Family Home Theater

Grade: B+
Entire family: Yes
2011, 91 min., Color
Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence
DreamWorks/Twentieth Century Fox
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Featured audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Bonus features: B (same extra disc as on original rerelease)
Includes: DVD, Bonus Disc, Digital HD
Trailer
Amazon link

Thoughts I had about Kung Fu Panda 2 as I watched it for the first time:

Hey, this sequel is as good as the original.
Sequels—especially animated action movies—often suffer from brain drain. Once the origin story has been told, what’s left for the characters to do? More action? Usually, and often at the expense of character development. But that doesn’t happen to Po (Jack Black), who became the Dragon Warrior in the first installment.

Huh, it’s actually a second origin story.
If the first film had me seeing elements of Star Wars, this second one had a Superman vibe. Like young Clark Kent, Po is found as an infant and raised by someone else, and of course like Clark Kent little Po grows up to be a superhero who is tasked with responding to all threats against their community. Despite their different species, it never occurs to Po—now so famous that children play with his action figure as well as the Furious Five—that he might be adopted, which he discovers in Kung Fu Panda 2. Mr. Ping the noodlemaker (James Hong) is worried that his son might abandon him, as he sets off to learn the truth about his origin and also stop Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), an albino peacock, from taking over all of China. As a result, there’s as much action and as much room for Po to grow as there was in the original Kung Fu Panda.

The animation actually kicks it up a notch.
The peacock fight scenes are especially mesmerizing because of their combination of grace and implied power. Long shots and action scenes are this film’s strengths—no doubt one reason why it received a Best Animated Feature Film Oscar nomination. That Rango won instead probably is a reflection of one thing:

The plot of Kung Fu Panda 2 is essentially the same as Kung Fu Panda.
Po tries to find himself in the first film—the son of a noodlemaker who seems destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, though he dreams of being a kung fu warrior—and he does in this one too. Action will help him arrive at a point of recognition, but instead of a former pupil of Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) who escapes from prison and threatens to take over China, it’s the son of a Peacock Dynasty that invented fireworks who turns his parents’ good invention into something bad by creating gunpowder, cannons, and cannonballs that Poe and the others must fight. Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chen), Viper (Lucy Liu), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross) return to fight like animal Avengers, along with two new characters, Master Ox (Dennis Haysbert) and Master Croc (Jean-Claude Van Damme). Still, despite the warmed-over plot, the action is different enough and the writing and the animation are strong enough to make you overlook any similarities.

Looks like the filmmakers had a trilogy in mind from the very beginning.
We don’t realize until Kung Fu Panda 2, which picks up shortly after the action of the first film had ended, that there’s a three-movie narrative arc. Po’s revelation that he’s adopted and the film’s ending make that perfectly clear.

Beware of several “Bambi’s mother” moments.
There are a few more sad scenes in the sequel than there were in the first movie, because you’re dealing with death and feelings of abandonment and/or rejection, and because the comic relationship between Po and his adoptive father turns more serious at several junctures. Small children might need a little coaching along the way. Or else, heck, you could just let them find their own way, as filmgoing children have been doing for generations now.

But what sense does it make to include identical bonus discs on both rereleases?
In addition to an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a short voice talents feature, for whatever reason DreamWorks/Fox decided to include the same bonus disc of content on this rerelease as on the Kung Fu Panda rerelease. So if you buy both films on DVD you’ll find yourselves with an extra disc.

Language: n/a
Sex: n/a
Violence: More intense action than the first, especially since Po absorbs more punishment
Adult situations: Those few Bambi’s mother moments of off-camera loss or implied loss
Takeaway: The Kung Fu Panda series is that rare model of consistency that Hollywood too often seems incapable of producing, especially in animated “franchises.” 

Grade: B+
Entire family: Yes
2008, 92 min., Color
Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action
Dreamworks/Twentieth Century Fox
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Featured audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Bonus features: A- (extra disc)
Includes: DVD, Bonus Disc, Digital HD
Trailer
Amazon link

Twentieth Century Fox decided to rerelease Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 to coincide with the January 29 theatrical debut of the much-anticipated Kung Fu Panda 3. And when I say “much anticipated” I’m not talking about anyone who lives in my house.

It took two weeks before I could even convince my two teens to finally watch the original Kung Fu Panda with me. I have to admit, I don’t blame them. The previews made it look like an all-action/no-cleverness Saturday morning formula cartoon. Maybe the studio was playing to the lowest common denominator, but if the trailer had included a couple of the many clever lines and character-driven moments instead of all that wax-on wax-off stuff, we would have watched it LONG ago.

