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Hmmm….
Jack Black. Hmmmm…. Yet another in
a long, long, long line of animated features
that have been trying to compete with Pixar
since “Toy Story.” Admittedly
I wasn’t sure what to expect from
“Kung Fu Panda.” After all,
Jack Black… for all his good intentions…
is not really the comedic genius that some
play him out to be. Don’t get me wrong,
the guy can be funny, but as of yet I have
not seen a movie he could carry as a star.
Perhaps voiceover work is where he really
needs to be? I’ll certainly give him
the benefit of the doubt.
In “Kung Fu Panda”, the venerable
Black voices the character of Po. Po is
martial arts enthusiast who dreams of one
day becoming a great warrior. The fact that
he is an overweight Panda working in his
father’s noodle shop doesn’t
keep him from dreaming (as it shouldn’t…
as a note to all you dreamers out here).
Even the fact that his father seems to be
a duck does not deter him.
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In the village where he lives, there is school
of Kung Fu run by a wise old turtle and the home
of the famous Furious Five (a group of warriors
Po loves to emulate). When the day comes for the
turtle to reveal who is to become the Dragon Warrior,
Po tries very hard to join the festivities. A
few well placed fireworks later, Po winds up in
the very thick of things and comes face to face
with the turtle… who names him the Dragon
Warrior. This of course, does not sit well with
the school’s kung fu teacher Shifu (Dustin
Hoffman) or any of the Furious Five. But the wheels
of destiny are set in motion and they have no
choice but to comply and take Po under their wings
(and paws, mantis arm thingies…)
In spite of my low expectations, “Kung
Fu Panda” actually won me over and I found
it to be delightfully funny. I honestly enjoyed
watching it with my 5 year old daughter. It was
actually kind of interesting to see how my daughter
reacted to some of the humor, which at first included
a lot of making fun of and beating up Po. She
didn’t so much laugh as feel sorry for the
Panda. I hope this bodes well for my daughter’s
character as one who doesn’t laugh at other’s
misfortune… like most of the rest of the
lesser intelligent people in this country. (Including
me… who laughed… on the inside…)
The Blu-Ray release of “Kung Fu Panda”
is a visual treat. I’m still new to the
world of Blu-Ray and am still stunned by the amazing
picture offered in 1080, especially when it comes
to animated features. Every tiny detail and texture
jumps off the screen, enhancing the experience
of watching the film. I’m also quickly becoming
a big fan of the menu selections on Blu-Ray that
allow you to bring them up while the movie is
playing. If you haven’t had the opportunity
to check this out, I recommend doing so.
The other great thing about Blu-Ray is the amount
of extra features you can get on a single disc.
In this case there seemed to be no end to the
list. Two features in particular which you will
not find on the DVD release are the Trivia Track
and Animator’s Corner. The first offers
a few tidbits while you watch, while the second
actually allows you to see picture-in-picture
storyboards and interviews. There is also a commentary
by director John Stevenson which is a bit better
than most.
You’ll also find several featurettes where
you can see the cast doing the voiceover work
(a personal favorite), take a look at some of
the technical aspects of the film and see how
the soundtrack is created. The rest is mainly
for the kids. They can learn how to use chopsticks,
save the Pandas (another personal favorite), and
even brush up on the Chinese Zodiac. These they
can followup by playing one of the three games
that are included.
The only thing missing from this disc is one
that bothered me quite a bit. It seems that Dreamworks
created a short film “Secrets of the Furious
Five.” The only way you can get it is to
buy the DVD version, which comes packaged with
second whole case and disc for the short film.
I did get to see the film and enjoyed it very
much, but don’t think it should have been
on a disc of its own. It really should have been
included on both the DVD and Blu-Ray versions
of the movie. The fact that you cannot get it
at all with the Blu-Ray just adds insult to injury.
Despite that nitpick, “Kung Fu Panda”
is a much better animated film than I expected.
It was fun, funny and I do find myself highly
recommending it.
Directed by: John Stevenson
Starring (the voices of): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman,
Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy
Liu, David Cross
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Dreamworks
Release Date: 11/9/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website
We'll give Kung Fu Panda (Blu-ray) a B.
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