“Legend tells of a legendary warrior whose kung fu skills were the stuff of legend.” And so begins Dreamworks’ latest family adventure, the company behind Shrek and Bee Movie and other wittily sardonic CGI fantasies. Kung Fu Panda is set in a Disney version of turn of the century China, with residents and shopkeepers replaced by talking pigs and bunny rabbits. Po, for some inexplicable reason, is a panda - overweight, downtrodden and directionless, yet hopelessly optimistic and passionate about kung fu. He daydreams about leaving his ostrich father’s noodle shop and meeting the Furious Five – a crack team of highly trained fighters encompassing all of the five main Chinese animal styles: mantis, snake, tiger, crane and monkey. To broaden the delightful fantasy even further, their master is a fox (called ‘Shifu’, meaning ‘master’) and his master is Oogway – meaning ‘tortoise’.

When it is announced that Oogway will choose the new Dragon Warrior, Po straps a rocket to a chair to scale the city walls to catch a glimpse of the new recruit. He summarily gatecrashes the main event, only for Oogway to announce that Po will be the next Dragon Warrior - much to the bizarre discomfort of the townspeople, the Furious Five and Master Shifu. But when news reaches Shifu that the lethal kung fu renegade Tai Lung (a snow leopard) has escaped from his epic fortifications deep within the bowls of China’s most obsessively secure prison, there is no alternative but to follow Oogway’s prophecy and teach Po the deadly secrets of kung fu.

This involves acquiring the much coveted Dragon Scroll which is said to harbour superhuman strength, for which Tai Lung is heading back to his old master’s dojo to steal. Shifu trains Po by using the only technique that motivates him – food. In a compelling scene, Shifu and Po wrestle over the last dumpling using chopsticks as weapons and rice bowls as shields. He soon gathers enough skills to satisfy his Furious Five contemporaries and face the scary Tai Lung in one final, ultimate showdown.

Kung Fu Panda is cult movie paradise, but it is also a wonderful crossbreed of genres. Firstly, we have a perfectly wholesome and accessable family cartoon - much in keeping with the pace and comedy of Shrek - with enough gags and one-liners to keep parents on their toes and plenty of exaggeration to have the kids howling in their seats. But where it really scores points is by transforming clichéd kung fu film traits into a more contemporary aesthetic while still creating a resonating impact on its audience. It is testament to the kung fu genre that everyone can share the same in-jokes and relate to the stock characters – the script may be sassy and sharp, but the attention to detail (in genre terms) is spotless.

The kung fu movie genre is notoriously easy to parody (see Kentucky Friend Movie, Wayne’s World 2, Kung Pow, Hot Shots Part Deux and so on), but Kung Fu Panda isn’t once shamelessly exploitative or crude in its approach. In fact, like the story itself, directors Osbourne and Stevenson tackle their subject with heartfelt affection – the slapstick scenes are straight from Jackie Chan’s late 70s output; the Furious Five and Shaolin elements are genre throwbacks to the Shaw Brothers films; while the story is particularly reminiscent of another family classic, Star Wars, itself a take on the Japanese Samurai novels often recreated by directors like Kurosawa. Kung fu cinema is the story of the underdog, and there is no simpler morality than a fight between good and evil, or the corrupting influence of power, or the quest for inner enlightenment. Kung Fu Panda deals with these moralities with enough life-affirming popcorn philosophy (much of which is lifted from both Confucian and Taoist beliefs) to leave the audience with a remarkably positive, feel good attitude.

But most of all, it is tremendous fun throughout. The training scenes are particularly exemplary, while the personification of each of the characters through their movements is spotless: Tigress is independent but impulsive; the fox, Master Shifu, is sly and cunning; the Monkey is playful while the Snow Leopard is quick and menacing. Purists will admire the nod to genuine Shaolin techniques, while the creative computer animation appears to be more spell binding with each passing blockbuster.

The martial arts lend themselves to animation very well and it is surprising that it has taken so long for a title like this to appear (aside from Hong Kong Phooey, the 2005 Chinese CGI film DragonBlade was probably the closest thing, and that was a tedious no-show). Given the complete freedom of expression that kung fu animation can offer, it is entirely plausible that the next generation of kung fu stars will be completely computer animated (like Keanu Reeves in the Matrix sequels). The days of Bruce Lee may finally be numbered and replaced by a lazy, cookie-eating panda called Po.

Regardless of what the future holds for the kung fu human, Dreamworks have really struck gold with this fine concept and now, with all the elements firmly in place, it will surely be a matter of time before we see Kung Fu Panda chopping up our screens again. It’s hardly original, but absolutely perfect in so many ways.