Kung Fu Panda 2 - 2 Disk DVD/Blu Ray Combo

My family got a great movie package to review this holiday season and it's one of those that we'll watch all year round - Kung Fu Panda 2 / Secrets of the Masters (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy).  

Featuring an all-star cast of voice talent including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride and Jean-Claude Van Damme, KUNG FU PANDA 2 offers us a story for the whole family to share:

In the Valley of Peace, Po Ping is revelling in his fulfilled dreams as he serves as the fabled Dragon Warrior protecting his home with his heroes now his closest friends. However, Po and company learn that the murderous Lord Shen of Gongman City is threatening the land with a fearsome new weapon that could mean the end of kung fu. They attempt to stop him, but the panda is burdened with crippling memory flashbacks linked to this villain. Now with China in the balance, Po must learn about his past and find true inner peace against all opposition.

and we also got this cool bonus: 

In the action-filled companion story Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters, Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu’s greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox and Master Croc.  Kids can then follow in Po’s footsteps to become a kung fu master with Kung Fu Panda World, the virtual online game universe where kids create avatars, play games with their favorite characters, win points towards earning a kung fu black belt, chat with friends and more.

Both of my boys, their papa and Robyn were all entranced by the Kung Fu Panda 2 DVD!  This story was a great stand alone movie, but even better if you have seen the first Kung Fu Panda!  As a sequel, it told a new story and introduced some interesting new characters that helped keep the movie fresh and interesting and, like the first movie, there was a good mix of kid friendly action and a few tidbits thrown in for adults to enjoy!  I really appreciated that this movie was good for everyone in the house - from keeping my one year old entertained to providing enough to keep my thirteen year old and her sixty-something grandfather entertained too!  

I have to say that the second disc Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters wasn't to my father-in-law's cup of tea, but the boys seemed to enjoy it and will watch it again.  Neither of my boys is able to take advantage of the virtual world - Erik's too young and it's too complicated for Liam right now, but it's nice to know that there are some extensions to the DVD for kids who are really into Kung Fu Panda!

I wish we had blu-ray so that we could take advantage of all of the cool bonus features, but so far we've found printable coloring pages, deleted scenes and more while exploring the bonus features on both discs.

If you liked the first movie, or even if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking out Kung Fu Panda 2 / Secrets of the Masters (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) as a way to beat the Winter Blues with your family!