I know, I know…it’s a colossal surprise that I would be reviewing an animated film, but when it comes to Kung Fu Panda, I don’t mess around. Ever since DreamWorks teamed with Jack Black to bring the childish and portly panda/Dragon Warrior Po to life in the 2008 original, I have been singing the praises of this visually impressive and astoundingly clever franchise. Disney-Pixar remains the reigning king of animation, but between the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and How to Train Your Dragon series, DreamWorks has a firm grasp on second place, and if they keep producing films of a similar quality, I wouldn’t be surprised if they eventually took top spot as an animation studio. With nearly every member of the all-star cast from the original film returning for the sequel, and the addition of other big names such as Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, I was naturally thrilled for Kung Fu Panda 2. Given audience familiarity and fondness for the franchise characters and the aggressive marketing campaign employed by DreamWorks, Kung Fu Panda 2 seemed primed to overtake Cars 2 as top animated film of the summer.
Given how much I loved the original, there was the very real possibility that I would be let down by expectations concerning a sequel, but thankfully, I loved Kung Fu Panda 2. Most of the original characters return in what can only be described as epic glory, Po now working quite effectively with the Furious Five to clean up China and simultaneously provide the audience with jaw-dropping martial arts animation. Now, I say “most” because I couldn’t help but feel like Dustin Hoffman’s Master Shifu (one of my favorite characters), didn’t receive enough screen time; as for the new characters, Gary Oldman was a good villain and Michelle Yeoh was hysterical, but beyond them, some of the big names thrown into the roster added absolutely nothing memorable. As far as the story goes, Kung Fu Panda 2 offers quite a bit more emotion than its predecessor, tugging at the heart-strings by allowing the audience to explore Po’s past and his complicated friendship with Tigress. Though not as fun as the original, Kung Fu Panda 2 is still fantastic and definitely worth seeing, especially in 3D!
For more information, please read the full review.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
