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Fans of this summer’s animated hit, Kung Fu Panda, already know all about how the roly-poly panda, Po (Jack Black), became a kung fu legend. But in the short, straight-to-DVD follow-up, Secrets of the Furious Five, you’ll find out how Po’s kung fu friends—Mantis, Viper, Crane, Tigress, and Monkey—learned the important lessons that turned them into great kung fu warriors.
Po (Black) may have proven himself as the Dragon Warrior, but now he faces an even more daunting challenge: the kung fu beginners’ class. When Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) leaves Po in charge of a class full of eager little kung fu bunnies, the Dragon Warrior suddenly finds himself at a loss.
The beginners want to learn how to fight, but Po explains that there’s more to kung fu than just punching and kicking. To illustrate, Po tells his students stories about their kung fu heroes, the Furious Five, explaining how they became great kung fu masters by learning important lessons in patience, courage, confidence, discipline, and compassion.
Clocking in at just 24 minutes long, Secrets of the Furious Five could have (and probably should have) been included as an extra on the Kung Fu Panda DVD. Still, this super-short story manages to hold its own among other straight-to-DVD sequels. Sure, the animation isn’t quite as stunning as it was in the original—and only a few of the big-name stars have returned to lend their voices. But there’s still plenty to love in this animated short.
As in Kung Fu Panda, Black makes the lovably bumbling kung fu fighting panda, Po, a fun character. Though he chooses not to tell his own story (after all, that’s what Kung Fu Panda is for), he makes a great storyteller—and the kids watching at home will be just as captivated as the cute little kung fu bunnies in his beginners’ class.
While this new adventure doesn’t have all of the same voices, it still features the same lovable characters—from tough-as-nails young Tigress to mischievous Monkey. And their short-and-sweet tales are more than just entertaining—they’ll also teach kids a lesson or two about being a good person.
So if your kids fell in love with Po and his kung fu fighting friends in Kung Fu Panda, this short sequel is an enjoyable extra that’s worth checking out.
DVD Review:
While Secrets of the Furious Five may be all about things like courage, confidence, and compassion, many of the DVD’s extras are all about the fighting.
The disc’s special features are divided into two categories: Land of the Panda and Po’s Power Play. Before your kids explore the Land of the Panda section, you’ll definitely want to hide any breakables that may be in the vicinity of the TV. Here, you’ll learn all about the different kung fu fighting styles, which are based on the six animals from Kung Fu Panda: mantis, monkey, tiger, viper, crane, and, of course, panda. And after taking a quiz to find your fighting style, you’ll learn a few kung fu moves. This section also includes information on the Chinese zodiac and an instructional video on the Panda Dance (which is every bit as confusing as your first step aerobics class).
Po’s Power Play is (fortunately) more low-key. Here, you’ll find a rather dull feature that teaches you how to draw the various animals, a dizzying (but fun) Dumpling Shuffle game, and a Kung Fu Panda-themed DVD-ROM activity kit.
Both aspiring artists and kung fu fanatics are sure to find hours of entertainment on the Secrets of the Furious Five DVD. Whether or not you want your kids striking, blocking, and kicking in your living room, however, is for you to decide.
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