Kung Fu Shark is a 2009 Hong Kong-Chinese-Canadian-Australian-American computer-animated live action flash animated martial arts gangster comedy science fiction horror spy action epic fantasy CGI film produced by Dimension Films, Lionsgate, Twisted Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, Walden Media, Revolution Studios and Troublemaker Studios and distributed by Miramax Films.
Plot[]
In the Valley of Peace, a land in ancient China inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, a shark Lenny is a kung fu fanatic who idolizes the Furious Ten – Rainbow Dash, Master Shake, Frylock, Meatwad, Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, Twilight Sparkle and Cale Tucker – a quintet of kung fu students trained by the human Aaron Eshenbaugh/El Lightning Storm Macho at the Jade Palace. As he helps his adoptive raccoon father Rocket in his noodle restaurant, Lenny is unable to pursue his dream of becoming a kung fu master himself.
Ben, an blown cow and Aaron's mentor, has a vision that Aaron's former student, the evil human Charles Muntz, will escape from prison and return to the Valley of Peace to take revenge. Aaron starts panicking and sends his messenger, Dug the dog, with a request for the prison to heighten security in order to prevent Charles Muntz's escape. He then holds a kung fu tournament for the Furious Ten so that Ben may identify the Dragon Warrior, the one kung fu master worthy of receiving the Dragon Scroll, which is said to hold the secret to limitless power and be capable of defeating Charles Muntz. Lenny arrives as the arena doors close and is unable to enter. Desperate to see the Dragon Warrior chosen, Lenny straps himself to a set of fireworks, rockets into the sky, and crashes into the middle of the arena. He opens his eyes to see Ben pointing his finger at him, and to the shock of everyone present (and Lenny's huge surprise), Ben proclaims Lenny as the Dragon Warrior.
Unwilling to accept that Ben's decision was intentional, Aaron tries to make Lenny quit through a torturous and agonizing training regime coupled with constant ridicule of his physique and personality. The Furious Ten also recognize Lenny as simply a low-life kung fu enthusiast with no prerequisite or potential in the martial art. Lenny considers quitting, but after receiving encouragement from Ben, he endures his training and slowly begins to befriend the Ten with his tenacity, culinary skill, resilience, and good humor, though Rainbow Dash remains reluctant and hesitant to embrace him as the Dragon Warrior. Rainbow Dash reveals to Lenny that long ago Aaron found the infant Charles Muntz on the steps of the palace and raised him as his son and taught him kung fu. When Ben refused to give Charles Muntz the Dragon Scroll he attacked the valley and tried to take the scroll by force. Ben stopped him, but Aaron, filled with guilt and sorrow over his son's betrayal, became cold and distant to his later students. Meanwhile, Charles Muntz escapes from prison as foreseen by Ben, ironically picking his locks with one of Dug's fallen feathers. Aaron learns of Charles Muntz's escape from Dug and informs Ben, who extracts a promise from Aaron to believe in Lenny, and then passes on to the heavens in a stream of peach blossoms. Still unable to grasp the basics of kung fu, Lenny despairingly admits that he has no chance of defeating Charles Muntz. Aaron, however, discovers that Lenny is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food, and using this as positive reinforcement, he successfully trains Lenny to incorporate these feats into an effective kung fu style.
Meanwhile, the Furious Ten set out to stop Charles Muntz themselves, only to be overwhelmed and defeated by his nerve strikes. Following their return, Aaron decides that Lenny is ready to receive the Dragon Scroll, but the scroll reveals nothing but a blank reflective surface. Unable to understand the message of the scroll, Aaron orders Lenny and the Ten to evacuate the valley while he holds off Charles Muntz, accepting that this will most likely cost him his life. As Charles Muntz arrives and fights Aaron, the distraught Lenny finds Rocket who, in an attempt to console him, reveals that the long-withheld secret ingredient to his famous "secret ingredient soup" is "nothing", explaining that "to make something special you just have to believe it is". Lenny realizes that this is the message of the Dragon Scroll, and goes back to confront Charles Muntz.
Lenny becomes a formidable challenge for Charles Muntz, frustrating him with confusing fighting techniques on top of a physique that renders him immune to Charles Muntz's nerve strikes. Charles Muntz momentarily bests Lenny and retrieves the scroll, but is unable to understand its symbolic meaning. When Lenny explains to Charles Muntz that the true secret to become the Dragon Warrior is to just believe in yourself, he refuses to accept it and continues attacking Lenny. Eventually, Lenny defeats Charles Muntz in combat before using the mysterious Wuxi Finger Hold to vanquish him. Po is praised by the Valley of Peace and earns the respect of the Furious Ten, who fully acknowledge him as a true kung fu master. Lenny then finds Aaron, who finally attains inner peace with the valley safe once more.
Cast[]
- Jack Black as Lenny
- Nicolas Cage as Aaron Eshenbaugh/El Lightning Storm Macho
- Sam Elliott as Ben
- Christopher Plummer as Charles Muntz, main villain.
- Ashleigh Ball as Rainbow Dash, Lenny's friend.
- Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle
- Dana Snyder as Master Shake
- Carey Means as Frylock
- Dave Willis as Meatwad
- Trey Parker as Eric Cartman
- Trey Parker as Stan Marsh
- Mike Judge as Kenny McCormick
- Matt Stone as Kyle Broflovski
- Matt Damon as Cale Tucker
- Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lenny's uncle.
- Bob Peterson as Dug
- Steve Martin as Captain Smek