Media Convergence is Child’s Play

There’s an old saying: Better late than never.

On Monday, April 12 DreamWorks Animation brought Kung Fu Panda World to the Web. This virtual world is based on DreamWorks’ hit movie “Kung Fu Panda” and provides children with an outlet to play games, chat with friends, learn kung fu styles and get a pet. But the movie came out in 2008; why enter the online arena now? Is it because there is a sequel on the way?

An image from Kung Fu Panda World.

The site took two years and $10 million to develop. It launched at a time when some believe children’s entertainment is inundated with virtual extensions of film, television, and toy “stories.” The Walt Disney Company has ClubPenguin.com where children could dress and groom penguin characters; and retail chain Build-A-Bear Workshop has their own followings of bear fanatics. On Webkinz.com children can care for stuffed animals that later come to life.

The New York Times’ April 11 article states:

DreamWorks has been notably absent from virtual worlds for children, a business that has expanded rapidly in recent years by serving as part online role-playing game and part social scene.

Ok, so DreamWorks was a little slow to engage their audience online but what is this really about? I’ll tell you: Kung Fu Panda World is transmedia storytelling for children.

Let’s go to chapter three in Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins. On page 98 Jenkins says:

A transmedia story unfolds across multiple media platforms, with each new text making a distinctive and valuable contribution to the whole. In the ideal form of transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best—so that a story might be introduced in a film, expanded through television, novels, and comics; its world might be explored through game play or experienced as an amusement park attraction. Each franchise entry needs to be self-contained so you don’t need to have seen the film to enjoy the game, and vice versa.

This is all true for Kung Fu Panda World. I have never seen Kung Fu Panda (the movie) and was able to interact on Kung Fu Panda World without a hitch. The virtual world of Kung Fu Panda is full of game play. According to The New York Times:

Kung Fu Panda World is built around the concept of sash levels; players start as a white belt and try to work up through 21 colors. A map shows where your friends are playing within the game — no need to call each other on the phone to figure it out, as many children do when playing in virtual worlds. There is shopping (with coins earned by winning arcade-style games) and players can send gifts to one another.

So the gifts concept starts in the early years you see. Later those children can share gifts on Facebook—a drink, a teddy bear, a rose, you name it! But going back to DreamWorks’ attempt at transmedia storytelling…they’ve got the right idea.

Another online component of Kung Fu Panda (the movie) is Kung Fu Panda the Game. Here visitors can partake in game lessons and be a part of an “action packed adventure from the movie and beyond.” A guest to the site can team-up with or battle against friends in multiplayer mode.

With these two tactics already in place, I wonder how DreamWorks will incorporate Kung Fu Panda’s sequel into both sites: Kung Fu Panda World and Kung Fu Panda the Game. As animators, I find that this should be a no-brainer for them and they shouldn’t be so behind in media convergence. The correlation between the sequel and the virtual worlds should happen sooner. Surely they have thought of the economic gains, like higher ticket sales, sponsorships, and a boost in video game sales; not to mention the retention of their audience…or haven’t they?

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