After the whole Shrek franchise started sucking horribly—around the second or third films—I wrote off DreamWorks animated films. That is, until Kung Fu Panda came around. Normally I find Jack Black cloying and obnoxious, but Kung Fu Panda was the perfect vehicle for his over-the-top comedy, and the film was incredibly infectious, funny, and adorable. While Kung Fu Panda 2 isn’t quite as good as its predecessor, the film is just as loose and fun as the original with pitch-perfect voiceover work from Dustin Hoffman and Gary Oldman.
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts with Po (Black) and the Furious Five, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen), keeping the…uh…peace in the Valley of Peace. Little do they know that Lord Shen (Oldman), the albino son of the Peacock Emperors of China is slowly building an army of wolves to defeat the kung fu masters and rule all of China by harnessing the power of gunpowder. Po must master inner peace from his old Master Shifu (Hoffman) by tapping into his past and learning about his family before he can defeat the evil Lord Shen.
The sequel might not be treading new territory: the first film was all about fitting in and discovering your destiny, and the sequel follows the same themes. But Kung Fu Panda 2 is just as delightful as the first film and offers innovative fight choreography you wouldn’t expect from family friendly fare. It’s also one of the first movies this summer that I would recommend upgrading to 3D for—the animation was beautiful and dynamic and truly added to the film.
Kung Fu Panda 2 left me with a smile on my face and is a sequel that lives up to its predecessor in a summer where sequels are being churned out like Big Macs. Don’t let the Shrek franchise keep you from flocking to Kung Fu Panda 2—it’s definitely worth visiting the Dragon Warrior again.
--Darcie Duttweiler
Kung Fu Panda 2 starts with Po (Black) and the Furious Five, Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen), keeping the…uh…peace in the Valley of Peace. Little do they know that Lord Shen (Oldman), the albino son of the Peacock Emperors of China is slowly building an army of wolves to defeat the kung fu masters and rule all of China by harnessing the power of gunpowder. Po must master inner peace from his old Master Shifu (Hoffman) by tapping into his past and learning about his family before he can defeat the evil Lord Shen.
The sequel might not be treading new territory: the first film was all about fitting in and discovering your destiny, and the sequel follows the same themes. But Kung Fu Panda 2 is just as delightful as the first film and offers innovative fight choreography you wouldn’t expect from family friendly fare. It’s also one of the first movies this summer that I would recommend upgrading to 3D for—the animation was beautiful and dynamic and truly added to the film.
Kung Fu Panda 2 left me with a smile on my face and is a sequel that lives up to its predecessor in a summer where sequels are being churned out like Big Macs. Don’t let the Shrek franchise keep you from flocking to Kung Fu Panda 2—it’s definitely worth visiting the Dragon Warrior again.
--Darcie Duttweiler
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