Kung Fu Panda DVD Review

Kung Fu Panda and the Secrets of the Furious Five

Legend tells of a warrior so great his enemies go blind from overexposure to pure awesomeness. Could Po (Jack Black) be this warrior? The panda’s dreams come true when the great Master Oogway chooses him to be the Dragon Warrior, but is the decision fate or just a big misunderstanding? Is Po meant to read the dragon scroll and become the unbeatable Dragon Warrior, or is his father right—is his destiny to take over the family noodle shop instead?

Kung Fu Pros

Po trains alongside his kung fu heroes, the Furious Five—Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross), but it will take all the skill of his sensai, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), to transform the overweight, clumsy panda into an unbeatable kung fu warrior. When the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane) escapes from prison, Po must keep the dragon scroll away from this powerful foe or he will learn the secret to limitless power and not even Shifu and the Furious Five will be able to stop him. Skidoosh!

Kung Fu Panda DVD Rating:

Secrets of the Furious Five

In the bonus DVD, Secrets of the Furious Five, Po must train some difficult new recruits—the young bunny warriors are anxious to fight, but have to learn that the secrets of kung fu come from inner, as well as outer strength. Po recounts the origin stories and inner strengths of the Furious Five—Mantis finds patience by slowing down, Viper realizes courage can be more powerful than venom, Crane finds confidence despite doubters, Tigress harnesses power through discipline, and Monkey discovers that compassion is the essential warrior trait.

Extras

Each story is told in the Japanese animation style called masking—the simplistic yet photorealistic look similar to the cartoon series, Samurai Jack. The bonus DVD also contains Po’s Power Play that includes a lesson on how to draw the characters, and a dumpling shuffle game. The Land of Panda includes a Panda Dance lesson, a How-To for basic kung fu moves and a fun explanation of your Chinese zodiac sign.

Secrets of the Furious Five DVD Rating:

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