Kung Fu Panda 4 (Collector’s Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Mike Mitchell (Co-Directed by Stephanie Ma Stine)

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis (VOICES)

Release Date: May 28, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

Synopsis:

Jack Black returns as Po, the world’s most unlikely kung fu master, in this butt-kicking new chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4. After learning he must find a new hero to take over as Dragon Warrior so that he may fulfill his destiny as the next spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, Po decides to take one last adventurous mission. He teams up with a quick-witted thief named Zhen, a corsac fox, to discover the truth about recent sightings of villains he’s defeated in the past. In a journey that puts both to the test, it will take a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon, to bring them together and perhaps remind Po that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ rejoins Po as he is confronted with one of his most terrifying challenges yet; the prospect of planning for his future and what comes after his memorable actions as the dragon warrior. But Po will quickly discover that this may be less concerning than word that a dangerous new enemy called The Chameleon is attempting to resurrect his biggest enemies from the land of the dead in order to claim their power for her own. With the Furious Five away on other business, Po must join forces with a clever thief named Zhen, a corsac fox who just may be the only one that can help him find this new threat, although the two will first have to make it to their destination without taking each other down.

Directed this time around by Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After, Trolls) and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine (TV’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) who each do a fully capable job at the helm of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ guiding along the witty fun, humor and excitement with care from a screenplay written by Jonathan Aibel (Kung Fu Panda) & Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda 2) and Darren Lemke (Turbo). The cast of the new film features numerous new and returning stars from the series and includes Jack Black (The Super Mario Bros. Movie), Awkwafina (The Bad Guys), Viola Davis (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Dustin Hoffman (The Tale of Despereaux), Bryan Cranston (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted), James Hong (TV’s Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai), Ian McShane (Coraline), and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) who each contribute nicely to the fun of the latest sequel.

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ is another enjoyable, funny, action-packed and beautifully animated outing with everyone’s favorite heroic panda as Po must tackle planning for his future which includes choosing a new Dragon Warrior to take his place, while also forced to confront a deadly new enemy who has the power to appear as anyone they choose. The latest adventure delivers plenty of heart, action-packed excitement and no shortage of laughs, although it does feature many new characters while simultaneously excluding many other key ones from the previous films which has an effect on the tone and vibe of the sequel throughout. Fortunately a noteworthy new baddie in addition to a potential new ally and some hilarious violence-loving bunnies all help it to still provide ample amounts of enjoyment that will give fans of all ages plenty to stay excited about.

Jack Black falls perfectly into the character yet again and his love for the role is quite evident as one can almost feel a sense of joy in his voice as Po and you have to appreciate that the filmmakers repeatedly find ways to advance the character’s journey or build his world uniquely in one form or another every time around. Fans of the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ franchise that haven’t yet had a chance to check out the latest film definitely won’t want to miss out on this new animated adventure and even if it doesn’t manage to quite reach the level of excellence that the previous films did, it still has more than enough to offer in order to keep fans young and old glued to the screen from start to finish.

Overall, ‘Kun Fu Panda 4’ serves up another largely rewarding helping of laughs, heart and action-packed family fun with Po and some friends new and old. The latest sequel doesn’t quite manage to reach the same level of wonder and joy that its predecessors did, but it certainly doesn’t fall flat or disappoint either. Featuring some notable new characters and many returning favorites, it sees Po trying to find a path for his future while at the same time forced to confront and a dangerous new villain who has plans to become his most deadly opponent yet. It’s another quite solid outing for the entire family that manages to establish some new elements in our hero’s story as well as looking toward the future, although the absence of some key characters is definitely felt throughout the tale this time around. If you’re a fan of the series then you’ll definitely want to give ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ a watch whenever you have the time and just like the previous three installments it should make a great selection for a family movie night.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks outstanding across the board and provides a flawless presentation that’s rich, sharp and immaculately detailed from start to finish; never becoming affected by any issues or imperfections. Detail and clarity is impressive and noticeable on characters, clothing, the expansive landscapes and various interior settings, along with nearly everything else appearing onscreen at one point or another. The Dolby Vision HDR only complements it all the more by providing some deep, lifelike colors on clothing and nature elements, plus plenty more along the way. Overall, this is a fantastic Ultra High Definition video presentation that dazzles at every turn and should thrill fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is a constant treat itself and serves up a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout. It constantly takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, action effects, portals between worlds and nature effects in addition to a great deal more regularly zipping throughout the various speakers while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements to become distorted or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a marvelous Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that’s repeatedly fun and immersive and should have fans and newcomers extremely satisfied.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ provides a nice serving of bonus content that includes an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Mike Mitchell, Co-Director Stephanie Ma Stine, Production Designer Paul Duncan, Head of Story Calvin Tsang, and Head of Character Animation Sean Sexton’, in addition to the new animated short ‘Dueling Dumplings with an Introduction by Jack Black and Awkwafina’. We’re also treated to a couple of ‘Deleted Scenes’ from the film (running approximately 2 minutes in length altogether), along with some Featurettes, How-To and other fun videos including ‘Kung Fu Talking’ (running approximately 2 minutes), ‘Kung Fu Panda 4 All!’ (approximately 8 minutes) and ‘Meet the Cast’ videos that include Po, Zhen, The Chameleon and The Dads (approximately 14 minutes altogether). Various How to Videos are also featured including ‘Mastering the Dumpling’ (6 minutes), ‘Shadow Puppet Theater’ (8 minutes) and ‘How to Draw’ tutorials for Po, Zhen, The Chameleon and The Bad Bunnies (25 minutes altogether).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10

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‘Kung Fu Panda 4: Collector’s Edition’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from DreamWorks Animation & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ on 4K UHD at Amazon Here!

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