Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2
Directed by: Jennifer Yuh
Cast: Jack Black as Po
Dustin Hoffman as Shifu
Gary Oldman as Shen
Angelina Jolie as Tigress
Jackie Chan as Monkey
Seth Rogen as Mantis
Lucy Lui as Viper
David Cross as Crane
Rated PG

*The following may contain spoilers*
The summer of sequels continues!! Kung Fu Panda 2 comes in hard and fast as the second big sequel of the summer. Beginning several months after the first, Kung Fu Panda 2 dives deeper into Po's mysterious past, giving us answers to the haunting questions the first left in our mind, such as why is Po the last panda and why is his dad a goose?

Starting with a beautifully animated sequence, audiences learn about a vengeful peacock named Shen, the villain this time around. Shen was the heir to a rather vast empire until his basement experiments with fireworks freaked out his parents. And, as all animal parents do, the peacock's called in a fortune-telling goat named Soothsayer (original) who predicts that Shen will fall to a hero of black and white.

In a completely sane and justified move, Shen sets out and wipes out the entirety of the panda race. Apparently forgetting that skunks exist, Shen commits genocide against the pandas, believing he has avoided the prophecy. Again, I'd like to point out the skunks. 

After his genocidal rage calms down, Shen returns to his parents home, shocked when they are not pleased with his mass murder (seriously, this bird has issues).Instead, his parents banish him from the kingdom that would have once been his, leaving him to plot his revenge for 30 some-odd years and soon the old bird decides to just eliminate Kung Fu all together. Because that makes sense.

Little known to Shen, he missed one furry little bundle of joy who just so happens to be the Dragon Warrior. Bring on the showdown of "awesomeness."

Oh, this won't end well.

What I Liked:
The original Kung Fu Panda holds a special place in my heart. Its unique charm and humor made it one of my favorite animated movies, ever. Kung Fu Panda 2 did nothing but improve on the original, delving deeper into the characters and having more characters on the screen than Po and Shifu.
I particularly enjoyed the interactions between the characters. The conversations between Po and others seemed charged with emotions, the actors bringing a humanity to the animals that is rarely seen in a Dreamworks film.

Ugh. Dreamworks.

The writers also did a really good job with the plotline. I was afraid it would be run into the ground and make it super cheesy, especially after I heard it would be about Po's past. I was pleasantly surprised though when they maintained an originality that rivaled the first, along with some new wit and hilarity.
As usual, the animation was incredible, demonstrating some pretty cool Kung Fu sequences and firework explosions.

What I Didn't Like: 
Besides an original plot, there wasn't a whole lot of depth to it. Granted, this is a kids movie, but I felt like it could have been a little longer with a little more for the adults and teenagers to get out of it.
As I said above, they could have made it longer, taking a little more time to actually dive into Po's quest for "inner peace" instead of just "BOOM. I have inner peace now." They also delivered a "deus ex machina" into the final battle which I thought kind of detracted from the overall point of the original mission.
And, *SPOILER ALERT* they set it up for a third one. Pretty sure they should quick while they're still a little bit ahead.

Final Thoughts:
Overall, the movie was a gem, the rare sequel that matches it's predecessor. Taking a bold leap into a deep plot-element, Dreamworks handled it rather well. Know what you're getting into; a Kung Fu panda warrior on a quest to find himself and fight a deranged peacock. Remember that and expect nothing more and you'll enjoy this movie. 


When Should You See It? 
You wouldn't be missing much waiting for the DVD. Use Redbox and you'll save $6.50


Personal Rating: 6 of 10
Plot: 5 of 10

Spiritual Aspects: 2 of 10

I just had to include this. Cutest animated thing ever.