SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE - Out Now on DVD!
Discover the origins of Kung Fu Panda’s unforgettable menagerie of martial arts masters in SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE from DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA), revealed as a single DVD for the first time ever from Paramount Home Entertainment on March 24, 2009, following its broadcast debut on NBC on February 26. This delightful adventure won four prestigious Annie Awards for Best Character Animation, Character Design, Music and Production Design in an Animated Television Production or Short Form, following the path of Kung Fu Panda, which took home an astounding 10 awards, including animation’s highest honor, Best Animated Feature. SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE once again features the voices of Jack Black as the heroic and beloved Kung Fu-practicing panda, Po, and Dustin Hoffman as his teacher, Master Shifu, a role that won him an Annie Award for Voice Acting. The SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE single-disc DVD arrives just in time for Easter gift giving and packs a punch with interactive bonus features that add to the awesomeness of this hilarious animated adventure.
With more of the action, humor and Kung Fu Panda characters that charmed moviegoers worldwide, SECRETS OF THE FURIOUS FIVE delves into the history of the fearless defenders of the Valley of Peace as they perform thrilling feats of bravery in exciting exploits that also deliver heartwarming life lessons. This time, Dragon Warrior Po faces what may be his greatest challenge: teaching a class of beginning Kung Fu students. Drawing on his encyclopedic Kung Fu fan-boy knowledge, Po captivates his rambunctious young scholars with the early tales of Monkey, Tigress, Mantis, Viper and Crane, revealing how they unlocked important teachings about the art and ideals of Kung Fu, including patience, courage, confidence, discipline and compassion.
Review: This is a great companion to the Kung Fu Panda Movie in which it touches briefly on each character and how they learned an important life quality to help them master the art of Kung Fu. The short feature is partially in 3-D animation, but switches back and forth to the 2-D animation when Po tells the stories to his bunny students. I thought it made it more interesting to watch and liked the contrast of the different styles of art. The bonus features which are included in the single disc include fun interactive activities like learning some Kung Fu moves, an insight to the Chinese Zodiac, learning a Panda dance, how to draw the Kung Fu Panda characters from an expert, and some activities you can do on your PC, which I couldn’t access because I’m on a Mac. Although this DVD feature is short at only 22 minutes, if you’re a fan of the Kung Fu Panda movie I think this is worth checking out and there’s enough bonus features to make it worthwhile for kids who like to draw or learn new moves.