"Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five" is a short film that runs for slightly over 20 minutes and came out a couple months after the very first "Kung Fu Panda" back in 2008, probably as a DVD feature. Since then there is a second movie, several other short films and even a television series. The third feature movie will come out in 2016. In this short here, Po tells us and a class of rabbits 5 little stories about Kung Fu masters. It's really more about morale than comedy although here and there you find some slapstick. It's certainly suitable for children and especially those who enjoy the movies should like it too. My favorite from the stories is the second one about the snakes (maybe an 8/10) as it perfectly illustrates the biological aspects of venomous and constrictor snakes and I quite liked the way they displayed it with all these bands.The director Raman Hui has worked on quite a few animated movies and was the co-director of the third "Shrek" movie. The animation style in this "Kung Fu Panda" short is very similar to the full length movies. What I also found interesting were the different animal motives in the sequences, such as sheep for helpless and intimidated animals and crocodiles and bulls for antagonists. There's probably more. This one here won 4 Annie Awards (animation Oscars) and I can see why. I had a good time watching and I recommend it.

This is an animation short that ties in with the first Kung Fu Panda films with Po the panda ropes in by Shifu to teach the philosophy of Kung Fu to a group of young bunnies at a martial arts school. However it is not the crash bang wallop of Kung Fu that Po teaches but the positive traits that each of the Furious Five developed.So you have flashbacks of the Furious Five and how they developed their skills and the virtues they developed. It avoids preachiness and younger viewers would be highly entertained.The animation is very good and up to feature film standard and they have attracted an all star cast for the voices.

After being pleasantly surprised with Kung Fu Panda, I decided to check out this direct-to-video feature packaged with the DVD release. Now, if you look at this as direct-to-video, it's not bad. They certainly come much, MUCH worse. But if you're expecting something as satisfying as the source film, you will be let down. You'll also be let down if you expect all the originals actors to be present. This is something that would be right at home on Saturday morning television. There are a few CG scenes here, but the feature mainly uses the stylized 2d technique seen at the beginning of Kung Fu Panda. Nothing's wrong with that. What really sinks this for me is the poor story. Everything about this feature "dumbs down" the plot of its source material reducing the origins of these important characters to simple morality tales. It takes the easy road on these potentially deep characters and ends up being a bit of a letdown.

Well, lets just say that the producers did not try on making this side feature. It doesn't look like its too much beyond story board. The only tie-in is the whole Kung Fu Panda part.Anyway, you get to see little bits a pieces of the 5 main characters aside from Jack Black's panda. Yes, to the serious fan of the movie I guess they are OK. But to anybody else, they are a waste of time. And there is nothing more than that.Overall, not much can be said. It isn't good and its not even in CGI. Lets hope next time they can make a side feature that actually has the same animation skill as the main feature. "F"