The Use of Eastern Philosophical Thought Within the Kung Fu Panda Franchise:
Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism
Eastern philosophical thought has always been said to confound and fascinate the Western mind. Ben-Ami Scharfstein, who published a paper to the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy, quite critically stated that this distinction arises due to, “Western philosophers still tend[ing] to think that philosophy, in a sense that they can take with professional interest, does not exist in non-Western traditions” (Scharfstein, 1998). Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped Eastern philosophy and thought from spreading its roots throughout mainstream Western culture, most notably in film and television with the Kung Fu Panda films from Dreamworks …show more content…
In all of the Kung Fu Panda films and episodes, Daoist teachings and principles are exhibited in various scenes both implicitly and explicitly. This is especially evident when looking at how all of the characters in the film are animals. One of the central ideas of Daoism is the concept of the Dao. The Dao is often translated as the path or the way (Hansen., 2003). Daoists believe that the Dao, “abides in all things” (Jochim, 1986). This belief allows Daoists to look at beings that are non-human without discrimination. Another facet of Daoism is how Daoists share an affinity with nature, “Daoist philosophy holds that the natural state is the ideal state, and teaches humans to behave in a way that is harmonious with that which is natural” (Kemmerer, 2009). Due to these beliefs, it shows how the all movies and episodes overall share an implicit connection with the Daoist idea of living in a way that abides with Dao, with animals, and with nature. Furthermore, another way in which Daoism is displayed throughout the films and episodes is though the main protagonist, Po. Po is often seen and described as slow, lazy, as well as being “THE big fat panda” (Kung Fu Panda, 2008). Po’s size and his idle child-like personality results in his non-action. Yet, Po is able to take this non-action and translate it as a form of “effortless action,” which in turn allows him to fight using Kung Fu. This effortless action is demonstrated in a scene with Po fighting against Tai Lung, in order to protect the village. Before the battle commences, Po initially runs up many flights of stairs to reach the Jade palace and as a result is incredibly exhausted. No doubt this is a joke on behalf of the film’s scriptwriters about Po’s apparent size. As the two warriors engage in conflict, Po appears to be fighting Tai