Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: A warm holiday special with Kung Fu Panda characters
Cons: Might not appeal quite as much to adults as it will
kids
The Bottom Line:
A warm holiday
Despite the winter setting
Who Should Po Prepare the
Winter Feast For?
Of all DreamWorks’ franchises, Kung Fu Panda is my favorite.
(They’ve got a couple of great stand alones as well that could become
favorite franchises, but that’s another post.)
Still, I somehow missed Kung Fu Panda Holiday when it aired on TV.
Fortunately, I was able to catch up with it on DVD.
The Winter Festival is coming, and Po
(voiced by Jack Black) is looking forward to the annual feast. He and his father always serve a festive meal
in the family restaurant for their friends who have no one else to celebrate
the day with. It’s become a tradition
that everyone looks forward to.
However, this year, as the newly discovered Dragon Warrior,
it is Po’s responsibility to create a feast for all the Kung Fu masters in China . Suddenly, every gesture he makes has
incredible meaning. Will he be able to
pull of the feast or will the pressure be too much for him? And what about his own family tradition?
Anyone who has seen a Christmas special or two knows where
this is going. However, the journey to
get there is still fun and the final few scenes are very rewarding. Po is always
a lovable main character, and his antics keep you engaged throughout the entire
show. I do feel this is a bit more aimed
at kids rather than their parents. They
will enjoy it the most, although there’s nothing here that will irritate or
annoy parents.
While Christmas is never mentioned in the special, it is
obvious this is a Christmas special. Of
course, since the franchise is set in ancient China , it makes sense they would
not celebrate the holiday the way we do.
Still, there are enough similarities that it will give you that glorious
feeling you get from Christmas specials.
The voice cast from the movie is back for this special, and
they do a delightful job of bringing their characters to life again. The focus is really on Po ,
so most of the supporting cast doesn't have much to do, but when they are
around, they are great. The animation
might be a bit scaled back since it was done for TV, but it is still impressive
and enjoyable.
I’m sorry I missed Kung
Fu Panda Holiday when it was on TV, but I’m glad I got a chance to see it
now. Any fan of the franchise will enjoy
seeing their friends again every December.
NOTE: I watched this as part of the Dreamworks Holiday Collection, which I received in exchange for my honest review.
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