Even though Dreamworks Animation has been around since 1998 and has featured a number of hit features, it wasn't until 2008's Kung Fu Panda
that they truly stepped into the big leagues. The film wasn't perfect, but it featured a superior look and fast paced martial arts action that set it apart from Dreamworks' other films. It was also a departure in that there was no desperate grab for pop culture relevance, which had been hampering their popular Shrek
franchise. Sequels are a whole different story, though, and the possibility of failure still lingered. If Dreamworks managed to stand toe-to-toe with Pixar last year,Kung Fu Panda 2 has them poised to karate chop their way to the top of the animation mountain.Like some of the great kung fu epics we used to watch on beaten up old VHS tapes, the story is simple but full of rich characters with mysterious pasts. And a healthy dose of cartoonish humor to boot. Po(JackBlack) is stilll feeling his way through life as the new Dragon Warrior, defending China against an onslaught of threats alongside his warrior buds, The Furious Five: Tigress(Angelina Jolie), Mantis(Seth Rogen), Crane(David Cross), Monkey(Jackie Chan), and Viper(Lucy Liu). Even with his heavy responsibilities, Po is still as fun loving and juvenile as ever, using his belly as a weapon and his mouth to stuff insane numbers of dumplings into. While training with his Master Shifu(Dustin Hoffman), Po learns of a secret technique that can only be perfected through inner peace. Hmmm...I think that might be a factor later.
It isn't long before a new, great threat emerges in the form of Lord Shen(Gary Oldman), a peacock with ties to Po's past and mad on for kung fu. He wants it destroyed, to usher in a new age where battles are won through superior firepower. He and his army of wolf soldiers proceed to wipe out some of China's greatest combatants with a massive cannon, threatening to do the same to the entire country. It's up to Po and his crew to take Shen down, but that's made virtually impossible with Po experiencing violent flashbacks of an event involving his real parents.
Without shedding an ounce of the humor that made the first film so enjoyable, this one has so much heart that some may be stunned by the emotional impact. Most of these scenes involve the beautifully hand drawn flashbacks to baby Po and his family, and without giving too much away there may be a few tears shed. Any kids in the crowd probably won't want to sit through these parts, but adults will find them to be extremely poignant.
Heartfelt moments have never been Jack Black's strong suit, and it's true that his voice work excels during the lighter bits. I love how Dreamworks has infused Po with so much of Black's persona and mannerisms that if it weren't for the whole cartoon bit it'd be hard to tell the two apart. The rest of the all-star voice cast is solid, and just like in the original film perfectly suited to their warrior animal. Jolie makes for a fierce but strangely sensual tiger, and Rogen is perfect as the mantis dreaming of a life with a wife who'll probably eat his head. Hilarious stuff.
First time director Jennifer Yuh has also shown other studios how to make 3D work best for a film of this sort. The colors are lush and vibrant, inviting you to be engrossed by the extra dimension. Dreamworks is doing things with the technology that no other animation house is doing right now, and that includes Pixar. The 3D makes the already dazzling martial arts battles even more glorious. They're choreographed in such a fast paced style, yet we can see all the different techniques, feel every punch. We're thrust into the action literally within the first five minutes and it never stops.
We don't get to see much in the way of martial arts flicks here in America anymore, with the exception of the occasional Tony Jaa flick. Tony Jaa ain't got nothin' on Po. Kung Fu Panda 2 is the rare sequel that is more dynamic than the original, and will have you eagerly awaiting the next adventure of the rotund Dragon Warrior.
