Outline of the First Term Paper

Film of Choice - Kung Fu Panda

Thesis - The universe of Kung Fu Panda runs on physics that - although similar to the physics of reality - runs with different laws/levels of force, bounce, and heat resistance.

Body Paragraphs -

Hypothesis 1 -  In the world of Kung Fu Panda, the physics of force (mass x acceleration) is generally more powerful than it is in the real world

→ Evidence 1: In the Kung Fu Panda universe, roughly 15 fireworks rockets attached to a chair provide enough thrust to propel Po several yards into the air. In our universe, Po the Panda would weigh about 250 pounds. Furthermore, as shown in the MythBusters episode “Ming Dynasty Astronaut”, small rockets attached to a chair - without a 250 pound panda - cannot generate enough thrust (force) to achieve liftoff.

→ Evidence 2: At the end of the movie, Po uses an advanced kung fu technique on Tai Lung. The kung fu technique - called the “Wuxi Finger Hold” - involves clutching the opponent’s finger in one-hand in such a way that the attacker’s flexing of a single finger in their own own hand can brutally hurt the opponent’s whole body. After Po successfully uses this technique on Tai Lung, the force of impact is so great that a large gust of wind sweeps across the entire Valley of Peace. No kung fu technique can create a gust of wind that powerful.

→ Counter-evidence: However, the impressive physics of force in Kung Fu Panda is contradicted by the fact that Po does not sustain any visible injuries nor feel any substantial pain upon falling down from his fireworks rocket liftoff. The force of impact that Po feels upon hitting the hard stone floor of the Jade Palace fighting grounds should have - at the very least - broken some of his bones.

Hypothesis 2 - The animals of Kung Fu Panda have the bounce properties of a rubber ball

→ Evidence 1: After failing a fighting test from Master Shifu, Po is kicked

out of the Jade Palace and literally bounces down the stairs. Po’s friend Mantis even makes a joking aside that Po will not stop bouncing. This establishes that - in the world of Kung Fu Panda - the phenomenon of bouncing down a large flight of stairs is not physically improbable.

→ Evidence 2: In the film’s climactic final battle, both Po and Tai Lung bounce like

rubber balls down the Valley of Peace

Hypothesis 3 - The animals of Kung Fu Panda are resilient to extremely high changes in temperature.

→ Evidence 1: Shortly after Po is chosen as the “Dragon Warrior” by Master Oogway,

Master Shifu attempts to scare Po out of the Jade Palace by putting him through tortuous training exercises. In this training exercise, Po receives third degree burns due to a delayed reaction on what can be described as a stack of automated mini-flamethrowers positioned upwards. Despite being burned to the point that his face and body are striped black with ashes, Po is still capable of slow, controlled movements. His eyeballs manage to avoid any of the damage that the rest of his face received from the flames, and Po generally acts as though he is exhausted from running three miles rather than as though he was brutally burned by very active fires. Furthermore, the Furious Five and Master Shifu have deadpan reactions to this display, confirming that this level of resistance to extremely high changes in temperature is nothing unusual in their world.

→ Evidence 2: In Shifu’s final fight of the film, he takes on his former student Tai Lung.

In this fight, Tai Lung sets his fists on fire with blue flames - blue flames being

significantly hotter than red flames - and proceeds to use his fists to pummel his former master. Although Shifu - a flammable red panda - is physically hurt by this attack, he does not sustain the extremely high level of pain that burn victims in the real world would get when forcefully smothered with blue fire. Furthermore, Tai Lung - a flammable snow leopard - does not appear to sustain any injuries nor feel any of the pain that he would feel in the real world after encasing his fists in blue fire.

Conclusion -

• Although Kung Fu Panda’s physics are similar enough to reality that it does not break the audience’s suspension of disbelief, there are differences between its physics compared to our own.
• These differences work well for a universe that emphasizes kung fu fighting, perseverance, and comedy.