Kung Fu Panda Comparisons are Valid and Intended

[Rickarus]

This thread isn't meant as criticism of the similarities or to judge the value of the Pandaren to WoW. It's simply meant to point out how blatant the similarities are between the two and how these new Pandaren are far more similar to KFP than they are to the WC3 Brewmaster.

1. Pandaren reveal trailer

Here is a comparison of the Pandaren reveal and an international poster for Kung Fu Panda 2:
http://imgur.com/a/kF3gN

The only major difference in stance is that the left leg is back instead of forward. The sun is in the same location. The temple is on the right instead of directly behind, but uses the exact same coloring (which is far from the most common, especially for temples). The environment is likewise similar. Obviously it's not identical, that would mean lawsuits. But it's undeniably similar.

A company like Blizzard does not *accidentally* make a major product preview so similar to another major product preview of a similar theme. They have entire departments devoted to ensuring that does not happen. Unless you believe that Blizzard is utterly incompetent, you realize that - at the very least - they were aware (beforehand) how similar their reveal would be to KFP and decided to keep it that way.

2. Racial traits remove any doubt

Gourmand/Epicurean: Po loved food and ate in excess (which is the exact definition of Gourmand). He was also a cook. There's really no argument here. Blizzard did not pull those traits out of thin air and just happen to have them match KFP exactly while having nothing to do with the WC3 Brewmaster.

Inner Peace: Inner Peace plays a large, mentioned-by-name role in KFP, with Po told that if he finds it, it will lead to a drastic improvement in the speed of his training. Herp derp, rested exp. Again, exact reference to KFP, yet has absolutely nothing to do with the WC3 Pandaren Brewmaster. Unless you consider a drunken haze to be Inner Peace.

Bouncy: Some may have initially thought that this was some sort of reference to cuddly bears or something, but think back to how much bouncing around Po did and the actual source of the name becomes clear. This also has nothing to do with the hardy, drunken-brawling, never-falling WC3 Brewmaster.

---

Merely having a Panda-like creature in WC3 does not get Blizz off the hook for the similarities, especially not when the Pandaren revealed have much more in common with KFP than the WC3 Brewmaster. Again, this thread is not meant to be criticism of that fact, just to point out how the similarities are blatant, and too many + too exact to be coincidence. I don't know if it's a marketing tactic (pop culture reference = instant wider appeal) or if they were just looking for inspiration to flesh out the idea, but it's there and it's undeniable.

Please stop saying that the comparison isn't valid unless you can explain the above similarities without arguing that they are a series of big, logic-defying coincidences that Blizzard's legal and PR departments mysteriously missed.

Well as for Gourmand/Epicurean, Pandas are known for eating A LOT. Its pretty much all they do in real life.

As for Inner Peace, they're a race based off of ancient Asia, specifically the monks and martial arts masters, which is ENTIRELY about inner peace.

I'll give you bouncy, but knowing Blizzard humor, they easily could have decided on bouncy simply because when they finished creating the model, they thought, "man, he looks really bouncy."

I'm not saying they don't have similarities to Kung Fu Panda, just that they could have easily had other, more logical sources.

Also, there is a very good chance some, if not all, of these racials aren't finalized. I mean, Epicurean will be ridiculously overpowered, so unless they plan on changing all the other races up to similar levels, top guilds will be 80% panda.

Blizz is also known for poking fun at some of the more outrageous whiners on forums, so they could have easily CHOSEN to set up their reveal to come across looking like Kung Fu Panda simply because ever since the MoP trademark came out, people have been whining about how it was going to be all Kung Fu Panda.

I can easily see the racials changing around quite a bit before the actual release.

[Aisriyth]

Honestly, it all boils down to this Pandas + Martial Arts = Kung Fu Panda. Anything/anyone that says otherwise will be met with scorn, sadly. I can see how people draw similarities, but I honestly don't see how that makes it a bad thing that they are similar...

Basically, this.

That being said, Rarity is the best!

[AetherMcLoud]

In this thread: 2 different companies using the same tropes and OP thinking that the first one MADE those tropes which is wrong of course.

[Sand Person]

This thread isn't meant as criticism of the similarities or to judge the value of the Pandaren to WoW. It's simply meant to point out how blatant the similarities are between the two and how these new Pandaren are far more similar to KFP than they are to the WC3 Brewmaster.

1. Pandaren reveal trailer

Here is a comparison of the Pandaren reveal and an international poster for Kung Fu Panda 2:
http://imgur.com/a/kF3gN

The only major difference in stance is that the left leg is back instead of forward. The sun is in the same location. The temple is on the right instead of directly behind, but uses the exact same coloring (which is far from the most common, especially for temples). The environment is likewise similar. Obviously it's not identical, that would mean lawsuits. But it's undeniably similar.

A company like Blizzard does not *accidentally* make a major product preview so similar to another major product preview of a similar theme. They have entire departments devoted to ensuring that does not happen. Unless you believe that Blizzard is utterly incompetent, you realize that - at the very least - they were aware (beforehand) how similar their reveal would be to KFP and decided to keep it that way.

2. Racial traits remove any doubt

Gourmand/Epicurean: Po loved food and ate in excess (which is the exact definition of Gourmand). He was also a cook. There's really no argument here. Blizzard did not pull those traits out of thin air and just happen to have them match KFP exactly while having nothing to do with the WC3 Brewmaster.

Inner Peace: Inner Peace plays a large, mentioned-by-name role in KFP, with Po told that if he finds it, it will lead to a drastic improvement in the speed of his training. Herp derp, rested exp. Again, exact reference to KFP, yet has absolutely nothing to do with the WC3 Pandaren Brewmaster. Unless you consider a drunken haze to be Inner Peace.

