Po and the Furious Five break into the Hall of Heroes to see the exhibits. Po recounts the adventures of the old masters. Rhino, Ox and Croc were street fighters performing for the money. Master Oogway recruits them for a quest to battle the Wu sisters who escaped from prison. They go along expecting riches but end up fighting for something greater.This is a fine special to the Kung Fu Panda shows. Po and the gang are not actually the main characters. This is the adventures of the masters before Po. It takes away a little bit of the fun. However there is a good turn for these characters as they become greater than their former selves. It's a nice side story.
... View MoreThese 20 minutes came out shortly after "Kung Fu Panda 2" and if the third movie will only come close to the level of this one here, it's gonna be a huge success. It's not a problem at all that Panda only appears at the beginning and end here while he tells us the story of how Crocodile, Ox and Rhino found their strength. I am not talking about physical strength here, of course, but that's pretty much a given with the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise. They are already good fighter at the beginning, but they lack compassion and character strength in order to become truly great. The way they were perceiving money was an excellent metaphor of the way they were growing more mature. I also liked the idea that one of the three went on the journey to make his father proud. The kind of set them apart, apart from the fact that they are completely different animals of course. The Wu sisters were also pretty good antagonists in my opinion and expressed lots of power in the few scenes they had. In the end, our trio of heroes has to work together in order to beat the strong union of the sisters and thanks to what they learned on their long and hard journey, the succeed of course. A great writing effort here from the duo Berger and McEvoy. I truly enjoyed watching this and it really makes me want to see the third KFP now. Guess I'll have to wait a bit for that still unfortunately. Secrets of the Masters, I highly recommend.
... View MoreThe first thing I feel I must mention is the animation. It was GORGEOUS! Every screen-shot was like a masterpiece and the lighting was astounding. The story also had surprising depth to it, and a great moral. It was also extremely funny. I enjoyed Oogway's role in the story as mentor very, very much. That said, there were a few parts that felt slightly childish--but it *is* meant for children. The whole family can watch it, in fact. While the kids enjoy the general hilarity, the older ones and the adults can sit there and marvel at the story's depth and the beautiful animation. It wasn't *fantastic* but it was surprisingly very good and well done. However, if you're looking for something even better, I'd have to recommend the "Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special." *That* one I give 10/10 stars. Seriously. It could have been in theaters.
... View MoreKung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters (D2D 2011) ~umR ☛ 7/10 Director: Anthony Leondis Voice: Jack Black, David Cowgill, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie 22 min - Animation | Short Suitable: G22 min of full fun...This time Panda tell us about a short story of three masters. So less role play by Panda and more of Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc. The animation is different than the original KFP mostly in this video as Panda is telling the story. This short movie does have comedy, adventure, action and all the fun which anyone would like to see when any movie name starts with "Kung Fu Panda"! 22 min of total entertainment and no waste of time. Loved it and waiting for more of these short movies from Dreamworks!STORYLINEPo and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.
... View More