Reviewed: Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

PG – 90mins – Animation/Action/Adventure – June 10, 2011

Po (Jack Black) returns in another kung fu animated adventure as our ever-hungry panda faces a devastating new threat in the form of the enraged albino peacock (Gary Oldman) Lord Shen. Having been kicked out by his parents years before for his atrocities, Shen has been waiting for his time to return with a new technology that threatens to allow him to conquer China.

Po once again teams up with the Furious Five, as well as some new characters, to try to save not only the local population, but also the very fabric of kung fu and all it stands for. Apart from all this, we also learn about Po’s childhood and how she came to be on the doorstep of Mr. Ping (James Hong) and his noodle restaurant.

This movie definitely takes on a darker feel compared to the first one and is sure to give the younger kids in the audience something to keep them up at night. It also has more content to its story with more depth and variety than the first one didn’t necessarily have, ie. lineage and breeding and the effect it has on us as adults.

The animation is fantastic and, despite not reaching the heights of a Pixar movie, it’s among the best I’ve seen to date. My favorite scenes are the fight scenes, particularly one where Shen’s fortress is being stormed. The combination of action with impressive visuals draws you right into the fight alongside the characters.

Po can get a bit annoying/repetitive at points as the Black Jack is released from within and a torrent of “awesome” phrases and the like are recited one after the other, but this seemed to be toned down slightly from his usual fashion. so I started thinking of Po as Po instead of Black in a panda costume.

I think this is a case of the sequel that looks a lot like the original and I would be hard pressed to say which I prefer. While the first was original and purely a children’s film, this one builds heavily on the first by opening it up to a wider audience with more of a slapstick feel, which has me siding with this as the better of the two. Why not decide for yourself, as it is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Rating: 7.2/10