'Kung Fu Panda 2' (English, Animation)
Director: Jennifer Yuh
Voiceovers: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Jean-Claude Van Damme
What does a warrior do after he achieves his prophesied destiny? Well, he graduates to bigger challenges, both internal and external. The adorable Panda Po, voiced by Jack Black, returns in this non-formulaic addition to the 'Kung Fu Panda' franchise with a few questions of his own; questions that should be apparent to anyone who has seen the first film.
How is it that the hulking black and white mass that is Po came to be the son of a goose? This is the elephant in Mr Ping’s noodle shop, one that we, as viewers, were more than happy to ignore, as well as the source of Po’s discontent in ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’.
Resolving this internal malaise is the key to securing the future of all of China and Kung Fu itself. Dreamworks wastes little time in reminding us that the cuddly cast of characters that made the original a smashing success is back in this new edition. Instead of the familiar fishing boy, Master Oogway casts a line for the stars from their logo’s crescent moon: all the while watching over his favorite pupil, Shifu (an underutilized Dustin Hoffman) seek inner peace.
The Furious Five — tigress, monkey, viper, crane and mantis — are back as well, voiced again by the pentad of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, David Cross and Seth Rogen, respectively. Po may be the chosen one but there is no doubt that tigress is the alpha female of the group — a simple reminder that the path to excellence is still paved through effort and that the respect of peers must be earned.
The simple hierarchy of Hollywood stardom is also maintained with the tigress taking a more prominent role in helping Po through his existential crises. The choice for Po’s nemesis seems odd, but only upon first glance. A peacock would hardly be one’s first choice for a menacing antagonist, yet given the strutting self-obsession of Master Shen (voiced by the uniformly excellent Gary Oldman), his metallic anklets and dart-like feathers are exactly what the evil doctor ordered.
Unbeknownst to Po, his past is intertwined with Shen’s future. Born to the king and queen of Gong Men city, Shen’s megalomaniac obsession with conquering all of China is reminiscent of monarchs in every Wuxia movie we’ve seen. Much like the first film in the series, there is a prophecy in this film as well; one that once again incites Shen to do the unthinkable.
Cast out of the city, Shen finds his inner Vader and turns completely to the dark side — casting away his respect for Kung Fu and favoring a more metallic means of mayhem. If issues of parentage fuel Po’s self-doubt, Shen’s maliciousness is stoked by parental rejection. When he returns to Gong Men city and subjugates the master’s council, it is up to Po and the Five to save Kung Fu and China.
'Kung Fu Panda 2' manages to maintain the sense of slacker humor that made the original film popular. Po continues to be imbued with the wonderful physical humor that made endeared Jack Black to us in School of Rock and High Fidelity. Despite the excess adipose in Po’s tummy, the Kung Fu sequences in this sequel are far more involved. The animation in the film is uniformly excellent and there seems to be a tip of the brush to Hayao Miyazaki when we flash to Po’s past.
This film is one of the rare cases where the 3D that the studios insist on thrusting on our retinas actually adds to the spectacle rather than detracting from it. As always though, it is the flawless voice acting that is the soul of the feature and the reason that the film is a worthy addition to what may be a growing series.