Kung Fu Panda

One of the hero's journey narratives that has had a large impact on my life has been from the movie Kung Fu Panda. Apart from the comedic appeal of Jack Black, the movie resonated with me because of the lessons that the main character, Po, learned along the way. Based in a village in ancient China, the animated Kung Fu Panda movie (I will just be talking about the first one) centers around the adventure of a panda named Po. Po grew up revering the art of kung fu and the kung fu masters that live next to his noodle shop. When he is named the next dragon warrior, or kung fu prodigy, he is thrown into a whole new world where he must learn how to fight in order to save his village. Thus, he is an example of "an ordinary person elevated by circumstance into a heroic position."

Many of the basic elements of the hero's journey outlined by Joseph Campbell are present in this movie. Some examples of which are the ordinary world (life in the noodle shop), the call to adventure (the naming of the dragon warrior), the refusal of the quest (Po is denied access to the ceremony, but his constant attempts to gain entry are a twist on this element), accepting the call (when he tells his dad that he loves kung fu and flies into the ceremony on some fireworks), the supreme ordeal (defeating Tai Lung), and the list goes on.

I first saw the movie when I was young and the morals have stuck with me ever since. In particular, I was struck by the message that the film conveyed with the dragon scroll and the secret ingredient of Mr. Ping's secret ingredient soup. The idea of you being your own "secret ingredient," or special factor to success, gave me a lot of inspiration at the time of watching the movie that persists to this day.

Throughout the story Po went through both a literal and figurative hero's journey in his own personal development. When he finally understands the meaning of the dragon scroll was when Po completed the figurative part of his hero's journey. He also underwent a literal journey in which he learned kung fu when he had to hike to the Pool of Sacred Tears (where the kung fu master Oogway created kung fu) in order to receive his transformative training.

I think the main reason why I enjoyed the movie so much is because I could relate to Po and his tendency of wild dreams as well as empathize with his values. The movie taught me, especially as a young kid, that it was good to set your goals high and one day you might achieve them as Po had. I also grew a respect for Po because no matter what challenges he faced on his path to becoming a kung fu master, from bloody knuckles and broken bones to utter contempt from his idols, he persevered.

Overall, the movie caused me to view life through a slightly different lens. It made me more optimistic about the world and my future, and encouraged me to push myself and my abilities. It taught me that a lot of my fate would be decided by my own actions and determination. The fact that the movie was also produced in a medium more engaging for younger audiences (animated movie with fun fighting and funny dialogue) furthered my receptiveness to the story. Overall, while I may not have grand aspirations of becoming a kung fu master, Po's story of mastering the dragon warrior role amid criticism and adversity resonates with me and places Kung Fu Panda amid my favorite films of all time.