Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
by John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Jack Black, Jackie ChanDirector: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
Brand: Dreamworks
Producer: Bill Damaschke
Writer: Cyrus Voris
Writer: Ethan Reiff
Writer: Glenn Berger
Writer: Joe Piscatella
Writer: Jonathan Aibel
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 90 minutes
Published: 2008-11-01
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-08
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Dreamworks Animated
Movie Reviews of Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Not Pixar? Doesn't matter!
Summary: 5 Stars
What do you get when you combine state of the art CGI, some of the best actors in Hollywood, and animals performing kung fu? One of the year's best movies. Kung Fu Panda was widely loved by critics and fans during its theatrical release, and for good reason.
The movie centers around Po the panda, and his journey of self discovery. Po (Jack Black) is the (adopted) son of a noodle maker (played by the legendary James Hong), and his father wants nothing more than for Po to follow in the family footsteps of running the noodle shop. Unfortunately, Po has dreams of more kung fu-y things; his idols aren't chefs and cooks, but the legendary Furious Five.
When he hears that kung fu teacher Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) is going to hold trials to find out which of the Furious Five are the Dragon Warrior who is destined to save the village from the evil Tai Lung, Po drops everything, disrespects his father's wishes, and sneaks off to witness the trials. After a series of unfortunate events culminating in a firework powered rocket chair, Po becomes crowned the Dragon Warrior, and begins to learn kung fu in order to fulfill his destiny.
While a fairly cliché tale at its core, Kung Fu Panda nevertheless delights for a multitude of reasons. Whether it's the humorous dialog, the masterful voice acting by the stars (including Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, David Cross, Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen), or the ultimate lesson that anyone can achieve anything if they try hard enough, it's impossible not to love the movie. Not since Shrek has a non-Pixar animated film been this magnificent, and not since the Disney films of the early 90s has an animated movie managed to not only entertain children and adults, but also teach important lessons that are valuable to people of all ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles.
Visually and audibly, Kung Fu Panda is far superior on Blu-Ray than DVD, but unlike many modern movies the studio didn't seem to hold back from the traditional DVD release, and the picture looks slightly better than Pixar's Ratatouille and Cars.
To reward DVD purchasers, the DVD comes packed with a special additional 30 minute feature revolving around the Furious Five. In this extra take, Po and Shifu return to the martial arts temple in order to train a group of young rabbits. In over his head, Po resorts to teaching them the five moralities of kung fu by explaining how each of the Furious Five (Crane, Monkey, Viper, Tigress, and Mantis) came to be who they were. Unlike the movie, The Secrets of the Furious Five is created with watercolor inspired Asian art, much like the film's opening credits.
Unfortunately, only David Cross reprises his role from the movie for the Furious Five. (Black and Hoffman both return as Po and Shifu, though.) The other four are noticeably absent, although Monkey's is handled quite brilliantly with Jaycee Chan (Jackie Chan's son) playing him. Who better to play a young version of Jackie Chan's character than Jackie's own son? It's disappointing to not get his voice back for more, but it's a smart decision that I felt paid off.
Outside of the extra separate disc feature, the features packed on the Kung Fu Panda disc itself are entertaining enough, but nothing stands out as extraordinary. The thirteen minute "Meet the Cast" feature is the most worthwhile of the bunch, as it shows a lot of the stars on the set and gets their take on what it's like to record voices in such an unusual picture. (Fun fact: I didn't notice Seth Rogen was Mantis until I watched this after the movie. Dude's in EVERYTHING these days!)
Despite the lack of meaningful extras other than the Secrets of the Furious Five and Meet the Cast, Kung Fu Panda is still a must-own on whatever format you're capable of playing. If you own a blu-ray player, buy it on BR. If you own a DVD player, buy it on DVD. It's a family movie that truly is fun for the whole family - even if your family has no one under the age of 20. Buy it, watch it, love it, and be reminded of the time when people other than Pixar made classic animated films.
Summary of Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po works in his family?s noodle shop while daydreaming about becoming a Kung Fu master. His dreams soon become reality when he is unexpectedly chosen to join the world of Kung Fu and study alongside his idols-the legendary fighters Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey-under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it?s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu hero into reality? Po puts his heart and his girth into the task, and ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from Kung Fu Panda (Click for larger image)
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