About Krzysiu the bear and the little panda – review of the film “Panda i banda”

Things are different with teddy bears. Their willingness to cooperate depends on their mood. Moreover, they don’t like change. But when Christopher Robin has to look after a baby orphan panda, he takes responsibility on his shoulders. And that’s what the story is about.

Production: Russia + USA

In the media there are advertisements for the animation Panda i gang ( Bolshoys puteszestwije ), which is described as a new idea of ​​the screenwriter Billy Frolick, the creator of Madagascar. The Russian fairy tale, however, has little to do with the American production of DreamWorks. It is not only about the budget that has been allocated to animation, but also the artistic concept. Natalya Nilova, responsible for directing, has prepared a potentially interesting story for the youngest. Unfortunately, there is too much inspiration in the production, among others different children’s films. An attentive viewer will surely notice references to the Ice Age , The Wizard of Oz , Season of the Bear or comedyThree men and a child . Panda and gang are a mixture of several films, which has a huge (negative) impact on the shape of the production. This fairy tale is the first (and hopefully last) animation this year that every adult should bring a pillow for. Krzyś the bear generates the need for sleep.

Playing with translation

Krzysztof the bear lives in Russia and leads a quiet life. As a result of unfortunate coincidences, a baby panda enters his home. The newborn is dropped off by a crazy stork courier who, in times of stress, exclaims: “Mother Boćka!”. In order to save the baby, Krzyś has to deliver him to a family living in China. A rabbit comes to the rescue, who can easily imagine this cooperation. As he jokes, he and Krzyś will be like Rysio and Klan (sic!), Asterix and Obelix, Dolce and Gabbana. During the adventure, the heroes will also meet the cowardly wolf, the bird-mitoman and the tiger-poet, who have ways to calm the panda. Together, they must cross a huge desert and do whatever it takes to prevent the baby panda from crying. The antagonist of the python is also a threat.

Cultural references

In the animation you can find many elements characteristic of the modern world. When the rabbit falls over, one of the heroes asks: “What are you Ronaldo?” This is a cultural reference to Christiano Ronaldo, a famous footballer whose some falls have been called into question by fans. The animation also features the Battle of Grunwald, King Maciuś, Lady with an Ermine or bird flu. Additionally, one of the characters exclaims the slogan: “Who swims with the hare, always gets hit”, which is supposed to generate the audience’s amusement. Częstochowa rhymes and jokes, however, cannot be positively received by the audience, because… they are not amusing. It is also worth noting that none of the heroes of Panda and the gangit has no more than one feature, and moreover, they do not develop in any particular direction. The soundtrack consists of several famous songs, incl. Bobby McFerrin and Boney M, but they do not necessarily fit into the overall picture of the animation.

It can not be worse?

Some scenes in the production look like those shot with a GoPro camera. Unfortunately, the movie is made inadequately. Additionally, the plot itself and the form of the bloodthirsty python are not convincing enough. Miś Krzyś is also a non-specific hero who has two faces, depending on the situation. But the most important thing is the punch line – a bear, as a non-biological father, can also receive … 500+. According to the rabbit, two children give 100% confidence in the benefit.

We would like to thank Cinema City for the opportunity to see the movie Panda i gang .