Heartwarming / Kung Fu Panda

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"I'm not hungry... master."

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• The scene with Po and Oogway at the peach tree is pretty touching. It starts with Po being mortified that he's eating peaches from a sacred tree and quickly spitting them out, apologizing for it. Oogway tells him that it's all right, then asks Po why he's upset. Realizing that there was no use lying to Oogway, the panda spills his heart out to the old master, revealing how the Furious Five hates him, that not even he believes he's the Dragon Warrior and wondering if he should run back to his old life. After this, Oogway gives him some inspirational advice about not letting the pain of the past or fear of the future affect him, punctuating it with a downright beautiful proverb, before marking his leave with a tap on the tree, knocking a peach into Po's hand. It's a small and simple act of compassion, but it's enough to convince Po that his dream of being a kung fu master is worth fighting for.
  Oogway: Quit, don't quit...noodles, don't noodles. You are too concerned with what was, and what will be! There's a saying, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present”.
  • Oogway is completely confident that Po landing in front of him during the ceremony was no accident and tries to assure Shifu of that till his end.
• The scenes of Tai Lung, when he was first being raised and trained by Shifu as a cub, were absolutely, undeniably adorable, enough to make a heart of stone melt. (Which only made Shifu's flashback to him leaping in the air for a hug, just before adult Tai Lung, lost to rage and insanity, was about to smash him to a pulp, all the more of a Mood Whiplash Tear Jerker.)
• After Po gets tossed down the stairs by Shifu, Tigress comments that "If [Po's] smart, he won't come back up those steps." Monkey responds by saying Po will, making him the first to acknowledge Po's unbeatable spirit. He's also the first member of the Five to actually call Po by his name.
• The dinner scene where the Furious Five, although still understandably resentful of being upstaged by Po at the choosing ceremony but have grown to respect his tenacity, all finally begin to befriend the affable panda. They also all start cracking up (except for Tigress) at his impersonation of Shifu.
  • Except for Tigress, who stoically eats her tiny plate of tofu. She doesn't really accept him until the very end of the movie, in which she is the first to respectfully bow and declare him a master of kung fu. She doesn't seem to have as much anger and resentment towards him as she did before though so she was at least able to tolerate him at that point. Getting beaten by Tai Lung also was a huge Break the Haughty moment.
    • The above is probably because she realized that she was wrong about Po and his motivations. Her initial assertion that he was a devil-may-care idiot who was incapable of taking kung fu seriously. Overhearing his argument with Shifu, where he reveals his crippling self-loathing, proved to her that this actually means everything to him, and that he saw being Shifu's student as his only real shot at being worthwhile in any capacity. Knowing her backstory, it turns out they're similar.
  • And she gives a genuine smile for the first time.
  • Po commenting his soup was nothing special compared to his dad’s, and the insistence of the Five in it being delicious, is a heartwarming moment not only for Po’s relationship with the Five, but also with his dad. The Five (except Tigress) congratulate his soup, saying he is an amazing cook, with him completely astonished by their praise. And no wonder, despite it being a completely unrelated matter to Kung Fu, it is the first time he is acknowledged by his heroes. And when he insisted that Mr. Ping’s soup is better, it’s not that he thinks his own soup is bad, he knows it tastes good, it’s just that for him there will never be a better soup than the one his old man prepares, period. No wonder this was used to foreshadow the secret behind the Dragon Scroll.
• After Oogway choses Po as the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five bow to Shifu and apologise for failing him. Shifu has none of it and proclaims that if Po hasn't left by morning he will have failed them. Stern Teacher he may be - with no hestitation when it comes to lambasting his students for their actual failings - but Shifu refuses to let his pupils take the blame for something that isn't their fault.
• A small one, but when Po punches the training dummy and is sent flying into the intense training ground, the Furious Five, yes even Tigress, all move in to help him, and only stop until Shifu ordered them not to. It goes to show that even at first that just want him gone, but are not fans of him getting hurt.
• Viper, on the other hand, hides any resentment on her part very well, being the only member of the Five to treat Po with unconditional kindness from the moment she met him, even showing concern for his well being when he's not on camera (a notable contrast to the rest of the Five making fun of him by then). She's the nicest to Po because, as the only one in her family born without venom or fangs, she knows exactly what being an outsider feels like.
  • During the Training from Hell session, she straight up apologizes and checks on Po after it was her turn to deliver him an inevitable Curbstomp Battle:
    Viper: [horrified] I'm sorry, brother, I thought you said you were ready.
  • Mantis begins to treat Po with respect for similar reasons.
    Mantis: Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean, look at me...
• When Tigress goes off to fight Tai Lung herself, and is followed by the other Furious Five. It just shows how close they are with each other. Even Tigress gives a rare genuine smile as well.
  Viper: Tigress!
  Tigress: Don't try to stop me!
  Viper: We're not trying to stop you.
  Tigress: What?
  Viper: We're coming with you!