Bouncy: Some may have initially thought that this was some sort of reference to cuddly bears or something, but think back to how much bouncing around Po did and the actual source of the name becomes clear. This also has nothing to do with the hardy, drunken-brawling, never-falling WC3 Brewmaster.

---

Merely having a Panda-like creature in WC3 does not get Blizz off the hook for the similarities, especially not when the Pandaren revealed have much more in common with KFP than the WC3 Brewmaster. Again, this thread is not meant to be criticism of that fact, just to point out how the similarities are blatant, and too many + too exact to be coincidence. I don't know if it's a marketing tactic (pop culture reference = instant wider appeal) or if they were just looking for inspiration to flesh out the idea, but it's there and it's undeniable.

Please stop saying that the comparison isn't valid unless you can explain the above similarities without arguing that they are a series of big, logic-defying coincidences that Blizzard's legal and PR departments mysteriously missed.

fact: pandas are in native to china
fact: china is home to kung fu
fact: pandas are bears and bears are round. to many of us out ther, round = bouncy
fact: round also translates to hungry to a lot of us
fact: inner peace is used though out the martial arts community for hundreds of years. writers did not come up with this for a kids movie in 2008.
fact: flying kicks in MOP reveal trailer and KFP movie poster has also been in martial arts for a while now. plus the KFP pose looks like so many kung fu movie posters since before most were even born.

coincidence that both KFP and MOP are alike?

think peoples before you say some ignorant shit like "blizz is copying KFP!"

[ZeroWashu]

and no one has bothered to wonder why the kung fu specialist of the world are on a turtle.... it would be much more fun if Horde got Turtles and Alliance got Pandas...

then we could really angst out

[Deleted]

Actually pandas are so stupid, that the only food they eat has so low nutritional value, that they have to eat SIXTEEN hours a day not to starve!

So yea, that's not a Kung Fu Panda reference either.

[thedronk]

it's an asian themed xpac! chinia has pandas, china has kung-fu!
If you were going to add an asian themed class, what would you add?
dragon warrior perhaps

[crabmousse]

why is everyone so retarded today

Kung Fu Panda was influenced entirely by the way Pandas are represented in Chinese culture, same with the other animals in that movie. MoP is influenced by Chinese culture, landscapes and architecture, not Kung Fu Panda.

[Moradim]

if anything, blizzard are stealing from some kind of korean MMO, as this looks a lot like a few of them.

[Deleted]

if anything, blizzard are stealing from some kind of korean MMO, as this looks a lot like a few of them.

Yes, because they definitely need ideas from competitors who fall behind them big time ... /sigh

[Blufossa]

Dear OP

It is, in fact, All coincidental.

It is, in fact, All in your head.

There is NO comparison between Pandaren and Kung Fu Panda other than it features Pandas.

PS. I didn't read anything you wrote because at this point, these posts and points on such an inanely stupid topic don't warrant my time to read it and should instead be bashed of the utmost calibur.

Haha, this x100.

Also to mention-

-China has always had Shaolin monks/martial arts.
-China has noodles/seafood/ducks/etc.
-China also reveres pandas.
-China also loves the concept of "drunken master" styled fighting.

Putting them together was only a matter of time.

[Beasty]

There might be a few references to it and that reveal pic, it is hard to deny the similarity but in the big picture they will be/are nothing alike.

[Kaopectate]

Who cares? The Pandaren will either be enjoyable or not. Its similarity to another thing is irrelevant.

[izdlang]

This is a conspiracy.. do you remember when Tenacious D played for the Cataclysm Blizzcon I believe.. do you know who is in Tenacious D... Jack Black..

Do you know who the KFP was? Yup, Jack Black..

Where's the conspiracy.. that I don't know. But I know it's there somewhere.

[Kokiron]

Why would there have to be something wrong with it? What Blizzard is doing is creating some "hari puttar" or whatever the Indian Harry Potter was called. These things usually suck and suck hard unless they're parodies. Point is, it's bad either way, Uldum bad. If it's serious, it's some lame bootleg ripoff, if not it turns WoW into a complete comedy.

Uldum bad? Last time I checked Uldum was one of the most enjoyed zones in the game.

Actually pandas are so stupid, that the only food they eat has so low nutritional value, that they have to eat SIXTEEN hours a day not to starve!

So yea, that's not a Kung Fu Panda reference either.

More like so smart. If pandas IRL lived off anything but bamboo they'd probably be completely extinct by now due to deforestation.

[Vail]

Only problem with your theory is that the Pandaren came before Poh.

[Dragonshardz]

Although we know for a fact that OP is wrong with his comparison, I have to ask - why is it so bad to have kung fu pandas in WoW? Seriously...

[Kokiron]

Although we know for a fact that OP is wrong with his comparison, I have to ask - why is it so bad to have kung fu pandas in WoW? Seriously...

It isn't. You've just got this very vocal minority of insecure people who think if something resembles anything childlike or unpopular that it's a blow to their super mature adult pride or some nonsense. If you were around at all during Cata's beta you might remember a similar group moaning and whining that worgen were only being put in to cash in on the Twilight and Furry fans (The latter being the major reason both models were changed and the female worgen now looks like a demented chihuahua).

[Deleted]

More like so smart. If pandas IRL lived off anything but bamboo they'd probably be completely extinct by now due to deforestation.

Pandas are not stupid because of their choice of food, pandas are stupid because of their EXCLUSIVE choice of food. Noticed the word "only"?

[Deleted]

Kung-Fu Panda is awesome, Mist of Panderia is awesome = everything is awesome.