Nerd Reactor had the chance to play a game of “Good Guy or Bad Guy” with the voice cast including Awkwafina, Anthony Ramos, Danielle Brooks and Maria Bakalova. Check out the video below!

One of the highlights was showing an image of Shadow, a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog universe.

“Well, I mean, [Shadow] is hotter,” Awkwafina tells Nerd Reactor about the character when compared to Sonic.

Bakalova played Cosmo in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, and she lit up when seeing the image of Cosmo.

“I’m going to say good, because I get really hurt when somebody calls me a bad dog,” said Bakalova. “She’s a good dog.”

About The Bad Guys 2

Synopsis: In the new action-packed chapter from DreamWorks Animation’s acclaimed comedy smash about a crackerjack crew of animal outlaws, our now-reformed Bad Guys are trying (very, very hard) to be good, but instead find themselves hijacked into a high-stakes, globe-trotting heist, masterminded by a new team of criminals they never saw coming: The Bad Girls.

The returning voice cast includes Sam Rockwell as Mr. Wolf, Marc Maron as safe-cracker Mr. Snake, Craig Robinson as master-of disguise Mr. Shark, Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha and Awkwafina as hacker Ms. Tarantula, aka “Webs.”

Zazie Beetz is Governor Diane Foxington, with Richard Ayoade as Professor Marmalade, Alex Borstein as Police Chief (now Commissioner) Misty Luggins and Lilly Singh as Tiffany Fluffit.

The Bad Girls include Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) as Bad Girls leader Kitty Kat, a dangerously clever snow leopard; Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Movie Film) as Pigtail, a brilliant Bulgarian wild boar engineer; and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Poker Face) as Doom, a wry raven with a knack for deception.

Pierre Perifel returns as the director, with Damon Ross as the producer. JP Sans is the co-director, who was the head of character animation in the first film. Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is the composer.

The Bad Guys 2 releases in theaters on August 1, 2025.

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Kung Fu Panda 4 marks the second time Awkwafina has worked with Jack Black. In the film, Zhen is a wanted thief who helps Po on his journey to stop The Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis.

“This is the second time I’ve played a pickpocket,” Awkwafina tells Nerd Reactor. “So maybe calling upon that a little bit but I think she really speaks for herself. It was a really interesting character. I was really excited to read what happened to them. I think she speaks for herself. And I would say in terms of an animated performance, probably the most serious – closest to really who I am. And I think that was cool to play.”

Ronnie Chieng is a fan of 2D animation, and he asked Directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Ma Stine about getting a cel animation artwork of Captain Fish.

“I asked them for a cel sheet because I guess that’s how old I am,” Chieng said. “And then Mike and Steph told me, ‘Oh, we don’t have one.’ But they made one for me. It was beautiful.”

Chieng talked about the many ways he prepared for his role as a fish.

“Watching a lot of fish,” Chieng teased. “I ate a lot of fish. Watch fish eat other fish. I saw this fish eat a bird. You can look that up on YouTube. This fish will eat birds. Google it or don’t if you don’t want to be disgusted.”

Kung Fu Panda has been a big property for DreamWorks Animation, and the actor was excited to join the fourth film.

“I mean, yeah, it’s an important franchise that I was very honored to be part of,” Chieng said. “So I definitely want to do a good job. Mike and Steph are super easy to work with. The script was very tight, very well written. I pitched them some jokes. They let me try it out. I definitely approached it with the same amount of care that they approached it when they made a large animation.”

With three Kung Fu Panda films under DreamWorks Animation’s belt, it seems like Po still wants one last great adventure.

“And that was our thing, where before Stephanie and I started this one, we wanted to make sure that it was a story that had to be told,” Director Mike Mitchell said. “We wanted to further Kung Fu Panda’s journey. We wanted to give him more lessons to learn. And we found that we could do that if he could leave the Valley of Peace. That’s a very special place for Po, the Valley of Peace. And to have him leave and go to a whole new place and meet all new characters and maybe have to assemble a new team because his buddies are busy – because the Furious Five are on four corners of China doing all sorts of stuff. So we just thought that would be the most interesting story.”

The relationship between Po and Zhen is inspired by the relationship between Master Shifu and Po. Po will understand what it’s like to have someone learn under his wings to become a warrior.

“One of my favorite relationship dynamics was in Kung Fu Panda One between Po and Master Shifu,” Ma Stine revealed. “You know, Po was always irritating Shifu. Not that he wanted to, that was just the personalities. Well, when we decided Po’s story – he had to take the next step on his journey of being a hero. He had to step away from the Dragon Warrior title. He had to become the next spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, replacing Master Oogway. We were like, ‘We need to team him up with someone who annoys him just as much as he annoyed Master Shifu.'”

About Kung Fu Panda 4

Synopsis: After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.

That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.

Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

Reprising their roles are Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master, Shifu; James Hong (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Po’s adoptive father, Mr. Ping; Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li, and Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Shifu’s former student and arch-nemesis. Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joins the cast as a new character, Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves.

The film is directed by Mike Mitchell (DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls, Shrek Forever After) and produced by Rebecca Huntley (DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys). The film’s co-director is Stephanie Ma Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power).

Kung Fu Panda 4 will be released in theaters on March 8, 2024.

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Davis will be voicing Chameleon, the villainous shape-shifter. Awkwafina will voice Zhen, a corsac fox who helps Po out on his quest.

