It Doesn't Matter If You're Black and White

The animation in "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a visual  wonder that had me amazed at just how far animation has come in the last several years.  This wonderful family entertainment is filled with some of the most slick action sequences of the summer and it's a complete blast from beginning to end.  It may be a summer full of sequels, reboots and tent poles, but this is one done exceptionally well.  "Kung Fu Panda 2" surpasses it's predecessor with more of the increasingly impressive animation from Dreamworks Studios and a story full of heart.

The film starts with a prologue that matches the animation style of the original film's opening.  We are introduced to the tyrannical peacock Lord Shen (voiced by the always impressive Gary Oldman), who is far more menacing than he might sound.  Lord Shen is the heir to rule Gongmen City, but decides that if he can have a city, why not have all of China?  His evil acts are partially motivated by a grim prophecy given by a soothsayer goat, or is it a goat soothsayer?  This set up ties to Po's past in a startling way, which I will leave for you to discover.  Suffice it to say that while Lord Shen may not be skilled in Kung Fu, he has other plans that involve nothing more or less than to use a giant dragon gun to destroy Kung Fu as China knows it, and this, my friends, just will not do.  For Po, or the rest of the furious five.

Comprising the furious five are all the beloved characters of the original "Kung Fu Panda" voiced by their respective talents.  Angelina Jolie returns as Tigress, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogan as Seth Rogan pretending to be a Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper and the spread-thin David Cross as Crane.  Lest we forget that these characters represent various styles of Martial arts but that is beside the point.  Each is given a fair amount of time to show a bit of talent, but of course the real star is Po, who, as the film opens, has clearly been progressing with his kung fu.  An early sequence has the gang fighting off vicious wolves and aside from providing inspired action, it triggers some repressed memories in Po and this starts the plot moving.

While "Kung Fu Panda 2" easily has twice the action of the first movie, none of the action here feels forced or strung together by weak plot threads.  Each sequence has purpose and springs from the exuberance and focus of the story.  It's easy for many sequels, especially animated ones, to feel like cash grabs for the studio when a film has been a success.  The original "Kung Fu Panda" indeed brought home the big bucks, but it seems as though extreme care and originality was brought to the table here to not only expand the world of the original movie but to create something unique and worth telling.  Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have provided a script that doesn't feel as forced with the humor as did the first film.  Here the lines are natural and flow as smoothly as Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) when finding inner peace.

Yet the real standout is what "Kung Fu Panda 2" sets out to do for the characters.  One might assume Po has more lessons to learn and secrets to discover.  Secrets like, why is his father a goose?  Why aren't there a ton of other Pandas around?  And just how much can an overweight Panda improve in specialized combat?  The movie sets out to tackle these questions and more.  Discovery is a prevalent theme here and the best part is that it sends a nice message to the audience without feeling too heavy-handed.  During the climax of the film, Po has to face some dark revelations about his past, and the way that he handles this revelation and what it allows him to become is really very touching.

Jennifer Yuh, who worked as a story artist on the first film, has directed the sequel and the movie pays off with an energy that suggests she was ready to spring forward and hit the ground running.  That's really sort of nice when a film like "Kung Fu Panda 2" has something to prove with audiences.  I mean, how many stories about a Panda martial artist can you tell and have the audience keep coming?  The end of the film suggests perhaps quite a bit.  I don't mind saying I could easily sit through another chapter of Po's adventures.  The only thing that could have made my experience with this film less enjoyable is if I had seen it in 3D.  It would be a shame to watch all those bright colors and fantastic animation be diminished.  Maybe Lord Shen should focus his dragon gun on that third dimension.