4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: KUNG FU PANDA 4

Home » 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: KUNG FU PANDA 4

Jun 04 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Skadoosh! Everyone’s favorite Kung Fu Panda has returned for his fourth feature film outing. Po (Jack Black) has become quite comfortable in his role as Dragon Warrior and protector of the Valley of Peace. Before Grand Master Oogway ascended into the Spirit Realm, he had gifted Po with his Staff of Wisdom, which gives its holder the ability to unlock the door to the spirit realm and travel between the realms. Po’s mentor, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), tells Po that it is time that he become the new Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace, and that he must choose his successor to be the next Dragon Warrior. However, the idea of moving on scares Po—he doesn’t feel like he’s ready to be an inspirational leader to anyone. He can’t even come up with a simple pearl of wisdom to impart. He would be happy just continuing to be the Dragon Warrior.

One day, while trying to find his inner peace, Po sees a thief enter the Hall of Heroes, and heads inside to stop her. He faces off with the cocky, sarcastic, quick-witted corsac fox, Zhen (Awkwafina), who underestimates Po. He may not look the part of a Dragon Warrior, but Po manages to outmaneuver and capture Zhen, and has her placed in prison. However, shortly afterwards, Po discovers that Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has somehow returned from Spirit Realm to once again wreak havoc. Zhen makes a passive comment to Po as he is leaving, suggesting that she actually knows more about what is happening—that it is a shape-shifting sorceress known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis) who has been impersonating Tai Lung. The Chameleon is plotting to capture the abilities of all of the great maters in the Spirit Realm, and use those powers to rule the world. Zhen tells Po that she can help him locate The Chameleon in exchange for getting her out of prison. He reluctantly agrees, seeing this adventure as one last hurrah for the Dragon Warrior. And so Po and Zhen set out for Juniper City, to find and stop The Chameleon before she can enact her villainous plan.

Po soon learns that his legend as the Dragon Warrior hasn’t really made it beyond the Valley of Peace. No one has heard of him or of his exploits.
Along the journey, Po and Zhen get help from various new characters, including boat captain Fish (Ronny Chieng)—an actual fish living in a pelican’s mouth. They also cross paths with Zhen’s old network of thieves and cutthroats, such as Han (Ke Huy Quan)—a Sunda pangolin leading a group of misfits in the big city—and a trio of innocent-looking but deadly bunnies. Meanwhile, Po’s dads, Li (Bryan Cranston) and Mr. Ping (James Hong), grow concerned that their son went off with a convicted felon to find/fight an evil sorceress, and decide to go on a road trip of their own to find and protect their son.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is another thoroughly entertaining installment of the franchise. As the film started, I was quickly reminded of why I love these movies. With fun characters, witty, pun-filled dialogue, and lots of great action, how can you not be entertained. Jack Black is hilarious as the dim-witted but skilled and ever-positive panda. The film gives him this interesting journey of self discovery, where he’s been tasked with advancing to the next level, but first must overcome his fear of change, and find the spiritual leader inside of him. The film also brings back Po’s adoptive father, Mr. Ping—voiced by the iconic James Hong, who always brings so much heart and humor to these films—as well as Po’s biological father Li, voiced by the amazing Bryan Cranston—who has some humorous nods to Breaking Bad in this film. We also get more of Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, who’s usually comedically frustrated by something Po is doing.

Some viewers may be disappointed that the Furious Five aren’t a part of this latest film—early on it is briefly mentioned that they are “off on super cool Kung Fu missions”. However, I never really felt myself thinking about the fact that they weren’t there. This allowed Po to really grow and take care of the mission himself, it also opened up the story to have this fun buddy road trip between Li and Ping to assist Po, and it also gave us some fun new characters. I really enjoyed Awkwafina as Zhen. It feels like perfect casting as Zhen reminds me a lot of the type of character she typically plays, both animated and live-action. She had this quick-witted, rapid way of speaking, and she always seems to be up to something. Po and Zhen have this really fun relationship and chemistry as they play off one another. Po is more of the laid back country guy, while Zhen is more of this street-smart city girl, and together they make the perfect team. We also meet a lot of other fun characters along the way, such as Granny Boar (voiced by Awkwafina’s hilarious Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens co-star Lori Tan Chinn) who owns a tavern Po & Zhen stop in. And there’s many other humorous thieves and crooks from Zhen’s past who live in the city. Viola Davis is wonderful as the deliciously evil The Chameleon. Even while she’s plotting to take over the world, we get to see a lighter, more fun side to this character as she interacts with her henchmen and the other crime family heads she’s forcing to do her bidding.

Overall, Kung Fu Panda 4 has everything you could want in another installment of the franchise—character growth, humor, witty puns and dialogue, beautiful locales, and lots of great action.

