In the meantime, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), evil criminal and sworn enemy of Shifu and The Furious Five, escapes from his maximum security prison and sets out to become the true Dragon Warrior, even if it means annihilating Shifu and the Five. Will they continue to make Po's life a miserable hell in the hopes that he will leave or will they all band together to defeat the common enemy, Tai Lung? Of course they band together, but the process of watching Po become the hero he was meant to be is indeed a funny process.
Everyone was perfectly voice cast for their roles. Jack Black attacks the role of Po with such exuberance, as he does every role, and his childlike qualities make Po oh-so-lovable. Dustin Hoffman is so powerful in his role of the tiny red panda, Shifu, and watching him "teach" Po, or should I say torture him, is hysterical. Jolie, Cross, Rogen, Liu and Chan are all wonderful additions to the cast, but Ian McShane will make you shake in your boots. His all-powerful voice is so chilling.
There are a number of fun special features included on this release, most of which are directed at kids, and several of them are Blu-ray exclusive. There's the Dragon Warrior Training Academy game which is twitch-based and a nice diversion for kids. There's a music video for "Kung Fu Fighting," plus several featurettes that introduce the cast, talk about the challenges of sound design and also of the animation required to pull off this feature. There's also one that teaches you how to use chopsticks, but my favorite has got to be a trip to Mr. Ping's Noodle House (ok, so it's really Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills) with Food Network's Iron Chef Alton Brown. Here, you get to see how noodles are made and the process is so amazing, they had to slow things down and zoom in so you could actually see what was happening. Cool stuff, especially for foodies. Don't forget a quick featurette on pandas and their fight against extinction, plus fun extras that teach about the Chinese Zodiac and instruct kids on how to draw Po and a few games as well. Blu-ray exclusives include a Trivia Track, Storyboards and Interviews by the animators and also BD-Live featuring fun KFP related stuff to download.
Kung Fu Panda is a movie to watch over and over. The animation is truly breathtaking, the story well-done, and the laughs are as plentiful as the noodles at Mr. Ping's Noodle House. The Blu-ray version looks amazing, the animation is crystal clear and colors simply pop off the screen. With surround sound, you'll hear every bone-cruncing blow as if it were in your own living room. If you haven't yet treated yourself to this wonderful film, go buy it today and if you have a high-def setup, then the Blu-ray version is definitely worth the extra change!