In addition to the new voice cast announcement, DreamWorks will be releasing the trailer tomorrow.

Kung Fu Panda 4 will be released in theaters on March 8, 2024.

About Kung Fu Panda 4

Synopsis: After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.

That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.

Even worse, there’s been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po’s Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.

So, Po’s going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po’s fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon’s reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

Reprising their roles are Dustin Hoffman as Kung Fu master, Shifu; James Hong (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Po’s adoptive father, Mr. Ping; Bryan Cranston as Po’s birth father, Li, and Ian McShane as Tai Lung, Shifu’s former student and arch-nemesis. Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joins the cast as a new character, Han, the leader of the Den of Thieves.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is directed by Mike Mitchell (DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls, Shrek Forever After) and produced by Rebecca Huntley (DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys). The film’s co-director is Stephanie Ma Stine (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power).

The post Kung Fu Panda 4 Unleashes Awkwafina and Viola Davis as New Voice Talents appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

First, David Magee’s script expands on Prince Eric’s story. Also, it fleshes out the romantic relationship between Ariel and Eric. This movie isn’t a simplified version of Romeo and Juliet anymore. Instead, we learn more about Ariel and Eric’s passions for each other’s worlds—building a solid foundation for their relationship. As their connection grows, so does their relationship. It’s one of the best changes made from the original animated film.

Also, as all Rob Marshall musicals go, The Little Mermaid feels like a stage musical film from the olden days. Although most of the film is computer-generated, Marshall directs it like a theatre stage production. Nevertheless, the computer-generated imagery is questionable at best. Some of the scenes look great, but there are several sequences where the CGI looks off. Plus, the realistic rendering of Ariel’s sea friends has a similar problem to what The Lion King went through. The creatures look lifeless and are too real for this fantastical world.

Overall, The Little Mermaid is one of the best live-action adaptations Walt Disney Studios has yet done. That’s not saying much, but it is still an accomplishment. Despite several flaws, the movie is still a fresh adaptation that enriches every aspect of the film compared to the original.

Movie Review: 3.5/5 atoms

Video

The Little Mermaid hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a native 4K, HEVC / H.265, HDR10 presentation with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The picture features substantial shadow details, zero crush, and vibrant highlights with no bloom. As you. can imagine, this Ultra HD release is a vividly colorful presentation showcasing your television’s comprehensive color capabilities. Overall, it’s bold and bright—especially the undersea kingdom palette, which leaps off the screen. The details in facial features and practical effects also look gorgeous.

Video Review: 5/5 atoms

Audio

The Little Mermaid hits Ultra HD Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos or a 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio presentation if Atmos is not supported. This review will cover the Blu-ray’s Dolby Atmos mix. The Dolby Atmos mix for The Little Mermaid is good, but it depends on the scene. The busier the scene, the better. So, scenes like Ariel swimming around within the corals or the big storm are perfect examples of fully immersive scenes. However, the track won’t be fully immersive if there’s little activity or only a single character on screen. Thankfully, the musical sequences and score nicely expand into the surround channels and heights. The overhead channels aren’t prevalent throughout but expand on the soundstage when a scene calls for it. Atmospherics are plentiful and immensely satisfying in the rear and overhead channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and throughout.

Audio Review: 5/5 atoms

Special Features

The Little Mermaid doesn’t have any bonus features on the Ultra HD disc. However, the following bonus features can be found on the HD Blu-ray disc:

• Sing-Along Version
• Hotter Under Water
  • A Tale of the Bottomless Blue
  • I Know Something’s Starting Right Now
  • Down Where It’s Wetter
  • Explore That Shore Up Above
  • Do What The Music Say
• Song Breakdowns
  • Wild Uncharted Waters
  • Under The Sea
  • Kiss The Girl
  • Poor Unfortunate Souls
• The Scuttlebutt on Sidekicks
• Passing The Dingle Hopper
• Bloopers

Features Assessment

Hotter Under Water is a decently informative five-part featurette that covers the most challenging aspects of creating The Little Mermaid for live-action. From finding the right actors to play these iconic roles to the look and feel of the two kingdoms, it takes a look at several topics in 26 minutes. Song Breakdowns looks at the exploration of four of the most significant musical sequences in the film. They look at the creation of new songs, the challenges of interpreting the classics for a new generation of kids, and much more.

Scuttlebutt on Sidekicks looks at Ariel’s most loyal sidekick friends, Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle. In this seven-minute featurette, you’ll discover how their roles expanded from the original and typical things like what went behind their designs and more. Passing the Dinglehopper is a sweet feature where the original voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, meets with the live-action version, Halle Bailey. Finally, there’s the bloopers, which is always a fun feature to watch.

The Little Mermaid also comes with a Best Buy exclusive steelbook featuring artwork wrapped with Ariel in the front and Prince Eric’s kingdom on the back. On the inside, you’ll see Sebastian on the left talking to Scuttle on the right.

Special Features Review: 2.5/5 atoms

Overall, The Little Mermaid is one of Walt Disney Studios’ best live-action remakes. The video and audio presentations are spectacular, but unfortunately, the bonus features are a bit lacking.

Overall Review: 4/5 atoms

The Little Mermaid is now available in stores on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

This Blu-ray was provided by Walt Disney Home Entertainment for review purposes.

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