Dustin Hoffman sets the record straight

Dustin Hoffman is the voice behind Shifu, the wise mentor who happens to be a red panda, in the upcoming movie "Kung Fu Panda". The problem is, Shifu doesn't really look like a red panda. Here is a quote from Hoffman clearing up any confusion:

The press release says your character is a two-foot tall red panda, but before I read that, I saw the film and I thought you were a raccoon. So which is it? And how do you get into the mindset of either of those animals?

Well, I've always been in the mindset of a raccoon, so that's a redundant question. But you cannot believe how many people have asked me whether I'm a rodent or a raccoon. Somehow, no matter how wonderful the animators of this film were, they have not made it specific enough.

I am a rare red panda. I cannot be responsible for their errors.

The entire article can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7407088.stm