Kung Fu Panda

Don't let the plush paunch, gurgling tummy or the occasional comic aside fool you -- there's a restless dragon warrior just itching to break some heads in "Kung Fu Panda 2. " Po, still kicking and snacking and channeling Jack Black, believes he's the panda to do it. Master Shifu, who carries within him the wisdom of the ages and Dustin Hoffman's pipes, is not so sure. All of which makes for a lot of tension and boundary pushing in this frothy brothy, noodle-and-action-packed second chapter of the 2008 animated hit, "Kung Fu Panda," a rich vision of ancient China with warlords, Zen masters, old grudges and just a dash of modern day awesome.

DreamWorks Animation has a bunch of cavemen to thank for getting some fresh Wall Street love. Analysts responded positively to news that the Glendale studio had scored with its prehistoric feature "The Croods," which helped drive first-quarter profit to $5.6 million. The results sailed past Wall Street expectations. The unexpectedly good numbers coming from DreamWorks triggered investors to snap up the company's stock. After closing at $19.28 on Tuesday, shares climbed 7% in after-hours trading after the studio reported financial results.

"Kung Fu Panda" was one of those movies you had to see to believe. At least to believe it was any good. The concept — a bumbling out-of-shape Panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) finds himself living his dreams when fate decrees he join the Kung Fu elite of Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Crane (David Cross), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and Viper (Lucy Liu) and overseen by the diminutive but mighty Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) — seemed pretty silly, designed to sell stuffed panda dolls more than anything else.

DreamWorks Animation posted a nearly 40% drop in profit in the first quarter while revenue remained virtually flat. For the three months ended March 31, the Glendale studio posted net income of $5.6 million, or 7 cents a share, on revenue of $135 million. That compared with net income of $9.1 million, or 11 cents a share, and revenue of $136.1 million during the same period a year earlier, the company said in a statement. Still, despite the decline in profits the company's results exceeded what industry analysts had projected.

"What if Akira Kurosawa made a 'Looney Tunes'?" That, says "Kung Fu Panda" producer Melissa Cobb, was co-director John Stevenson's approach to the Oscar-submitted animated movie. "We wanted to shoot it in Cinemascope; we wanted the grandeur. We wanted to let the physical comedy get pretty broad, but it was a fine line to walk there . . . to also honor the complexity of kung fu and the beauty of China."

Forty years ago, the cinematic landscape was undergoing a seismic shift. Young Turk filmmakers such as George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and Terrence Malick were exploring unique and challenging themes. The black exploitation film was not only thriving but also enjoying crossover appeal. But probably no one in Hollywood was prepared for the martial arts mania that erupted the summer of 1973 when Warner Bros. released the kung fu epic "Enter the Dragon," starring the legendary Bruce Lee, who died at 32 shortly before the U.S opening.

A slovenly panda gave DreamWorks Animation SKG better-than-expected third-quarter results Tuesday, but couldn't overcome the monstrous revenue delivered a year earlier by a green ogre. Driven by the worldwide box office of "Kung Fu Panda," DreamWorks Animation reported net income of $37.4 million, or 41 cents a share, down 21% from the same quarter a year earlier, when it released "Shrek the Third." Revenue fell 6% to $151.5 million.

The unexpected contrast in the title can help sell a movie. Take "Mr. Mom," "Bad Santa" or "Urban Cowboy." Each of those titles grabs attention by setting up a contradiction. DreamWorks Animation SKG and distributor Paramount Pictures hope that kind of juxtaposition will work with "Kung Fu Panda," opening today at 4,114 theaters.

DreamWorks Animation has become the second Hollywood studio to enter into a distribution agreement with China's top online video site, Youku.com. Youku said Monday that it had signed a deal with the Glendale animation studio to distribute the "Kung Fu Panda" movies in China, marking the first time that DreamWorks releases have been made available in that country through the Internet. Both of the previously released "Kung Fu Panda" films, which were hugely popular in China, will be immediately available on Youku's premium on-demand service for less than $1. The movies will subsequently be available for free viewing on Youku's Hollywood Movie Channel.

Soon after his freshman year at what was then the West Surrey College of Art and Design, James Baxter abandoned his studies to frame someone for murder. Luckily, that someone was Roger Rabbit. "It was the sort of thing that doesn't come up very often, movies like that in London," says Baxter of his first feature, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." "Me and just a bunch of friends ran over to the studio and said, 'Please look at our student films!' They gave us a job doing in-betweens.

