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Kung Fu Panda (Full Screen Edition) by John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
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DVD detailsActor: Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, Jack Black, Jackie Chan Director: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne Brand: Dreamworks Producer: Bill Damaschke Writer: Cyrus Voris Writer: Ethan Reiff Writer: Glenn Berger Writer: Joe Piscatella Writer: Jonathan Aibel DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 90 minutes DVD Release Date: 2008-11-08 Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Dreamworks Animated
DVD Reviews of Kung Fu Panda (Full Screen Edition)DVD Review: 'Kung Fu Panda' Kicks! Summary: 5 Stars
I enter this movie with one question: Was Jack Black born to play the voice of Po, or was he merely groomed to play it? I wouldn't be surprised if the whole movie were centered with him in mind. `Kung Fu Panda' is another Dreamworks' production, one that employs or improves admirable animation tricks--giving the film the vitality of a free-flowing digital puppet show. A visual delight, the film has the innovation of `Surf's Up (Full Screen Special Edition)' combined with the entertainment value of `Ratatouille'. Sent mostly on the fast track, the film has a good ol' witty time matched with artful adventure.
Literally and figuratively, Po (Black) dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master. He's a chubby Panda bear who has more passion for eating than making the food at his family's noodle restaurant. As he's humoring his stork father, a crisis develops in the village: A prophecy states Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a dragon more aptly described as a snow leopard with pouncing Kung Fu proficiency will escape Chorgum Prison. The town converges on Jade Square, the center of The Valley of Peace where holy wise tortoise, Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim), will announce the chosen Dragon Warrior. Clumsily, Po propels himself in the center where Oogway, pointing at Tigress has his finger on the panda instead.
All the voices are right on. Jack Black as already mentioned makes all the "That's cool," aphorisms work through his own hapless character. Happily his lines lack the hyperactivity of Po's training or Black's own character past. ("I know you're being all mystical and Kung Fu-ooey," he chortles.) Hardly discernible is Dustin Hoffman, perfectly cast as the quiet curmudgeon master trainer, Shifu (Chief-u). Some of the funniest scenes go along with Po's training. "There is now a level zero!" he proclaims after Po's first session. There's also an acupuncture scene that makes a point of Po's ridiculous novice status. Flanking him are the furious five, including a viper (Lucy Liu), a preying mantis (Seth Rogen), a monkey (Jackie Chan), a crane (David Cross) and a tigress (Angelina Jolie), each bringing a certain perfection to their parts. They're all Shifu's prodigies, and each sport some superhero Kung Fu moves as well as resentful remarks for their new dragon slayer trainee.
Adding fortune cookie wisdom to the mix both illuminates and entertains. ("One takes one's destiny on the road to avoid it." and "There's no such thing as an accident." Now I may be all wrong, but I thought Freud said that one.) Everyone from director Jack Stevenson to editor Clare Knight deserve kudos for assembling such a fine feature. Containing a well done script, shaking up the animation formula, and mixing funny with fabulous action scenes, 'Kung Fu Panda' may duke it out with 'Wall-E (Widescreen Single-Disc Edition)' in the animation category when it comes to Oscar time.
More Kung Fu Panda (Full Screen Edition) reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Kung Fu Panda (Full Screen Edition)Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po works in his family?s noodle shop while daydreaming about becoming a Kung Fu master. His dreams soon become reality when he is unexpectedly chosen to join the world of Kung Fu and study alongside his idols-the legendary fighters Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey-under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it?s up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a Kung Fu hero into reality? Po puts his heart and his girth into the task, and ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths. What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from Kung Fu Panda (Click for larger image)
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