Though critics who’ve seen the second sequel at early screenings have said #3 is the best of the bunch, the original film turns out to be a tough one to beat. In it, a Panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) could be the alter ego for any number of slacker kids who aren’t yet ready to face up to their potential, though that potential is all but proven by a dream for the future that they have. In Po’s case, he wants to be a Kung Fu master, like Master Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Master Viper (Lucy Liu), Master Monkey (Jackie Chan), Master Mantis (Seth Rogen), and Master Crane (David Cross)—though he was “born” into a family business, a noodle shop—and I use air quotes because in Kung Fu Panda his dad (James Hong) is a goose. Is Po adopted? Is this cross-species family a writer’s joke? Could be, because it made us smile. And Po turns out to be the perfect hero for all the kids who have been told they are too short, too tall, too chubby, too uncoordinated, or too dumb to reach goals so lofty you’d have to call them dreams.

Po’s dad expects him to carry on the family business—a familiar trope—but destiny intervenes. When Po devises a fireworks way of launching himself into the courtyard of the temple so he can witness the coronation of the Dragon Warrior, a chosen one who can defeat the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane), he launches himself right into the middle of the affair. And a tortoise grand master (Randall Duk kim) anoints him the chosen one. Hey, if he falls out of the sky, he must be right? Because there are no accidents.

Well, except for a visit to check on the security of the prison where the villain is kept immobilized, which goes horribly wrong. With an escape impending and doom just around the corner, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) has no time at all to train Po to become the Kung Fu master he always aspired to, and the Dragon Warrior he reluctantly becomes. Star Wars fans will also recognize a familiar pupil-gone-to-the-dark-side storyline.

But the film’s familiar action-oriented plot doesn’t come close to telling the whole story of this film, which is brought to life by sharp dialogue, terrific animation, and voice talents who can take that dialogue and use it to make their characters distinctive and sympathetic—and none more so than Po.

This reissue comes with a bonus disc of special features. The main ones are three short Kung Fu Panda “Secrets” films: “Secrets of the Furious Five” (2008, 25 min.), “Secrets of the Masters” (2011, 23 min.), and “Secrets of the Scroll” (2013, 23 min.). These direct-to-video shorts capitalized on the popularity of the full-length features, and while they’ll entertain young ones, the animation isn’t up to the standards of the feature films—which are really quite impressive in their animation and set, character, and background designs. The other bonus features feel like filler: two mash-ups (blooper collections), a martial arts awesomeness music video, and a Kung Fu Panda 3 sneak peek, for those who haven’t gotten to the theater yet.

Language: n/a
Sex: n/a
Violence: Some moments of fighting-related peril
Adult situations: n/a
Takeaway: Kung Fu Panda ought to have plenty of replay potential because it’s complex enough to satisfy with every new viewing.

Grade: B+/B
Entire family: Yes
2015, 91 min., Color
Rated PG for action and rude humor
Universal
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Featured audio: English Atmos Dolby TrueHD
Bonus features: B+
Includes: 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD
Trailer
Amazon link

I can’t tell you how resistant my family was to seeing this film. From the previews it looked like nothing more than a cutesy money-driven sequel aimed at children young enough to want to run to the store to buy a plush Minion doll or grab a Minion onesie off the rack to wear to bed.

Turns out it is a cute film, sure to please the little ones. But Minions is also surprisingly clever, with enough allusions and smart one-liners to keep older children and adults amused as well. Instead of a sequel we get a creative and funny origin story that explains where the Minions came from and how they came to serve Gru (voiced by Steve Carell)—the villain from Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013).

Would you believe they’re prehistoric? That they evolved (barely)? And that their entire purpose for living is to serve the most despicable master they can find?

Good, because that’s the premise. After a series of hilarious historical background scenes, we get to the present day and see how the little yellow guys with limited language skills manage to tap into a secret TV channel announcing a villainous version of Comic-Con. Since the Minions seek a new villainous master, this comes as a revelation, and they head for the convention in Orlando, Fla., hoping to find just the right one.

Once there, like baby birds imprinting, they glom onto the deadly Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and her partner Herb (Jon Hamm). The last name will bring a smile to gamers’ faces, as it alludes to Overlord: Minions, a 2009 Nintendo DS game.

The voice actors really have a lot of fun with this film, and while Minions may not be as original or creative as Pixar’s Inside Out, it’s nearly as entertaining. Set in 1968, it features a lot of period gags. And while there comes a time toward the end of the second act where you begin to wonder whether the Minions are strong enough characters to carry a film, the third act pulls it all together.

Scarlet gives the Minions a test they need to pass, a Herculean task: to steal St. Edward’s Crown from the Tower of London. If they succeed, she will accept them as her very own minions. If they fail? It’s off with their heads. The stakes are high but it’s hard to take anything seriously when three Minions—Kevin, Bob, and Stuart—bumble their way across London. And when Bob pulls the Excalibur from the stone? Suddenly he is crowned ruler of England instead of Scarlet . . . and you didn’t want to make HER angry. Gru eventually makes an appearance, but for the most part it’s all about Kevin, Bob, and Stuart (voiced by co-director Pierre Coffin) and their encounter with would-be masters Scarlet and Herb.

