The panda is a national symbol of China but Kung Fu Panda could never be made there

If there was ever a subject tailor-made for China’s film industry, it would seem to be Kung Fu Panda. The panda is a national symbol, kung fu was developed here, China is all the rage globally and animation is a state priority. Then along comes Hollywood and turns the story of a panda who dreams of becoming a kung fu master into a global blockbuster—and the most successful animated film in Chinese history. Sure, DreamWorks animation added its own touches—the panda’s father is a goose and there’s a bra made of noodle bowls—but the film has prompted soul-searching here. Why couldn’t we do this?

Competing against Hollywood is never easy. But filmmakers in China shoulder some heavy baggage. Consider the protagonist, Po. The idea of making a film in which the hero, a Chinese national symbol, is a bit of a slouch just doesn’t wash. Chinese film heroes are generally long on perfection and short on foibles. And they don’t have Po’s willpower problem, eating disorders or tendency to run from danger.

“Given the political overlay,” said Stan Rosen, director of the East Asian Studies Center at the University of Southern California, “if you start off with a fat, lazy panda, a national symbol, someone is bound to come along and say, ‘we can’t give an image to the world that China is fat and lazy.’”

Then there’s basic biology. How could a panda have green eyes and a goose for a father? “Our education system doesn’t give rein to imagination,” said Zhou Liming, a film critic. “It usually tries to curb it.”

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