Ryan Tyler’s parents are divorced. He lives with his mom and hasn’t seen his dad in two years, since his dad moved to China to help build and run a panda reserve. When his dad sends a ticket for Ryan to come visit, Ryan’s not really sure he wants to go. His dad has been so involved in his work, he’s missed a lot of important occasions in Ryan’s life and Ryan feels like his dad cares more about the pandas than about his own kid.
Finally deciding to go only after his mother says he can come right home if he wants to, Ryan flies to China, believing his father will be waiting for him at the airport. But when he lands, his dad is nowhere to be found. Ryan doesn’t know what to do until he spots a bus with the panda reserve logo on it and climbs aboard.
The bus is full of the men who comprise the committee who will decide if the reserve stays open or not. When Ryan arrives, he finds his father in a bit of an uproar – the tracking collar they put on a mama panda hasn’t moved all day and there’s some concern that the mama might have been trapped. Sure enough, her foot’s caught, and with her is her baby. Dr. Tyler sets off right away to see what he can do, begging the committee to delay their inspection until he gets back. Ryan, furious about being left again, chases his dad until Dr. Tyler gives his permission for him to come along. With him are his assistants, Chu, and Chu’s granddaughter Ling, who acts as an interpreter.
Once out in the forest, the group hears gunshots and realizes they are dealing with poachers. When Dr. Tyler goes to see what’s going on, he gets shot in the leg. Radioing in a helicopter, they get him to the hospital right away, but there wasn’t room in the chopper for everyone. Ling, Chu, and Ryan are still out in the forest, waiting for the helicopter to return for them.
As they are waiting, they get involved in a bit of poacher chasing, and end up in possession of the baby panda. But more adventures are in store for them, including a precarious crossing on a rope bridge and a wild ride down the river. In the end, they are able to reunite the mama and baby pandas, and Ryan gets the chance to patch things up with his own father as well.
At first my kids weren’t sure they were going to like this movie, but they were pretty into it by the end. The baby panda is very cute (even if the computer animation used when showing close-ups was a little bit out there) and there’s a lot of action and adventure.
This film is rated PG.
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