Sight gags abound, so even children too young to get the verbal jokes will have plenty to laugh about. Movie fans will have flashbacks to any number of films as the three hitchhiking Minions are picked up by a family (Michael Keaton, Allison Janney) that turns out to be headed to Villain-Con themselves . . . as villains. It’s a fun origin film, and our family enjoyed it only a little less than the original and a lot more than the sequel.

This is the 3D combo pack, and the 3D version is a mixed bag. Children will love how often objects break the plane of the television monitor or how things like lava guns seem to be poking right at you. But the depth of field isn’t as good as Disney-Pixar’s recent release of Inside Out, and the lighting could be better. It’s fun to watch with the glasses on, but if you don’t already have 3D capability and are wondering whether to buy the 3D to prepare for the future or go with the standard Blu-ray, I’d have to say that I enjoyed the Blu-ray at least as much—maybe even more, because of the brightness factor.

As it turns out, Minions did better at the box office than either of the first two films—more than $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the second highest animated feature ever (behind Frozen). And for a bunch of little yellow guys, that’s a pretty big deal—whether in 3D or 2D.

Grade: B+
Entire family: Yes
2015, 94 min., Color
Rated PG for mild thematic elements and some action
Disney-Pixar
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Featured audio: English DTS-HDMA 7.1
Bonus features: B
Includes: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital HD
Trailer
Amazon link

How do you jazz up an otherwise common story about a young girl who has a hard time adjusting to her family’s move from Minnesota to San Francisco? If you’re Pixar, you personify her emotions and show them inside a control room interacting with each other as young Riley experiences a range of different and sometimes complex and conflicted feelings. And you give those cartoon-character emotions a save-the-day mission that turns the focus of this film Inside Out.

First-time animated feature director Ronnie Del Carmen is paired with Minnesotan and seasoned director Pete Docter (Up, Monsters, Inc.) for this CGI animated comedy-drama-adventure—the 15^th full-length from Pixar and the studio’s first since 2013’s Monsters University.

Inside Out is a clever film about the inner self, but “clever” is the operative word. As creative as the concept is, for some reason it’s not as easy to become as emotionally involved with the characters as it has been with previous Pixar movies—which is ironic, since the main characters ARE emotions. People familiar with the old Sunday night Disney TV shows may be reminded of the Ludwig von Drake episodes in which Professor Von Drake explained various scientific phenomena and mechanical functions through the use of illustrated cartoons. That’s how Inside Out feels: Here ist how za emotions verk inside za body!

The concept is introduced when Riley is born and we see emotions in a control room looking up at the parents from Riley’s point of view, so we understand instantly that the baby’s first expression of delight is linked to the anthropomorphic character in the control room. Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) is behind all of Riley’s joyful reactions, the one responsible for her smiles and laughter. Score a goal later in life, as this young hockey player does, and it’s pure Joy! Sit in a new classroom feeling suddenly alienated, and that’s where Sadness (Phyllis Smith) steps in. Other core emotions are Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling).

Memories are represented by different colored balls, some of which are defined as core memories, ones that have a lasting impact. Older children will appreciate Pixar’s attempt to make sense of emotions and the human psyche, creating visuals to explain a complicated terrain that includes various “islands” representing collective memories of family on one and aspects of personality on others. Then there’s a memory dump where memories go to fade and die, a long-term memory repository, and a punning “train of thought.” Younger children may find such details may be too complicated to understand, but they’ll still likely get caught up in the action and the interaction between the emotions and the ways in which they are reflected in the life of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias).

Joy is the one who coordinates things, cheerleads, and generally tries to keep everything together. But when she and Sadness are accidentally vacuumed up by a pneumatic tube that deposits memories in long-term storage, it’s up to Anger, Disgust and Fear to try to “control” Riley’s emotional state until Joy and Sadness return. Along the way we’re introduced to Bing Bong (Richard Kind), Riley’s version of Puff the Magic Dragon—her imaginary childhood friend—and a “recall tube.”

There’s a message here among the memories, and it’s simple: while Joy may be the most desirable, other emotions have their place—especially sadness, whose primary function is to alert Joy when someone needs to be comforted or lifted up out of their funk. Inside Out is an ambitious attempt to make sense of children’s feelings and to help them understand those feelings. How successful is it? That depends on whom you ask. My wife and I enjoyed the film but didn’t think it ranked among the best that Pixar has made. We gave it a B. Our teens—maybe because teens are so aware of their emotions—thought it was an A- because “it was different, it was creative.” And yeah, it’s hard to argue with that.

3D option:  If you have 3D capability, get this title in the 3D combo pack, which includes a Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. It’s by far one of the best 3D presentations I’ve seen. Things may not fly out at you the way they do at Disney’s 3D theme park shows, but the spatial depth created and the superior edge delineation really adds a lot to the viewing experience. In fact, Inside Out seems the kind of movie that was made for 3D. As of November 23, it’s on sale at Amazon for $25.19, and that’s only three dollars and change more than the standard Blu-ray combo pack. If you want to hedge your bets in case you might decide to get 3D in the future, it’s well worth the upgrade.