“There is No Secret Ingredient”: The Philosophy of Kung Fu Panda
April 22, 2025
Writer: Valeria Mota
Editor: Victoria Pescod
If there is one way you can define me, it’s as a lover of stories. I love how stories bring out emotions, community, and discoveries in a wide variety of art forms. I am an avid consumer of all types of media, including movies. I am obsessed with film as a form of artistic, emotional, social expression and interpretation of the world that surrounds us.
There’s one particular movie that I grew up watching and still love to this day. the importance of this movie for animation, philosophy, and most of all, self-confidence. That movie is Kung Fu Panda.
I could praise the cinematic aspects of the film all day, like its impeccable screenplay, amazing comedic timing, and perfect casting. But unless you’re a film buff, those words probably don’t mean much to you. Instead of discussing what makes the film technically great, I want to talk about what makes Kung Fu Panda timeless: its accessible interpretation of potential, confidence, and life.
And of course, before you read on: spoilers for Kung Fu Panda ahead.
The film follows Po, an unathletic kung fu enthusiast who’s chosen as the Dragon Warrior, destined to unlock the power of the mysterious Dragon Scroll. To protect the village from the vengeful Tai Lung, Po must discover the scroll’s secret—one that turns out to be more about self-understanding than physical strength.
The film follows Po, an unathletic and kung-fu loving panda, is unexpectedly selected as the Dragon Warrior, the only one who can unlock the limitless power of the Dragon Scroll. As the strict Master Shifu struggles to train Po, the villainous Tai Lung plans to take the Dragon Scroll by force. To save the village from Tai Lung, Po must first understand the Dragon Scroll.
Kung Fu Panda embeds two contrasting Chinese philosophies through two characters. Master Shifu, Po’s uptight teacher, represents Confucianism, emphasizing discipline, hierarchy and structure. Master Oogway, Shifu’s long-time mentor, embodies taoism, the philosophical tradition of learning the “way” or “tao” of the universe and adapting to its rhythm.
The contrast between Shifu and Oogway’s philosophies come to a head in the movie’s memorable peach tree scene. Shifu is panicking that Tai Lung is coming to the village, but Oogway encourages him to let go of “the illusion of control.” Shifu, angry at his master, does not understand how Po could possibly defeat someone as powerful as Tai Lung. Oogway uses a peach tree as a metaphor for Po: “No matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.” With this metaphor, Oogway illustrates that Po can defeat Tai Lung only if Shifu is willing to guide and believe in him, and Shifu decides to teach Po to embrace his traits instead of changing them.
Once Shifu’s outlook on Po shifts, Po begins to thrive, and Shifu finally lets him read the enigmatic Dragon Scroll. But everyone is shocked to see that the scroll is blank—it’s only a reflective gold piece of paper. Naturally, Po feels defeated, but his father, a small goose who makes noodles for a living, tries to cheer up his son by telling Po the secret ingredient to his famous “secret ingredient soup”: Nothing.
Po can’t believe this, but his dad’s simple explanation gives Po the strength to defeat Tai Lung in the film’s climax: “To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.” With that, Po pulls out the blank Dragon Scroll. He looks at it and realizes that it’s not entirely blank—the reflective gold paper provides a reflection of him, and finally, Po realizes that there’s no secret ingredient to kung fu, power, and confidence—it’s all within you already.
Kung Fu Panda’s endlessly entertaining plot packs heavy philosophical discussions while simultaneously being accessible to all ages. By drawing inspiration from ancient Chinese beliefs, the movie teaches valuable lessons to children while serving as a reminder of them for adults. Even after so many rewatches, the movie still reinvigorates my love for movies and stories. Add all the movie’s cinematic elements to this, and Kung Fu Panda ends up being a timeless film.
Learning to let go of control and believe the universe will set you on the right path will allow you
to become what you are meant to be, Dragon Warrior or otherwise. Working with yourself instead of against yourself, embracing what makes you unique instead of forcing yourself to fit external expectations, will also let you bloom into the powerful peach tree you are, even if others want to you to grow apples or oranges. But most importantly, you are already as capable as you want to be, but you have to believe that you are. The way to being the best you is just that—being you, just you. After all, there is no secret ingredient.
