By Fred Topel | Image property of DreamWorks Animation
Kung Fu Panda
Many animated films are now sold on their stars' comedic knowledge. From Robin Williams in Aladdin to Mike Myers in Shrek, people expect to hear their favorite comedians in the cartoons. Jack Black contributed his own persona to Kung Fu Panda.
Jack Black on Kung Fu Panda
"Well, I was allowed to go crazy," Black said. "I would do what was on the page as written and then they always allowed me and encouraged me to go crazy and have fun and explore all the different things which I did. I don't know how much they used of it but they did use skadoosh so I'm gonna take some credit. Writing credit. It won't say written by me."
Even though the animators handled all of the Kung Fu Panda's martial arts moves, Black still got physical. "I did use my body an awful lot actually. I mean, you don't know it but they're filming us while we're doing our vocal recordings and they used it for reference. To get the proper sounds, I would really do the things that I was supposed to be doing. Like if I was supposed to be tired from running, I would run around. It was very method acting in that way."
For all of the random grunting noises that occur in the film, the artists culled from many different takes. "We just did a little bit at a time. It's not like one of those things where I just came in and in one day cranked out the whole movie. I would come in and do a few scenes, and then a month later I'd come back and do a few other scenes and then go back and redo the scenes that I already did but with slightly different dialogue tweaks. Yeah, every time I would do three or four groans and screams and kee-yahs. For years I've been grunting and groaning and screaming for this movie. It was not all done in one sitting, no."
Like most family films, the Kung Fu Panda, Po, learns something in the end. "Po becomes a dragon warrior when he realizes that he doesn't have to imitate his heroes, the furious five. He just has to be himself. If he can be himself completely and be the best that he can be, then that would make him a master of his craft."
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