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Kung Fu Panda DVD Review

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.

RATING

MOVIE: 5/5

DISC(S): 4/5

OVERALL (not an average): 5/5

"Kung Fu Panda is a must-own on whatever format you're capable of playing."

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