“Kung Fu Panda 2” portfolio allows DreamWorks Animation Fine Arts program to live up to its full Po-tential

Jim Hill

14 years ago

Given that he’s the star of a soon-to-be-released high
profile sequel, Po has been popping up in all sorts of interesting places over
the past few months. To be specific, far out at sea …

Beginning in December 2010, characters from DreamWorks Animation films began
appearing on four Royal Caribbean International ships: The Allure of the Seas,
the Oasis of the Seas, the Liberty of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas.

Copyright Royal Caribbean International. All rights reserved

… in NYC …

A 42-foot-tall Po balloon debuted in the 2010 edition of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Copyright NBCUniversal, Inc. All rights reserved

… on NBC …

… even at Mickey Dee’s.

And given that “Kung Fu Panda 2” is opening in theaters nationwide
this Friday, is it really all that surprising to see Po in the toy aisle …

… and/or the cereal aisle?

But there’s one place that you may not have expected to find
this DreamWorks Animation star. And that’s
hanging out in fine art galleries all over the country.

Take — for example — the above limited edition giclée (which — because it’s printed directly
onto a bamboo veneer — makes this piece a 100% green fine art product). This is just one of
the 44 pieces that Sanders Art Studio recently created to celebrate all of the artists
& artistry involved in the creation of this “Kung Fu Panda” sequel. Which — I might add — are now available for purchase at some of the finer art galleries around the US.

Since January 2010, Sanders Art Studio has been creating exclusives collectables that (it hopes) captures the artistic styles of each individual DreamWorks
Animation feature film. Their long term goal is the creation of rare and lasting
pieces of animation art that showcase memorable moments & characters from these popular motion pictures.

And in the case of its “Kung Fu Panda 2” portfolio, the
staff at Sanders really went all out; showcasing virtually all aspects of this new DWA production. From the film’s villain …

… to key settings from this motion picture …

… right through to concept art …

… which gets right to the very heart of this Jennifer Yuh
Nelson movie.

Given that the pieces that Sanders Art Studio created for its” Kung Fu
Panda 2″ portfolio are so striking …

… and so bold …

… one wonders how many of these limited edition, hand-signed
and numbered pieces of fine artwork Gaylord Entertainment will wind up snatching up between now and November, as that chain of resort hotels gets ready
for the Holiday 2011 launch of their new DreamWorks Experience program.

At an April 2011 press conference, Colin V. Reed, Chairman & CEO of Gaylord
Entertainment, announces a strategic alliance with DreamWorks Animation
which will allow WDA characters to appear at these resort hotels starting in
November. Copyright Gaylord Hotels. All rights reserved

Which is why – if you’re a “Kung Fu Panda” fan – it might be wise to head on
over to the DreamWorks Animation Fine Arts website ASAP. Given that some of the
KFP2 pieces featured in today’s JHM article were released in extremely limited numbers. I’m talking about edition sizes of only 25 – 50 pieces.

And while you’re over
at that website, be sure and check out some of the other great pieces Sanders
Art Studio has created over the past year and a half. These include giclées &
prints that pay tribute to such memorable DWA productions as “How to Train Your Dragon” …

… and the original “Shrek.”

But now with the release of those 44 pieces in its “Kung Fu
Panda 2″ portfolio, it looks like DreamWorks Animation Fine Arts program has
finally begun to live up to its full Po-tential.

Your thoughts?