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HANCOCK may think it has this week sewn up in terms of box office returns.

But having seen both it and the competition, Kung Fu Panda, I recommend that you opt for the latter, because, while Hancock is a disappointment, Kung Fu Panda absolutely is not.

It's the finest film to date from Dreamworks Animation, and yes, I do mean better than Shrek.

They've worked out where they went wrong in disappointments like Shark Tale, finally honing a piece of work which will stand the test of time, able to be watched in decades to come. There is no extraneous contemporary pop culture referencing, no reliance on songs, and no surplus-to-requirements silliness.

Instead, we have a classic "follow your dreams" plotline, beautifully designed characters, lots of laughs, and action to boot.

Of course, it wouldn't be what it was without its star voice performer, Jack Black, who adapts his normal schtick for the character of Po, a panda whose duck father wants him to take over the family noodle business.

But Po dreams instead of martial arts and the legendary Furious Five - Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Monkey and Viper - all of whom are being tutored by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to compete to become the dragon warrior, and achieve limitless power.

Po's disastrous accidental entry into the town square on the day the dragon warrior is selected leads to him being chosen by wise one Oogway. Can Po possibly become skilful enough to defeat the evil Tai Lung, a rebellious former student who has just escaped from prison after 20 years?

Black is completely and utterly loveable as the rather clueless but well meaning Po, matched by a brilliant Hoffman.

The whole production team researched for years, making sure that the martial arts they animated were correct and appropriate, and this attention to detail pays dividends in the many ingenious fight scenes. They're fun, fast and animated in a wonderful combination of standard and eastern technique, which lends Kung Fu Panda its own distinctive style.

It's a bit of a shock to note that TV's Lovejoy, aka Ian McShane, voices the baddie, but then he has established himself Stateside as the foul-mouthed star of Deadwood.

The rest of the famous voice cast are a bit pointless, given that many of them speak just a few lines, but it doesn't matter, given the double header of fabulousness from Jack and Dustin.

Mr Black applies his usual distinctive phraseology to great effect - "awesomeness" - and even Dustin seems to have been affected, speaking gems like, "We do not wash our pits in the pool of sacred tears".

The fact that its story is wholly populated by animals means that the usual pitfalls in trying to animate humans are completely avoided, and there's a beautiful score by Hans Zimmer to accompany it all.

Regardless of your age, this fantastic concoction will send you home from the flicks doing your best Bruce Lee impression. Hi-yah!

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