  Monkey: *Thumbs up, smiling*''
  • Their close bond is shown during the battle. Not only their coordination is perfect, but when they always look out for each other. Notice how Crane and Viper go help Tigress only after Monkey tells them to, and when Viper calls Monkey for help when Tai Lung has her in a choke hold, he waits for Mantis to say he can hold up the bridge by himself before going.
• Shifu leads Po to the Sacred Pool of Tears. Remember, until the previous night, Shifu largely treated Po as an intruder who had no place in his world. Now at that moment, Po realizes that the master has just led him to the holiest place of all of kung fu tradition with the red panda asking "Do you want to learn kung fu?" When Po answers "Yeah!" with all his heart, you can't help but tear up with Po when Shifu responds, "Then I AM your... master!" to show that he knows that the Panda is not a worthless failure, but someone whom that teacher has faith in at long last. But what Shifu says immediately after this is kinda funny.
  Shifu: (deadpan) Don't cry.
  Po: Okay. (sniff)
  • Perhaps even more poignant than Shifu's offer, is his wording of it. Shifu isn't asking Po if he's the Dragon Warrior; He's confirming that Po has what it takes to learn Kung-Fu and that he will teach him IF he is willing to try, which is what Po has always wanted.
  • Just how big of a moment it is for Po to be at that location. As a huge fan of Martial Arts, to the point that even Shifu was impressed that Po knew what the Wuxi-Fingerhold was the instant he placed it on him, to be at the place where it all started. It's like the biggest art historian visiting the Sistine Chapel or seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. To say nothing that Shifu chose here to start Po's training.
  • And that all pays off when Shifu and Po fight over the dumpling, midway through, Shifu pauses with a look of wonder at Po moving like he was trained to fight all his life and realizes that the giant panda is the Dragon Warrior after all.
    • More important is that Shifu is smiling, with brief bits of laughter, while fighting over the dumpling. He's rediscovered the joy of teaching martial arts.
• "I'm not hungry." Followed by Shifu and Po bowing to each other. You can see on Shifu's face that he finally believes Po can be The Dragon Warrior.
  • On a subtler level, the fact that the movie doesn't make food itself Po's problem. The movie makes it very clear that his problem isn't eating in general, but stress-eating. After finishing his training and getting some confidence, he gets a healthier relationship with food, but he doesn't stop being a Big Eater. It's a nice touch.
  • Leading up to this, the moment when Shifu finally realizes that Po really does have potential to learn kung fu and possibly even stand up to Tai Lung. Upon seeing that Po managed to overturn the entire kitchen- including areas that by all accounts he shouldn't have been able to reach- Shifu stares in momentary confusion, then attempts to test his suspicions by revealing that Monkey hides his almond cookies on the top shelf. He ducks behind the door for a moment, and when he returns just a couple seconds later, Po has clambered up to the top shelf and is eating the cookies while hanging in a perfect split. Shifu points this out to the panda, and if you watch his face, you can practically see the moment that hope finally returns to him after his Darkest Hour.
    Shifu: (in response to Po's claims that he just wanted a cookie) And yet you are ten feet off the ground... and have done a perfect split!
    Po: No, this? This is just an... accident...
    (Po tumbles to the floor; the cookie rolls over to Shifu, who picks it up and looks at it, clearly realizing the implications)
    Shifu: ...there are no accidents.
• Master Shifu smiles and laughs during the dumpling fight. One has the feeling he hasn't enjoyed himself in a long time, likely since Tai Lung turned evil.
  • The last time was during Tai Lung's training. You'll notice he's much more dour with Tigress during her training, and his nitpicky criticism of the Five during their ambush training.
• On their way back from training, you can see that Po and Shifu have developed a nice friendly Teacher/Student relationship by now, with them having a good laugh at each other's expense. You can tell, deep down, this was something Po had always dream of having. He wasn't just a fan of Master Shifu anymore, he was his friend now.
• In a way, Tai Lung pays the Furious Five a great compliment after crossing the Thread of Hope. Simply declaring that "Shifu taught you well."
• When Shifu declares that it's time for Po to take upon the Dragon Scroll.
  Po: You really believe I'm ready?
  Shifu: You are, Po.
  • Keeping in mind that this is the first time Shifu calls Po by name, instead of just "Panda."
• Despite Shifu's occasional annoyance at some of Oogway's more eccentric pieces of philosophy and activities, it's obvious that the red panda greatly respects his master and holds him in high esteem. Even after discovering that the Dragon Scroll only contains reflective paper, Shifu responds to Po's doubts by affirming with no hesitation that "Oogway was wiser than all of us" showing that despite everything, he still believed in the old tortoise. Even better, despite how important the scroll is regardless of it being blank, Shifu still gives it to Po to take with him during evacuation. While it's likely to keep Tai Lung away from it, it's also because Oogway chose him and he trust not only Oogway's judgement, but he trust Po with it as well.
