Po the Panda is back to master Kung Fu, fight villains and, ultimately, discover the truth about his own identity.
This branded tie in for the iPad arrived in the App Store just in time for the release of the new film with the same name. Po is working on finding inner peace, a necessary part of his Kung Fu training. Along the way (as is often the case in silver-screen blockbusters) conflicts ensue, action commences and resolution is ultimately found. An articulate narrator tells the story, with help from the film’s cast, including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman (audio clips from the movie provide all dialogue). The visuals are taken straight from the computer graphics of the film, which means that images are vibrant, laser-sharp and as close to 3D as they can be without actually being 3D. There are three ways to read the story: read-to-me, read-it-myself, or fully automated (in which page turns are mechanized). Beyond page-turning and highlighted text, the only interactive element is the “Create-A-Scene” feature, which functions much like a glorified sticker book. However, the beautiful graphics and the creative fusion of narration with actual audio from the film will quite likely put fans of the Dreamworks movie over the moon.
A motionless but gorgeous adaptation of a slick Hollywood kid flick. (iPad storybook app. 5-9)
