My Episode Review on Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters

Greetings and salutations, my friends.

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, for my 35th episode analysis, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters".

Here's the rundown of this tale:

Flying Rhino, Thundering Ox, and Croc are three street fighters who strive to achieve fame and fortune.

However, when the devious Wu sisters escape from prison, Master Oogway decides to assign Rhino, Ox, and Croc to capture them and bring them to justice.

Will the trio succeed in their quest? Or will they fail?

What's more, are money and fame truly the riches that they seek? Or is it something else?

This short was a little something that came as its own DVD, coming with Kung Fu Panda 2 as a combo pack. Since this was one out of many Kung Fu Panda televisions specials, I figured to myself, "What the heck? Why not do a review on this one first since I have my own copy of it?". So, I did exactly that.

I really must say, this short was something that I found to be fun and enjoyable beyond compare.

For instance, the animation of this special was splendid.

I know that this was obviously made with quite a small budget, but everything about the animation felt extremely cinematic! The computer animation was definitely splendid, and it very much captured the look of the second film. The hand-drawn animation, though...was the best out of all of them! Its visualization was incredibly reminiscent to that of a Chinese mural crafted by hand.

The performances of the cast, characters, and character development were pretty spot-on too. I loved how into it the performers were, and they sounded like they were having a lot of fun with their material. The developments of Rhino, Ox, and Croc in particular were some of the most astounding that I've ever watched, because it was incredible to see the three transform from guys that merely look out for number one to noble heroes. Plus, the Wu sisters were amazing antagonists.

The direction by Tony Leondis, and the story by Todd Berger and Paul McEvoy, were brilliant as well.

They're not the same filmmakers behind the movies, but they did a remarkable job at capturing the spirit of the films while extending themselves creatively. The humor they incorporated was hilarious, and there was a surprisingly vast amount of heart and emotion too. As the origin story of Rhino, Ox, and Croc, this special really rocked the house.

Finally, the music by Hans Zimmer, John Powell, and Lorne Balfe, was marvelous.

The composers did a wonderful job at making the score groundbreakingly cinematic and large, and the music contained spectacular personality and emotion to help the special come alive. The greatest thing about the music was that they composers were obviously not afraid of working on something smaller than a movie, and it feels like a lot of passion was put into it all.

In conclusion, "Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters" is a Kung Fu Panda special that provided a rollicking good time. Everything about it was entertaining and well-worked to a tee.

So, I rate "Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters" five out of five stars.