews had really mentioned how frightening his character was. A little girl behind me was really freaked out. Also, I think this particular theater really likes to crank the sound; they kind of pride themselves on it.
I thought the same things when watching Happy Feet.
Emily, watch Mulan… though at the end, it’s still about her getting her man.
Yeah, I see your point, Emily.
They just don’t have enough chicks doing cool things… Though Tiger was quite tough, and Snake was rather cool too.
Though Belle wasn’t techically a princess, many disney princesses in the older movies are in fact, kind of wimpy.
Like Sleeping Beauty. All she did was sleep all day long while the prince had to kill a dragon.
And Cinderella was such a wimp, the mice were braver than her.
Perhaps we should write a disney movie or some other sort of animated movie with some kind of awesome female ninja.
Ange, I’ve seen Mulan and have mixed (feminist) feelings about it. In the end, I like the fact that she didn’t resort to “masculine” tactics of machismo or brute strength to achieve her goals but instead found a different (possibly feminine) way to do it, after first trying out the Boy Way of Doing Things. I don’t really care if the girl gets the boy in the end; I love men and think it’s A-OK for women to pursue men or men to pursue women and for everyone to live happily ever after. But that doesn’t mean he always gets star billing or that he’s just worth more in general.
And I loved Tiger’s character. Her story was so much richer, really, than Po’s, and more compelling, to me at least. And she was brave and resourceful and went out to face the bad guy alone.
That’s so cool that Charlie is able to be engaged by a movie! This is great news. I loved your suggestion to arrive after the previews. I had the same problem with my son when I last took him to the theatre. I was ecstatic when I saw him get excited by the Speed Racer trailer, but by the time Horton Hears a Who started, he was counting how many exit signs the theatre had.
Oh no, not Mulan, don’t get me started…… the woman warrior………. (completely over-intellectualizing here).
Though note, Po has no mother and he sure don’t look like his dad.
I know, Kristina…I kept expecting them to lay out some exposition on that, but only got knowing winky looks from the goose.
And now, Kristina, I’m wondering about your take on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Ang Lee has been a favorite director of mine since at least The Wedding Banquet, but there’s a lot of the Woman Warrior and magical realism etc. in …Tiger…Dragon.
I read that book in college.
I should read it again.
And tiger was super cool.
Maybe they should make a sequel about her.
Ooo
The Wedding Banquet.
I love that movie
But if I had to have a wedding reception that crowded and loud I’d elope.
Or at least sneak out early so I can still get presents.
I know. When everyone showed up in the wee hours to play Mahjong or whatever that game was–it’s been awhile since I saw the movie–I’d just about die. In fact, I’d probably simply be pretty rude and kick them out.
I know! That would have made me so mad.
Then they made them play stupid games and stuff. Ooo. That’s just so interfering. I probably would have flung weapons such as death stars at that point.
Not that the two of them were… well, at least not until everyone left and they were really drunk.
I’ve seen Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman (really really good; way too many food shots) but not Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Had seen enough Chinese kung fu movies and when that movie came out, it was one of those times when we were so wrapped up in things with Charlie, I couldn’t summon the interest.
Would recommend Red Firecracker Green Firecracker and Zhang Yimou’s movies.
I have seen all of those movies but Red Firecrack Green Firecracker. What is that about?
(going so OT now) I like a movie this guy told me about called Peking Opera Blues. But it has terrible translations.
I need more kung fu movies… I love those things.
And some ninja and samurai movies too. *old obession with martial arts… flairing*
Firecrackers, love, male/female, lots of firecrackers——Charlie particularly liked the firecracker scenes in the panda movie. We tried a special needs kung fu class for him a few months ago; it was not the right setting at all. We’ll keep looking for another one.
We loved the movie too. I thought the introduction animation was beautiful but M panicked because it did not look like the previews.
Marla, I liked that, too, and I think the boys did, as well.
I’ll have to see that movie.
The kung fu place that was near my house moved farther than walking distance to annoy me.
But walking there would count as good exercise.
Kristina, wanted to let you know that the link you supplied for “Bonnie’s Review” was actually this woman’s blog http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45616.asp
didn’t want to take any credit for her excellent piece!
Thanks!
Kristina, my boys Alex and Kyle seen Kung Fu Panda this week
Big smiles.
Alex keeps repeating the parts of the movie he liked best. He had a good time and plenty of popcorn too!
Even adults can benefit from this movie.
Great movie.
Melissa Barton
PROUD MOM
It was a good one—-Charlie’s going to see Wall-E with his summer school classmates in a few weeks; wonder if any of the themes noted here might come up. Very best—–
Emilt, go see Wall *E! We just saw it and loved it. Eve reminded me a little of myself… hard around edges, anylitical and compulsive, rule follower, but the funny, doting, sincere guy (Wall * E)… well, watch the movie. Oh, while there is very little dialogue, the score and sound effects were pretty loud (my boys held their hands over their ears the whole time, but still really liked it). There will be parts that are disturbing (consumerism and destruction of Earth, societal values, etc.), because of how close to reality it really is…
thanks for letting me know about the noise—–I suspect Charlie might watch it with hands over ears!