Kung Fu Panda (DVD, 2008, Full Frame) Detailed item info With 2008's KUNG FU PANDA, the talking-animal CGI film enters a new era, one that makes room for both painterly artwork and fierce martial-arts action. Po (voiced by Jack Black), a clumsy and ever-hungry panda, is a huge kung fu fan, but seems destined to sell noodles like his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), who inexplicably happens to be a goose. When Po literally crashes a ceremony involving martial-arts masters Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) and their pupils, the Furious Five--which includes Tigress (Angelina Jolie, in a surprisingly small part) and Crane (David Cross)--he ends up being selected by the latter elder as the revered Dragon Warrior. As the skeptical Shifu reluctantly trains the hapless Po, his former star pupil, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), escapes from a high-security prison, setting up a collision course between the bumbling bear and the powerful villain. One of the finest animated films released under the Dreamworks banner, KUNG FU PANDA deftly avoids many of the pitfalls of the genre (i.e. cheesy musical sequences), juggling action, heart, and humor in a highly entertaining way. While Black (in endearingly restrained mode), Hoffman, Kim, and McShane voice their characters with verve, the real stars of PANDA are directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson and their animators, who lovingly depict ornate Chinese chambers and vast mountainous vistas, as well as blazing kung fu battles. A movie with remarkably wide appeal, KUNG FU PANDA delivers on its quirky, high-concept title with gleeful aplomb. Product Details Edition: Full Frame Number of Discs: 1 Rating: PG (MPAA) Film Country: USA UPC: 097361392646 Additional Details Genre: Childrens Format: DVD Display Format: Full Frame "[T]he fight scenes, which are the heart of the film, are lickety-split mad fun..." -- Grade: A- Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (06/13/2008) "[I]t looks fantastic....[The filmmakers] have inserted vast, moody, misty landscapes, fanciful interiors and traditional Chinese colors to give the movie an epic, expansive, ancient quality that's a real pleasure to inhabit." Los Angeles Times - Carina Chocano (06/06/2008) "At once fuzzy-wuzzy and industrial strength...KUNG FU PANDA is high concept with a heart....Visually arresting." New York Times - Manohla Dargis (06/06/2008) "[H]ighly entertaining....Full of verve, visual panache and sock-it-to-you action scenes." Sight and Sound - Jane Lamacraft (08/01/2008) 4 stars out of 5 -- "There's a level of visual beauty here that's a notch above anything DreamWorks has attempted before..." Empire - Chris Hewitt (08/01/2008) "The animation is beautiful, from the ethereal Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to the elegant Jade Palace and its Moon Pool." Premiere - Jenni Miller (06/05/2008) 3 stars out of 5 -- "Armed with a sublimely silly concept and an A-list voice cast....This is energetic, exciting and consistently funny..." Total Film - Neil Smith (12/01/2008) Product Details Actors: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan Directors: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne Writers: Glenn Berger, Cyrus Voris, Ethan Reiff, Jonathan Aibel Producers: Bill Damaschke, Glenn Berger Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0) Subtitles: English Dubbed: Spanish, French Region: Region 1 ( Read more about DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Number of discs: 1 Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Studio: Dreamworks Animated DVD Release Date: November 8, 2008 Run Time: 90 minutes Editorial Reviews 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 Customer Reviews 4.4 out of 5 stars 4.4 out of 5 stars 5 star 3274 star 1013 star 352 star 131 star 22 Great movie...very funny. ” TD | 178 reviewers made a similar statement “ Kids love this movie they can watch it over and over again. ” Christine Ditmore | 83 reviewers made a similar statement “ Anyways, I really like this movie, and I think that most parents and children will too. ” Andrew Ellington | 51 reviewers made a similar statement Most Helpful Customer Reviews 63 of 69 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Animated Comedy That Inspires Lessons in Life October 11, 2008 By Justin Heath Format:DVD From the very beginning, Kung Fu Panda had me practically falling out of my seat --- laughing. It was the perfect blend of comedy, heart, and action, all necessary elements in a successful and great animation/CGI film, in the tradition of The Incredibles and (less action, but containing the heart and laughter) Ratatouille, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. I was laughing, smiling, and guffawing at Po, the main protagonist (voiced by Jack Black) and his misadventures at becoming a Kung Fu expert. This was certainly a flawed character, one that a lot of people can relate to because he dreams, he's funny, and he can laugh at himself. Also, the story was pretty clear and easy to follow because the storytelling was well crafted, and the animation was paired well with characters brought vividly to life by some of the most famous names in Hollywood. Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman are downright excellent as the main characters, and Ian McShane as the bad dude gave it the right fearful presence. Other big name stars don't shine as much, but that's because their roles are rather limited in the film. But that's still okay because the animators should be given equal credit (if not more) for delivering the funny, action and heart elements of this movie in an effective, amazing and (I've got to use this) AWESOME manner. Visually, this movie is stunning (notice all those scenic shots of the Chinese mountains, bodies of water, and the bridge scene; not to mention the action animation version of "The Matrix" with slow-mo)... simply a delight to watch. It's clear that Dreamworks has gotten back in the animation game with Kung Fu Panda, after slight ho-hums in Shrek 3 and Bee Movie (call me crazy, but I liked Over The Hedge more than those two)

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