Genre
Animation | Action | Adventure
Director
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Country
USA
Voice Cast
Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber, Fred Tatasciore, Conrad Vernon
Storyline
After a year of being the dragon warrior, Po (Jack Black) is a hero in China. But trouble pops out when Shen (Gary Oldman), a villainous peacock, begins chaos and wants to conquer China with a deadly weapon.
Opinion
Three years after "Kung Fu Panda", DreamWorks Animation brought back the most beloved panda in the whole world, Po. I was expecting a "Shrek 2" kind of sequel, aka a disappointment, but I was pleasingly surprised.
A spectacular, action-packed film as well as a proper sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is full of awesomeness and has the same heart of the first installment.
Like a lot of other sequels, the film has a dark tone, a very dark tone. That arguably serves to increase the level of the film, and probably to make of it a great film for adults as well, but at some points it feels almost like the filmmakers have forgotten to make it fun. There still are some comical situations and some humour though.
However, it's the darker story that gives the film more depth. At first I was a little worried about the panda genocide as I consider it to be a little too sensitive for children, but I was impressed it has being addressed, and I was impressed by the way it was dealt with.
Like its predecessor, this film carries a life lesson, and a philosophical idea. First it leads us to consider how much someone's childhood can influence his present, and his ability to effectively deal with a given situation. Secondly it outlines the way to find inner peace within one's life: it's all about learning to coexist harmoniously at present.
The fantastic CGI animation, both riche(er) in colour, shapes and atmospheres, is cleverly paired with some beautiful 2D animation sequences.
Kudos to the talented voice cast that makes the film even better. The entire main cast - Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, James Hong - returns from the first film and still does a great job with their characters. New entry Gary Oldman shines in the spotlight as villainous Shen. He's definitely good at being a villain in films. Even if it's animated.
Like a lot of other sequels, the film has a dark tone, a very dark tone. That arguably serves to increase the level of the film, and probably to make of it a great film for adults as well, but at some points it feels almost like the filmmakers have forgotten to make it fun. There still are some comical situations and some humour though.
However, it's the darker story that gives the film more depth. At first I was a little worried about the panda genocide as I consider it to be a little too sensitive for children, but I was impressed it has being addressed, and I was impressed by the way it was dealt with.Like its predecessor, this film carries a life lesson, and a philosophical idea. First it leads us to consider how much someone's childhood can influence his present, and his ability to effectively deal with a given situation. Secondly it outlines the way to find inner peace within one's life: it's all about learning to coexist harmoniously at present.
The fantastic CGI animation, both riche(er) in colour, shapes and atmospheres, is cleverly paired with some beautiful 2D animation sequences.
Kudos to the talented voice cast that makes the film even better. The entire main cast - Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, James Hong - returns from the first film and still does a great job with their characters. New entry Gary Oldman shines in the spotlight as villainous Shen. He's definitely good at being a villain in films. Even if it's animated.
"Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be." - Soothsayer
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