Kung Fu Panda 4 appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Computer animated films tend to look good on 4K, and the Dolby Vision Panda 4 presentation followed that rule.
Sharpness seemed solid across the board. The movie delivered satisfying definition and lacked even a hint of softness.
No signs of jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge haloes were absent. Of course, source flaws never manifested themselves.
Panda 4 opted for a somewhat pastel palette that favored no specific hues but instead boasted a nice blend of tones. The disc made the colors warm and rich. HDR added vivacity and flair to the hues as well.
Blacks were dark and deep, while low-light shots offered nice clarity and smoothness. Whites and contrast got a boost from HDR. This became a terrific visual presentation.
With Panda 4, we get a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, this mix offered a lively soundscape, especially during the many action sequences. Those fleshed out the spectrum in an involving way and gave us many chances for movement.
This allowed the surrounds to play an active role. The track worked well enough in the early stages but it picked up more as it went, especially as the film neared its climax. The various channels got a good workout in this engrossing soundscape.
Audio quality seemed pleasing. Speech always sounded distinctive and concise, while music was peppy and rich.
Effects offered solid reproduction, with clean highs and deep lows. I liked this mix and thought it gave the movie life.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? Both came with identical Atmos audio.
Though finished 2K, the Dolby Vision UHD’s HDR offered superior colors and blacks. I also felt it looked a tick tighter. While the BD offered fine visuals, the 4K topped it.
As we shift to extras, we launch with an audio commentary from director Mike Mitchell, co-director Stephanie Ma Stine, production designer Paul Duncan, head of character animation Sean Sexton and head of story Calvin Tsang. All five sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, music, editing and cut sequences, various design choices, influences and related topics.
Overall, this becomes a good commentary, and one with an amusing twist. Early in the discussion, we learn that the participants were told not to mention the names of other movies or TV shows.
Given how often they discuss influences, this turns into a struggle, and a funny one because the speakers often either forget to hide the identify of other projects or they try to tell us those tiles with not-very-vague references.
This helps give the commentary a lively feel, and we get plenty of useful information as well. Some DreamWorks commentaries can feel dry and mechanical, but this one balances the creative and technical elements well.
An exclusive animated short called Dueling Dumplings spans three minutes, 13 seconds. That includes a 30-second intro from actors Awkwafina and Jack Black.
At two minutes, 43 seconds, Dumplings becomes an awfully short short. Still, it offers some amusement, as does that intro.
Two Deleted Scenes appear: “Dads on the Trail” (0:57) and “Mahjong” (0:51). Both appear as story reels, so don’t expect formal animation.
“Dads” extends an existing scene, while “Mahjong” provides a tidbit that would’ve appeared at the film’s end. The latter becomes amusing but “Dads” adds too little to matter.
Some featurettes follow, and Kung Fu Talking fills two minutes, 26 seconds. Along with some promotional shots of actor Viola Davis, we see the actors in the studio here. The reel offers minor fun.
Meet the Cast breaks into four segments that occupy a total of 13 minutes, 46 seconds. Across these, we hear from Black, Awkwafina, Mitchell, Stine, and Davis.
We get basics about the characters as well as the actors’ performances. Expect a mix of fluff and a few decent insights.
Next comes Kung Fu Panda 4 All!, an eight-minute, five-second reel. It features Mitchell, Black, Stine, Sexton, Awkwafina, Davis, Duncan, head of effects Jason Mayer, art director Peter Maynez, head of locations Youxi Woo, and actors James Hong and Ronny Chieng.
“All” gives us thoughts about characters and design as well as cast/performances, animation and photography. This becomes another mix of useful notes and happy talk.
Mastering the Dumpling goes for six minutes, 16 seconds and features Black with podcaster Helen Wu and film producer Philip Wang as they teach us how to make dumplings.
Since they tell us at the start they’re not experts on the subject, it seems unclear why Wu and Wang lead this tutorial. With Black in tow, however, it becomes moderately entertaining in addition to its informational value.
With How to Draw, we get guided lessons so we can sketch Po (4:37 – led by Sexton), Zhen (4:52 – led by animation supervisor Patrick Giusiano), The Chameleon (7:39 – led by animation supervisor Ludovic Bouancheau) and The Bad Bunnies (7:53 – led by Sexton). A staple of bonus materials for animated films, these prove reasonably informative.
Shadow Puppet Theater runs eight minutes, six seconds and offers instructions on how to create homemade puppet shows. Kids may enjoy this.
A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Panda 4. It comes with the same extras as the 4K.
Eight years after the franchise’s prior entry, Kung Fu Panda 4 fails to bring new life to the series. Though it comes with minor entertainment value, it never seems better than mediocre and uninspired. The 4K UHD delivers strong picture and audio along with a decent array of bonus materials. Expect a lackluster animated tale here.
To rate this film visit the prior review of KUNG FU PANDA 4
