Kung Fu Panda

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 06 06 (USA - IMAX) / 2008 06 06 (USA)

UPC: 097361386843

Studio: Dreamworks Animated

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Violence]

Summary: A clumsy panda bear becomes an unlikely kung fu hero when a treacherous enemy spreads chaos throughout the countryside in this animated martial arts adventure featuring the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and Jackie Chan. On the surface, Po (voice of Black) may look like just another portly panda bear, but beneath his fur he bears the mark of the chosen one. By day, Po works faithfully in his family's noodle shop, but by night he dreams of becoming a true master of the martial arts. Now an ancient prophecy has come to pass, and Po realizes that he is the only one who can save his people from certain destruction. With time running short and malevolent snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane ) closing in, Furious Five legends Tigress (Jolie), Crane (David Cross ), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Chan), and their wise sensei, Master Shifu (Hoffman), all draw on their vast knowledge of fighting skills in order to transform a lumbering panda bear into a lethal fighting machine. Now, if the noble Po can master the martial arts and somehow transform his greatest weaknesses into his greatest strengths, he will fulfill his destiny as the hero who saved his people during their darkest hour. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Children's/Family

Awards: Best Animated Feature – Utah Film Critics Film Presented – Cannes Film Festival Film Presented – Seattle International Film Festival Best Animated Feature – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Animated Feature – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Animated Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Animated Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: Blu-ray exclusives:
The Animator's Corner: Storyboards & interviews
Trivia track
BD-live fun features

Secret Ingredients:
Dragon Warrior Training Academy
What Fighting Style Are You?
Learn to Draw Po (HD)
Help Save Wild Pandas (HD)
"Kung Fu Fighting" music video (HD)
Inside the Chinese Zodiac (HD)
Do You King Fu? (HD)
Food Network exclusive: Alton Brown ar Mr. Ping's Noodle House

Kung Fu Panda

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 11/08/2008

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 29 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish,Portuguese

Perry Seibert

The massive success of Shrek turned out to be a double-edged sword for DreamWorks Animation. The giant box-office revenues created by the big green ogre gave the young company a familiar face to market, and Jeffrey Katzenberg his first mega-hit after his ugly split from Disney. However, Shrek proved to be something of a creative liability. Instead of focusing on storytelling, the studio often attempted to recreate Shrek's massive success by stuffing their movies full of pop-culture references. Shark Tale, Madagascar, and Over the Hedge all sacrificed story in favor of a self-referential pop-culture knowingness, even when -- in the case of the last two -- the story was strong enough to work without relying on those gimmicks. One got the sense that as far as quality went, DreamWorks would forever play second fiddle to Pixar. Kung Fu Panda, however, just might the beginning of a new era. First-time feature directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson have crafted a traditional story. This is not a send-up or spoof of chopsocky clich?s, but rather a bona fide entry in the genre. Po (Jack Black) wants nothing more than to learn martial arts like his heroes, but worries he is destined to be nothing more than a noodle seller like his father. He undergoes training, learns to believe in himself, faces his most feared enemy, and along the way teaches his master (an excellent Dustin Hoffman) a valuable lesson. By staying focused first and foremost on the classic story progression, the filmmakers are able to fill the movie with the little details that make animated films so much fun to watch. Everything in Kung Fu Panda works, from elegant details like the patterns on the serving bowls to the ballet-and-slapstick-inspired fight choreography to the flawless supporting work from talents like Seth Rogen and David Cross. All the elements come through precisely because the film never insists on shoving them down the viewers' throats. This movie is confident. Jack Black projects his personality with the intensity of a Broadway star, something that occasionally makes him seem too "big" for the silver screen. It's not that he overacts, it's simply that his stage presence can engulf everything around him. When, however, he trusts the material, he can modulate this potent talent. He wins the audience's goodwill in the first 60 seconds of Kung Fu Panda, thanks to a very funny monologue about the legend of the panda warrior, and at no point in the rest of the movie does he or anyone else do anything to detract from those feelings. Kung Fu Panda lives up to Howard Hawks' old adage that a successful movie is three good scenes and no bad ones. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Melissa Cobb  Producer 
Hans Zimmer  Composer (Music Score) 
John Powell  Composer (Music Score) 
Bill Damaschke  Executive Producer 
John Stevenson  Director 
Mark Osborne  Director 
Jonathan Aibel  Screenwriter 
Glenn Berger  Screenwriter 
Jack Black  Actor 
Dustin Hoffman  Actor 
Angelina Jolie  Actor 
Ian McShane  Actor 
Seth Rogen  Actor 
Lucy Liu  Actor 
David Cross  Actor 
Randall Duk Kim  Actor 
James Hong  Actor 
Dan Fogler  Actor 
Michael Clarke Duncan  Actor 
Jackie Chan  Actor 

Country: USA