• When Shifu decides to stay behind in the valley to take on Tai Lung, Po just stands there, seeming like he won't leave. Crane walks up, kindly puts a wing around the panda and leads him out, understanding his loyalty to Shifu. And when you remember the complete awkwardness during their first interaction, the compassion Crane demonstrates here shows that he has have come a long way in understanding Po.
• When the Five are evacuating the villagers, a little piglet is walking around Master Monkey's legs, obviously lost and confused. Monkey gently picks it up, holds it close, and says, "Come little one, let's find your mama." It's small, but it makes the warm and fuzzy feelings come in droves. Made even more so by watching Secrets Of The Furious Five, in which the five overcome various obstacles and Monkey's flaw is revealed to be a lack of compassion.
• The relationship between Po and Mr. Ping. They have a genuine loving relationship. The fact that Po is a panda and Mr. Ping is a goose is not even a reason to question that they are father and son. It's a joke in the movie but it's still touching.
  • Though Mr. Ping's first act in the film is to rudely awaken Po and demand he get to work, it's clear there's not malice or dismissiveness in it. He simply asks Po if he's feeling alright, and seems interested in hearing what his dream is about.
  • When Tai Lung invades the village and Po believes he is a failure, Mr. Ping tries his best to comfort Po, telling him he still has a chance with his noodle business.
  • Mr. Ping sharing the truth about the Secret Ingredient Soup may at first seem goofy, especially as Po had just expressed doubt about being his son, but he wouldn't have divulged such a valuable trade secret to just about anyone. This was his way of assuring Po of his love for him as a father.
• This is a movie with An Aesop about being yourself that actually pulls it off. The whole damn movie's basically one big CMOH.
  "To make something special, you just have to believe it's special."
  "There is no secret ingredient. It's just you."
• The Dragon Scroll is a CMOH as stated numerous times on this page. It's supposed to contain what makes you the Dragon Warrior, the greatest fighter to ever exist in a single scroll. When it's opened... It's blank. Reflective. Po realizes what this means later on after he learns that the Secret Ingredient soup doesn't really have any secret ingredient. It's you. YOU are the only person who can make yourself special. There's no special training, there's nothing you can do but be yourself. Only you can make yourself awesome and the sooner you realize that, the better.
• After most of the movie has tricked the audience into thinking there's no way Po could possibly beat Tai Lung, Po finally starts to believably defeat Tai Lung with methods that are a combination of Po's physique and Shifu's own teachings. The fact that the music during this moment is "happy action music" (rather than generic bombastic music) only adds to the heartwarmingness.
• It's a minor moment, but when Tai Lung sees that the Dragon Scroll has nothing but a reflective surface, Po says "It's okay, I didn't get it the first time either." The fact that, even after all the pain and destruction Tai Lung has caused, Po is still trying to reason with him, is very nice. Now that's an All-Loving Hero.
• Everyone in the village cheering for Po after defeating Tai Lung. Especially his father, who after spending the majority of his screen time trying to convince Po to drop his Kung Fu fantasies and take over his noodle shop, proudly declared "that big lovely kung fu warrior" as his son.
  • Even before he fully embraced his son's destiny as the Dragon Warrior, Mr. Ping was never harsh or mean in his assertions of Po taking over the noodle shop. He genuinely believes that Po can find the emotional satisfaction he's looking for in being a restaurateur, and is genuinely sad for Po when it seems like his kungfu aspirations have gone up in smoke. Even when he initially failed to rocket his way in to see the Dragon Warrior ceremony, Mr. Ping just sadly holds up the apron, clearly feeling sorry that Po didn't even get to see the Dragon Warrior.
• The end, when Shifu is finally at peace. He has been haunted for so long by what happened with Tai Lung, and now he is free from the pain of the past.
• The end credits are a series of these: Po showing the Dragon Scroll to the children of the Valley, Tigress doing her own impersonation of Shifu, which pans over to show Shifu laughing, Po getting an action figure of himself, and the last scene where Shifu and Po share their dumplings next to the sprouting peach tree that Oogway planted before leaving. It's all note-perfect.
  • Shifu may be a master, but Ping wipes the mat with him at Chinese Chess.
  • Po adding himself to his Furious Five action figures.
  • The music that plays with it, both the traditional Chinese music and the remake of "Kung Fu Fighting".
• A couple blink and you'll miss it to show that Tigress isn't always the tough stoic warrior that she seems to be. One is that she & the rest of the Furious was going to reach out and help Po get out of the obstacle course before Shifu stopped them. And another when Po's finishing move to defeat Tai Lung caused a huge gust of wind, we see Tigress holding a baby rabbit and she's holding it close to protect it.
• The fact that all animals, no matter how big or small, can be Kung Fu masters is heartwarming not just for this movie, but the entire franchise.
• The Stinger is cute. Po has finished his food, and wordlessly asks for more. Shifu tips some of his dumplings into Po's bowl. And the seed Shifu planted has begun to grow...