Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kung Fu Panda copy has violence, some name-calling.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Legend of Kung Fu Rabbit
What's the Story?
Fu (Jon Heder) is a rabbit who enjoys cooking. But when he takes in a poisoned elderly monkey who's a kung fu master, the master, through telepathy, passes along to Fu all his knowledge of kung fu, on the condition that Fu return a magical tablet to his daughter Penny. This leads Fu to Capital City, where he unwittingly takes on a job in a high-stress kitchen and draws the ire of Slash (Michael Clarke Duncan), an evil leader who has taken over Capital City. It's up to Fu to find Penny, find a way to defeat Slash, and realize that he has more kung fu knowledge than he ever dreamed possible.
Is It Any Good?
The quality of the computer animation isn't the worst, but it certainly isn't the best. For families who have not seen Kung Fu Panda or Kung Fu Panda 2, your best bet is avoiding this movie and going straight to the original source. Although some recognizable talent (Jon Heder, Tom Arnold, Rebecca Black, Michael Clarke Duncan) lent their voices to this Chinese computer-animated feature, the bottom line is that the similarities between this movie and Kung Fu Panda are too numerous to be ignored. Furthermore, some of the voicings of the other characters (for instance, Biggie) are potentially annoying. Families familiar with Kung Fu Panda can expect to have a field day pointing out all these similarities, and it just might be more entertaining than the actual movie.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about movies that are similar to other movies. Why do you think this movie has so many similarities to Kung Fu Panda?
How does this movie compare with other kung fu-themed movies in terms of violence?
What is your opinion on the quality of the computer animation?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : September 24, 2013
- Cast : Jon Heder , Tom Arnold , Michael Clarke Duncan
- Director : Lijun Sun
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Martial arts action and brief mild language.
- Last updated : October 10, 2021
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