Kung Fu Panda 2

My wife and I are both huge fans of the original Kung Fu Panda. It had a heart and emotional depth that was usually only reserved for Pixar movies. Up to that point, the success of Shrek had caused Dreamworks animated movies to focus on humor based almost solely on pop culture references. There weren't any to be found in Kung Fu Panda. I'm happy to announce that Kung Fu Panda 2 not only retains the feel of the original, it also expands upon it.

A major goal of the makers of this (directed by a woman, I was pleasantly surprised to find out, and of Chinese descent, no less: Jennifer Yuh Nelson), seems to build upon the world of the first movie, rather than repeat anything. Show some of it's history, travel to other parts of it. A pet peeve of mine is when, in a sequel, they find a way to revert a character back to how they were in the first movie, after that character had shown some personal growth (see: Frankenstein). Po started out clumsy and full of doubt, but by the end of the first movie, he became the Dragon Warrior. At the start of the second movie, he's still the Dragon Warrior, and he's pretty awesome.

In the first movie, Po had to find the Kung Fu within himself, and learned that it was his Panda-ness that made him special. In the sequel, Po's training continues. His next quest: inner peace. Of course, the battle isn't all internal. There is also the villain Shen, a peacock voiced by Gary Oldman. Shen is the inventor of gunpowder, a weapon that has the power to cripple China and bring an end to Kung Fu. He also has very specific ties to Po's past, we learn.

The animation is excellent. The world is lush and detailed, the characters look stylized and dynamic. Like the first movie, they continue to work an element of really cool, old school 2-D animation into the mix, but this time, they use the technique even better and even more.

Another thing I loved about the movie is how seriously it took the story. I don't mean that the movie wasn't funny, of course it was funny. I mean that the threat Po and the Furious Five face feels real within the world of the movie, and the characters seem to believe it.

Speaking of the characters, the characters and voice acting are still top notch. I honestly think these movies contain the best voice acting in animated films right now. Jack Black is still great as Po, but James Hong once again steals the movie for me, as Po's father, Mr. Ping, the loveable old soup-vending goose. The character is really funny, and Hong brings so much sincerity, enthusiasm and love to it. Gary Oldman brings a lot of depth to the villain, Shen; making him more than just a standard movie villain. We also have such new voices as Danny McBride as Shen's wolf henchman, kung-fu legend Michelle Yeoh as a goat prophet, and Jean Claude Van Damme as Master Crocodile.

One of my only gripes is that Po's team, The Furious Five, while getting a little more to do this time around, still don't have a great deal of depth as individuals. They spend this movie giving us a little more of Angelina Jolie's Tigress. Besides her, Snake, Crane, Mantis and Monkey don't have a great deal of personality or backstory beyond what kind of animals they are. I hope we learn more about them in future installments. It's a waste of Lucy Liu, David Cross, Seth Rogen, and Jackie Chan, otherwise. And who would want to waste Jackie Chan in a Kung Fu movie, right?

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a great sequel, superior to the original in as far as I can tell, every way. It doesn't feel like a tacked on excuse for a sequel, it genuinely feels like there was more story to tell; and from the looks of things, there's still a great deal more to say. I can't wait to see what's next for Po and Co.