Universal has released Kung Fu Panda 4 on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. We received the 4K release for review. The 4K video with its Dolby Vision color grading looks amazing. The crisp, clean picture captures the fur and textures of the animal characters and landscapes in tremendous detail. The color pallet is rich and beautiful, whether it’s bright and sunny, or Po is fighting someone during a dark and stormy night. The film features some amazing-looking new locations. In addition to the familiar Valley of Peace, Po’s latest adventure sends him to a raucous tavern on top of a cliff, as well as Juniper City, which couldn’t be any more different than the more natural and peaceful Valley. It’s filled with tall buildings, traffic, and all kinds of different characters. The film also features some wonderful, cinematic-looking oners, where the camera just weaves through the scenes without any cuts.

The audio track is also top notch, making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to provide a fully immersive experience. This is especially noticeable during action/fight sequences and the storms. Dialogue is clear throughout, and the score is so delightful, especially this Asianized orchestral version of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” during a chase scene through the city. There’s also a really fun Jack Black version of “…Baby One More Time” during the end credits.

I first saw this film in 3D in the theater, and wish that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment had also offered a 3D disc option. While that is not the case, at least fans with devices that support it can get the 3D version in digital format via Fandango at Home, like Universal previously offered for Migration, Trolls Band Together & Super Mario Bros. Movie. I really appreciate this and hope they continue to at least offer digital 3D as an option for these animated films!

The 4K release includes both a 4K disc and a Blu-ray disc, which come packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, along with an embossed cardboard slipcover, and an insert containing a code to redeem for a 4K MA digital copy of the film. Both discs contain the same bonus material—an animated short, 2 deleted scenes, about 25 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/filmmakers, a filmmaker commentary, and several instructional videos for activities to do at home.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:33:38)

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus, French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 6/30/2025):

4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

Dueling Dumplings (3:13)
Jack Black and Awkwafina provide an introduction to this short, which finds Po and Zhen battling it out to prove whose dumplings reign supreme—Po’s Valley dumplings or Zhen’s chive dumplings from Juniper City.
Deleted Scenes (1:51)
Collection of 2 deleted scenes presented in rough black & white animatic format. Play All, or select from:
- Dads on the Trail (:57)
  Ping and Li talk about their worries as they walk along the trail.
- Mahjong (:51)
  Ping, Li, Zhen and Shifu play Mahjong before discovering one of them is cheating.
Kung Fu Talking (2:26)
Head to the recording booth to see the cast recording and flubbing their lines and just having fun. Includes co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, and stars Jack Black (“Po”), Awkwafina (“Zhen”), James Hong (“Mr. Ping”), Viola Davis (“The Chameleon”), Dustin Hoffman (“Shifu”), Ronny Chieng (“Fish”), Bryan Cranston (“Li”), Ke Huy Quan (“Han”) & Ian McShane (“Tai Lung”).
Meet the Cast (13:46)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the main characters, their journeys, and the actors behind the voices. Includes recording booth footage, and interviews with co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, director/executive producer Mike Mitchell, and stars Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston & James Hong. Play All, or select from:
- Po (3:59)
- Zhen (3:17)
- The Chameleon (3:04)
- The Dads (3:23)
Kung Fu Panda 4 All!! (8:05)
Director/executive producer Mike Mitchell as well as many members of the cast and crew gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. They look at the characters, the cast, the new “GoPo” camera shots that put the viewer into the action, the new locations, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, concept artwork, animatics, fight scene pre-vis footage, and interviews with co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, head of character animation Sean Sexton, production designer Paul Duncan, head of effects Jason Mayer, art director Peter Maynez, head of locations Youxi Woo, and stars Jack Black, Awwafina, Viola Davis & Ronny Chieng.
Mastering the Dumpling (6:16)
Jack Black joins influencers Helen and Philip Wang to learn how to make traditional Chinese pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings.
How to Draw (25:03)
Animators/artists teach viewers how to draw some of the characters from the film. Play All, or select from:
- Po (4:37) – Head of Character Animation Sean Sexton
- Zhen (4:52) – Animation Supervisor Patrick Giusiano
- The Chameleon (7:39) – Animation Supervisor Ludovic Bouancheau
- The Bad Bunnies (7:53) – Head of Character Animation Sean Sexton
Shadow Puppet Theater (8:06)
This narrated featurette teaches viewers how to create their own Shadow Puppet Theater out of a cereal box. Then, head of character animation Sean Sexton & animation supervisor Patrick Giusiano teach viewers how to draw silhouette versions of the characters that can be brought to life in the puppet theater.
Feature Commentary (1:33:38)
The filmmakers provide a really entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film, sharing lots of stories about the production, pointing out Easter eggs, talking about how the story evolved and changed, and more. The participants include director Mike Mitchell, co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, production designer Paul Duncan, head of character animation Sean Sexton, and head of story Calvin Tsang. This is definitely worth a listen for fans of the movie.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Highly Recommended

Kung Fu Panda 4 is a really fun and entertaining fourth installment in the popular film franchise. While some of the usual characters may be missing this time around (the Furious Five), there are some great new characters to take their place. Jack Black and Awkwafina are hilarious together, and Viola Davis makes a wonderful new villain. Universal’s 4K release looks and sounds amazing (I can’t imagine the presentation being ay better), and the disc contains some solid bonus material. This is a must own for fans of the franchise, and highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun, family-friendly animated movie.