Kung Fu Panda World Gameplay Animation

DreamWorks Animation has big plans to bring a new kids-centric MMO to the online scene in the form of Kung Fu Panda World.

It's taken longer than it did to train up Jack Black in the dark arts of tubby-chub kung fu, but DreamWorks Animations' first virtual world for kids, is to launch today in the U.S. Kung Fu Panda World is $10 million-worth of virtual theme park for 8- to 12-year-olds to hone their martial arts talents and learn the thoroughly admirable skills of styling cartoon animals using in-world games and on-site currency, and there will be safe chat rooms.

There are two versions a pay model, which costs $5.95 a month, and a free version, accessible after a 15-second second ad, including, somewhat controversially, a promotion for MacDonalds' Happy Meals: very Spotify but DreamWorks could find it a hard slog, as kids can be notoriously fickle when it comes to brand loyalty. Just ask Disney, whose attempt to launch a virtual Pirates of the Caribbean world ended in failure.

DreamWorks has also taken time to allay parents’ fears over online security for their kids. Chat rooms will be monitored by college graduates and safe software to keep everything just so, and Moms and Dads will have the power to turn off gameplay, should any panda-esque dark circles appear under their kids’ eyes that smack of sleepless nights in KFP World.

Users can then play in-world games (from dance/rhythm to jump-and-run and fight games with such names as "Manis and Crane" and "Kung Fu Beats"), unlock additional abilities and games over time and use in-world virtual coins they earn to buy items, such as clothing or scrolls and potions to enhance game play. The goal is to boost their kung fu mastery by earning colored sashes that stand for ever-improving levels of skill.