Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)/Movie Review

 Release Date: 26 May 2011 (India)  Runtime: 91 min

Genres: Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Family

 Sound Mix: SDDS  | DTS  | Dolby Digital (Dolby Surround 7.1)

Official Sites: http://www.kungfupanda.com/

Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon.

Director: Jennifer Yuh

Writers: Jonathan Aibel|Glenn Berger

Executive Producer Guillermo del Toro

Original Music byJohn Powell | Hans Zimmer

Film Editing by Maryann Brandon| Clare De Chenu

Cast

Jack Black|Angelina Jolie|Dustin Hoffman|Gary Oldman|Jackie Chan|Seth Rogen|Lucy Liu|Jean-Claude Van Damme|Danny McBride|Michelle Yeoh|David Cross|James Hong|Dennis Haysbert|

Victor Garber

Box Office

Budget: $150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $47,835,000 (USA) (29 May 2011) (3925 Screens)

Gross: $163,942,842 (USA) (21 August 2011)

Production Co: DreamWorks Animation
Review

The question that has been floating around about Kung Fu Panda 2 is if it is Shrek 2 or Toy Story 2 of animated sequels? It's Toy Story 2 kind of animated sequel - a genuine good movie that takes risks and succeeds rather than rehashing the first movie.

Po isn't as much of a gastro-kung-fu fighter and fanboi from the first movie but has grown in his personality; he's less the Jack Black as a panda and more of a character that stands on it's own. However, Po is now the tragic hero in a Greek style prophecy which foretells of a warrior in black and white who would defeat a certain Lord Shen who has invented a new weapon that could spell the end of kung-fu. As Po learns that he is adopted, he struggles to find out about his past and the strange symbol from his nightmares. The heavy subject matter doesn't weight down the movie and is continually and cleverly able to escape into funny moments without losing gravitas. It successfully weaves the topics of fatherhood, friendship and family into a colorful story that even though we know how it will end, it gets there very very emphatically.

 Kung Fu Panda 2 didn't go the route of being a purely children's movie and didn't go the route of being built on jokes of Po's eating and Po's weight.The fortune cookie philosophy of master Shifu is slightly missed but purely a small quibble in a good movie. Highly recommended movie.