Everyone was Kung Fu fighting, even the Pandas
Po is a Panda, who is son to a goose at a noodle shop (yes, you read that right). He admires the furious five, a band of kung fu fighters who protect everything good and sacred in Po’s town. When Po goes to a special celebration the five are putting on where a ‘Dragon Warrior’ is being announced, he finds himself accidentally in the middle of it… as the ‘Dragon Warrior’. Confused, but loving hanging out with the furious five (who don’t embrace him quite well), he soon finds out that it takes more than stardom to become the true ‘Dragon Warrior’. The need to realize this is very urgent when an ex-student of the clan breaks out of prison and comes looking for revenge. Is Po ready for the challenge?
What’s fantastic about this film is that Jack Black’s Po is a complete innocent. He isn’t dumb, he just isn’t experienced in life enough to take the lumps the clan, or the bad guy, gives him. That’s the brilliance of the character, simplicity is the best way to describe him. Jack Black pulled off the cute Panda perfectly. It helped balance the film, especially when Tai Lung shows up (that’s the bad guy). Because of that balance it means a lot to the younger viewing audience. You have more here than just a kung fu movie, you have a movie that’s about finding your place. For kids, that’s a rough time in their life. You’ve got your friends around you who help you, but you also might have a clan of people (like the Furious Five) who simply don’t believe in you. The movie teaches kids that believing in yourself will get you through. Who can argue with that moral?
As for the animation, it’s superb. Dreamworks is getting better and better with their animated films, still not quite Pixar. Pixar, to their credit, doesn’t sit on their laurels waiting for people to catch up; they’re constantly moving forward. Unlike other animation houses, Dreamworks is starting to catch up, which is great for kids. Movies like Kung Fu Panda have put their audiences (especially the younger ones) into the environment that they introduce. Ten years ago, this wasn’t the case. Kung Fu Panda is a visual delight that will help entertain and push the story along for the audience (especially the kids!).
Overall, i would have to say that Kung Fu Panda overachieved in so many areas and surprised me delightfully. I highly recommend this title for any family looking for a safe film for kids that will certainly entertain adults to. Cute, witty and just packed with action and excitement, you can’t go wrong with Kung Fu Panda.
Chopping at the special features
The features that come loaded with Kung Fu Panda are impressive. You get the following:
– Dragon Warrior Training Academy
– Food Network Exclusive: Alton Brown at Mr. Ping’s Noodle House
– Help Save the Wild Pandas
– How to use chopsticks
– “Kung Fu Fighting” Music Video
– Printables & Weblinks
– Dreamworks Animation Video Jukebox
– Commentary
– Meet the Cast
– Pushing the Boundaries
– Sound Design
Now, you wouldn’t think that printables would be a gigantic deal, well you would be wrong. My kids love printing out, coloring and putting up on the fridge, what this DVD has to offer. It’s like a bonus, though I’m sure we’re indirectly funding the website those printables are linked to. As for the rest of the features, the jukebox feature, which is also on Shrek the Halls is cool. Kids will love that. The rest are interesting insights into the production and may or may not appeal to kids, but will fascinate adults. Overall, a great set of features on this disc.
The Secrets of the Furious Five is an additional DVD that comes in this two-pack that has a tinier feature, but also a set of special features of its own. It’s a good add-on to an already great film.