Kung Fu Panda DVD Review

http://www.popculturebeast.com/2008/06/kung-fu-panda-review.html

I reviewed Kung Fu Panda back when it was first released so, rather than rereview it (I did watch it again and my opinion is pretty much the same. I loved it. You can read the review here.) I'll talk about the DVD and the new short Secrets of the Furious Five.

Kung Fu Panda was one of my favorite movies of the summer. I said in my previous review that it was near Pixar quality so I was pretty curious to see what Secrets of the Furious Five was all about. To put it quickly, it's Po telling a class of rabbits eager to learn kung fu the origin stories of the Furious Five. It's a simple little film under 30 minutes but it has that same heart that made Kung Fu Panda so enjoyable. It is a mix of of the computer animation of Kung Fu Panda and 2d animation which looks great here. Jack Black returns to voice Po, as well as David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, and Jackie Chan. Each origin of the Five has an underlying message that teaches that there is more to Kung Fu than just fighting. They're some great messages here that are presented nicely. Nothing is shoved down your throat. Considering this DVD comes packed with Kung Fu Panda you're getting a pretty enjoyable half an hour to hold you over until Kung Fu Panda 2 hits theatres in a couple years.

The Secrets of the Furious Five dvd has some fun special features including a neat tutorial on how to draw your favorite Kung Fu Panda characters, an interactive game, a panda dance you can learn, and more.

The Kung Fu Panda DVD includes interactive features, a kung fu fighting music video, Food Network's Alton Brown at Mr. Ping's Noodle House, and more.

I kinda wish there was more to the DVD maybe some deleted scenes or a sneak peak at KFP2 (probably a bit too soon for that) but really the movie holds up on it's own. It's a great great movie so anything that comes along with it is just bonus.

Christmas is right around the corner and Kung Fu Panda would make a great gift for kids, adults, kung fu fans, cartoon fans, well...most anyone will enjoy it to be honest.

Kung Fu Panda and Secrets of the Furious Five are both available now.