Search - Skunk Fu: The Art of Monkey Launching on DVD

An Excellent Buy

C. Bunce | 12/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After buying and watching Skunk Fu: The Art of Rivalry when it came out, I must say I was very excited about the release of this product. Not only did it appear to have another good mix of episodes, but they also appeared to be unedited and shown in their entirety like on the first Skunk Fu! DVD. This generally means that some scenes along with pauses in a character's speech aren't cut short or cut altogether. This results in the episodes not feeling as hurried as they sometimes do in the edited for time versions on TV as well as, in my opinion, improving the timing on some of the humor in the show.

Thankfully, now that I have received the DVD I can say that not only were my expectations met they were exceeded. Indeed these episodes are the unedited European versions like on the first DVD, but what was a pleasant surprise is that a decent amount of new footage can be seen that had been cut for US release. Instances of new footage occur in at least five of the six episodes and should be visible to the casual Skunk Fu! fan. While the amount of time this footage takes up is slight they are far more noticeable than the extra footage on the first DVD and they do add to the episodes they appear in.

Pauses in character speech as well as tiny bits of dialogue or character movements (an extra few chuckles, a sigh, or a character rolling his/her eyes for instance) are also uncut as I had hoped and thus enhance the natural flow of the dialogue and humor in the show as well as the show's pacing. As a result, the episodes once again do not feel as hurried as their US TV counterparts and, in my opinion, funnier due to better humor delivery.

For those unfamiliar with Skunk Fu!, I will say what I said for the first Skunk Fu! DVD. The flash animation in this show is exemplary, setting a high standard for other animation studios that use flash. The plots of each episode are generally thought out very well and serves as a very good start for a show in its first season. Characters are fun and engaging and have enough development to be unique and interesting individuals. Overall a great show and a great example that flash animation does not need to look cheap.

Finally, the episodes included in this DVD are: The Art of Monkey Launching, The Art of Patience, The Art of Sneaking, The Art of Art, The Art of Initiation, and the Art of Revenge. Once again a pretty decent mix of episodes for a Skunk Fu! fan or for those unfamiliar with the series."