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Betty Armstrong
Mrs. Petty
22 February 2015
ENG 101
Heros Journey - Kung Fu Panda
Po is a panda who is raised by goose, Mr. Ping, whom he calls his
father. He has always dreamed of becoming a kung-fu master. Po is the only
Panda who lives in his village and often feels out of place and that he does
not belong there. Po works as a waiter at his fathers Noodle restaurant. He is
overweight and kind of sloppy, but he is as loveable as they come. Po lives in
a village that is threatened by a villain who is due to return after being kicked
out. Po in Kung Fu Panda follows Joseph Campbells monomyth of the hero by
separation from working in his fathers noodle shop to becoming a kung fu
Dragon Warrior, initiation/fulfillment in a Kung Fu Warrior with training and
dedication and finally returning to his Mundane World where he believes in
himself.
Po is called to the adventure of becoming the next Dragon Warrior after
being chosen by Master Oogway at the temple. This will cause Po to separate
himself from his everyday life as a waiter in his fathers noodle shop and this
is also labeled as the first stage states Joseph Campbell. Although it had
always been Pos dream to become a Dragon Warrior, he did not expect to be
the chosen one. Pos dream was quickly turning into reality for him. Po will
be introduced into a completely different world and Campbell describes a

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new world as, fateful region of both treasure and dangera distant land, a
forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a
secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream statea place of
strangely fluid and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments,
superhuman deeds, and impossible delight (p53). After Pos calling he was
beyond thrilled, but soon found himself discouraged after Master Shifu and
the Furious Five refused to train him. Because they declined to train Po he
took into consideration of leaving his adventure. Due to that scene in Kung
Fu Panda, Po questioned if he was chosen by accident. Master Oogway
influenced Po and convinced the Furious Five and Master Shifu when he says,
there is no accident, all you have to do is believe. Campbell stated, One
has only to know and trust, and the ageless guardians will appear. (p66)
With that being said, Master Shifu and the Five gives Po a chance and acts as
his supernatural aid as he trains in kung fu and learning the right skills to
become a warrior. Po crosses the threshold by pushing himself extra hard to
prepare for the battle that was due to come towards the village and him. He
does not give up easy and gives it all he has. Master Shifu and the Five acted
as the belly of the whale when they dominated Po during his challenge to see
if he was ready. They chewed Po up and spat him out, but through it all Po
did not give up and said that he will never quit.
Po faces the initiation stage after the departure. Every hero has goes
through trials and tribulations and Po encounters many of them. Po had to
earn respect from Master Shifu and The Furious Five before they became his

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allies. Master Oogway inspired Po with his words of encouragement when he

said, Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift and that is
why its called the present. Po uses Oogaways words whenever he feels like
giving up. Po may not be the one to give up, but he is always tempted.
Tigress plays as woman of the temptness in Kung Fu Panda when she told Po
that he did not belong to the palace and if he had any respect he would
leave. Tigress completed insulted Po and also said that he was not good
enough to be a kung fu fighter. In The Hero with a Thousands faces,
Campbell states, the seeker of the life beyond life must press beyond her,
surpass the temptations of her call, and soar to the immaculate either
beyond (p112).
In view of the temptation Po grew hurt and upset. He met up with Mr.
Ping, initiating the Atonement with The Father stage. There comes a time
when you have to set aside feelings to get the job done. Through all the
unhappiness, Pos father uplifts him by explaining to him that there is no
secret to the ingredients when it comes to the noodles he make. Mr. Ping
said, If you want something to be special, it will be, because people would
want it to be special also. Po gained faith in himself after speaking with his
father. Next, Master Shifu notices that Po was stressed out and ate a lot of
fruit nonstop. Shifu acts as the Apotheosis and uses Po eating disorder to his
advantaged when completing the training with Po. The final stage of
initiation in the Kung Fu film is when Po gains more skills about kung fu. The

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Ultimate Boon is when Po learns that the power is within yourself and all you
have to do is believe.
The refusal of the return is the first stage in the final monomyth
structure. This stage is portrayed when Po finds out that Tai Lung escaped
prison and was headed towards his village. With the go ahead from Mr. Ping
Po refused to return home without facing Tai Lung before he got to the
village. The magical flight occurred during the scene where Tai Lung was
defeating Po because he was letting the secret scroll take over his head.
Once Po remember that there was nothing secret about the scroll, yet the
power within him, he was able to conquest Tai Lung. With that being said, the
rescue from without took place after Po replayed his dads words in his head.
Po could have ran away or backed down to Tai Lung, but he didnt and
instead stuck it out and came out victorious. Po returned to the village as the
Kung Fu Warrior after he used everything that he learned from Master Shifu
and the Furious Five. While entering the village, Po received respect from
everyone after they all doubted him. Tigress and the Furious Five even
bowed down and showed respect to their new Warrior. For instance,
Campbell states, the hero is the champion of things becoming, not of things
become, because he is (p223). At that point in the film Po was accepted in
both worlds. The village is now worry-free and has the freedom to live. Shifu
states, Im simply at peace finally.

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Every hero has to overcome obstacles in order to finish their journey. Through Po
challenges he discovered that the true power comes from within you. Po is more confident and
now believes in himself.

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Work Cited
Stevenson, John, Mark Osborne, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Ethan Reiff, Cyrus
Voris, Jonathan
Aibel, and Glenn Berger. Kung Fu Panda. Italia: Dreamworks, 2008.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, N.J: Princeton
University Press,
1972. Print.