Author: Tracey Miller-Zarneke
Publisher: Insight Editions
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
Question: Why does a coffee table book have to be about furniture, or pictures of other people’s houses?
Answer: It does not. This is the perfect coffee table book (that is, after you have finished reading it) that needs to be shared with everyone that steps foot in your house (and then they need to buy their own copy). For all those adults that still like cartoons, but have a sense of style, this is for you. For adults and children alike that appreciate good artwork, this also is a book for you. Kung Fu Panda fans should already own this so there is no need to sell you with this review.
The oversized book is broken down into a Preface by Jack Black, then each character is detailed by both text and artwork. Moving on in the book we get The Dream Sequence, locations in the film, then a brief crew, acknowledgements and colophon at the end.
If you are one of those people who just want to know everything, like things that were changed before the movie (The panda worked in a chime shop before it became a noodle shop) as well as storyboard ideas and some of the concept art, you are in for a treat.
The oversized volume is huge, coming in at over 190 pages of glorious artwork. Director Mark Osborne tells us of how they envisioned the dramatic setting and background that they use to play out the comedy and we get a nice high level view of their thoughts regarding the overall movie in the introduction. Included are some fold out pages that should be gracing walls as well as book pages. There is lots of early concept art of the characters, where you can really see that the team progressed to the final representation of each character. We also get to hear about characters that did not make the final cut, and how the story evolves from concept to film.
The Dream Sequence is not only explained to the reader, but we see early concept, character design and visual development. Some of the early concept work is stunning in itself. We then move on to the portion of the book that deals with the locations in the film. It is interesting because we see some of the stills and early concept art actually surpass the film in beauty. This particular section is really a joy to look at, not from a movie tie in standpoint, but from an art standpoint. There are many pieces I would enjoy seeing as standalone wall art that you could put over the fireplace.
The Crew, Acknowledgments and Colophon finish up and give visual credit as well as written credit to many of the people that made both the movie and book happen.
As with most DreamWorks movies there is so much underneath the surface of what the audience sees at first glance, this book is like your guide to unraveling all those hidden treasures. It is nice to see the 2d pre art come to life as the 3d art, but which one is more beautiful is still up for debate. As the title states for us this is a book that showcases the art of Kung Fu Panda, it is by no means just a marketing tool, and for this we can all be grateful.
So to sum it up for the person looking to purchase this book we have the following.
Pros: Mostly everything, you even get a small movie poster in an envelope in the back. Every detail is taken care of. The 2d artwork could grace walls and museums.
Cons: Price, but you get what you pay for as they say. My wallet is not as large as it once was, but I have seen it on discount though so that is no excuse.
From my 4 year old: “I like it a lot, Daddy” There isn’t any better praise then that.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.