On DVD: Kung Fu Panda Kicks Tail

I think by now most readers are familiar with my intense love for this year's Kung Fu Panda. I've written reviews, referenced it in just about every write-up I've done on children's movies this year, as well as discussed kung-fu movies from the aspect of introducing new fans to the genre -- all after learning about its awesomeness from Po the Panda himself. Despite all the great films that have been released, despite all the fun, fantasy-filled romps we've been treated to in the theater, Kung Fu Panda is my favorite film of the year to date. I love it. It makes the little eight-year-old geek inside of me smile, careen, and kung-fu spin-kick the cockles of my heart.

So yeah, it's good. I'm done reviewing it now.

The full-on, two-disc-set DVD treatment of the film is no less impressive. They spared no (OK, almost no) expense putting together a fun package filled with a number of extra features, games, and content to keep your kids busy for quite some time. The main disc has a number of the usual suspects, chiefly a "Meet the Cast" in which we get brief interviews with the big stars and a few seconds of them recording lines for the movie. Then there's a pair of quite interesting making-of features that cover the computer work that went into making the film, as well as one on how they went about the sound design. What's interesting is that these are the kinds of facts the filmmakers tend to keep to themselves. But here, they openly discuss the problems they faced with the film and the demands the artists were exposed to. The sound design feature was particularly neat to watch, just to see what bizarre tools they used to get specific sounds.

Backing up those more enlightening features is a series of extras made just for the sake of being fun. There's an Alton Brown-hosted piece on how Chinese noodles are made. If you think that's probably the dullest feature you could imagine, think again. It is hands-down the single most interesting thing I've seen on a DVD, in I don't know how long. I called my wife in from the other room to check it out. It's pretty damned cool. Then there's a piece teaching kids how to eat with chopsticks, an uninteresting "Kung Fu Fighting" music video (sorry, pal, nobody owns "Kung Fu Fighting" like Tom Jones), and a series of mini games called "Dragon Academy."

As Ron Popeil always used to say, "But wait! There's more." Disc two offers a 24-minute film, Secrets of the Furious Five. Now unless you're under the age of 13, this film doesn't really offer much for you. It's not bad. It's just not really a movie; it's more like a special that was intended to run on TV after the studio made a hit film. The upside is that it is a perfect primer for any kid interested in learning martial arts. The crux of the story is that Po, now the Dragon Master, has to teach the next crop of students, a slew of adorable bunny children. Unable to calm them down, he decides to teach them lessons about kung fu by telling them the origins of The Furious Five. The animation is pretty cool, with most of it feeling like the hyper-stylized opening of Kung Fu Panda. The downside is that they didn't (or couldn't) secure all of the original talent to do their own voices. So while Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman and David Cross return, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and Lucy Liu do not. And it's kind of obvious.

That said, the kids will love it as well as the entirety of special features on disc two, which are all geared towards introducing children to the wonders of kung fu and Chinese culture. There's also a slew of additional games and time wasters that will keep kids occupied for a while, including a lesson on how to do the "Panda Dance." The producers didn't just slap this together; they went all-out, up to and including just plum making stuff up. And it works.

If you dug Kung Fu Panda then you probably already know that this disc is a must. But the two-disc set is really only something for families. There's nothing on the second disc that will hold the attention of an adult or feel worth the extra money for anyone without a restless brood that craves entertainment.

Kung Fu Panda is out now from Dreamworks Home Entertainment.

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