Filmmakers doing business in China are often advised to avoid the three Ts, as in Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen Square. But that warning doesn't apply if you happen to be Jeffrey Katzenberg, the animation mogul who has been at the forefront of Hollywood's push into China. The chief executive of DreamWorks Animation was in Beijing on Friday to attend a news conference announcing a China film project called "Tibet Code," an adventure movie based on a popular Chinese book series set in ninth-century Tibet.

Forty years ago, the cinematic landscape was undergoing a seismic shift. Young Turk filmmakers such as George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and Terrence Malick were exploring unique and challenging themes. The black exploitation film was not only thriving but also enjoying crossover appeal. But probably no one in Hollywood was prepared for the martial arts mania that erupted the summer of 1973 when Warner Bros. released the kung fu epic "Enter the Dragon," starring the legendary Bruce Lee, who died at 32 shortly before the U.S opening.

DreamWorks Animation SKG said it would take an $87-million charge on last year's holiday movie "Rise of the Guardians," marking the largest write-down the studio has ever taken for one of its own movies. Analysts had estimated that the studio would take a write-down of from $70 million to nearly $100 million on the film, which represented a rare box-office misfire for DreamWorks, creator of the popular "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar" films. "Rise of the Guardians," which cost about $145 million to make, has generated $302 million in global box-office ticket sales since its debut in late November, well short of a typical DreamWorks Animation movie.

DreamWorks Animation SKG is licensing its movie characters for various theme parks being developed in Russia, an increasingly important market for the Glendale-based studio. The creator of the "Shrek," "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" franchises said it had signed a licensing agreement with Regions Group of Companies, which is developing what is billed as Europe's largest indoor theme parks. Regions says it's the fourth-largest retail property owner in Russia. The parks, scheduled to open in 2015, would be located in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Yekaterinburg and include various attractions based on DreamWorks characters.

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the Glendale-based entertainment company led by Hollywood film veteran Jeffrey Katzenberg, is expected to lay off up to 20% of its 2,200-employee workforce, following a decision to shelve production of the movie "Me and My Shadow. " The animation industry giant, home of the animated "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar" films, also said it was changing the release date for its movie "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" from Nov. 1 to March 7, 2014, at the recommendation of its new distributor, 20th Century Fox. As a result of the decision, "Me and My Shadow," which had been scheduled for release in March 2014, will suspend production and go back into development.

Hollywood studios aren't known as easy places to work. But DreamWorks Animation once again has made Fortune magazine's list of the 100 best employers. The Glendale studio behind the "Shrek," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Madagascar" movies ranked 12th in the 2013 list, just above Quicken Loans (which ranked 13th) and semiconductor company Qualcomm (11th). Google once again was ranked No. 1. DreamWorks, with 2,350 employees, was the only Hollywood studio to make the list, which will be released Thursday.

The FX channel is going to be the TV destination for "Monsters vs. Aliens," "Kung Fu Panda" and other DreamWorks animated movies. FX struck a licensing agreement with DreamWorks Animation SKG distributor Paramount Pictures that gives the cable channel the TV rights to releases from 2008 to 2012. Also included in the deal are "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," "Shrek Goes Fourth" and the sequel to "Kung Fu Panda."

Filmmakers doing business in China are often advised to avoid the three Ts, as in Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen Square. But that warning doesn't apply if you happen to be Jeffrey Katzenberg, the animation mogul who has been at the forefront of Hollywood's push into China. The chief executive of DreamWorks Animation was in Beijing on Friday to attend a news conference announcing a China film project called "Tibet Code," an adventure movie based on a popular Chinese book series set in ninth-century Tibet.

After the coffee. Before stopping this cold before it gets started. The Skinny: My voice is hoarse from yelling during Sunday's Redskins game. Fortunately it was worth it. Monday's headlines include a recap of the weekend box office, a look at the marriage between college sports and cable TV, and an appreciation of singer Jenni Rivera. Daily Dose: Bounce TV, a broadcast network aimed at African American viewers, has struck a deal with Univision to be distributed on several of the Spanish-language broadcaster's digital channels.