moviegrades:

Kung Fu Panda 2  (2011)   B-
With its fast action and quick jokes, Kung Fu Panda 2 is an action comedy that’s funny enough to entertain and good looking enough to dazzle.  Its amazing visual displays, kinetic playfulness and humor are all well-catered to kids and overtly tied-in with merchandising campaigns.  The movie employs several types of wonderful animation and fight choreography in homage to classic martial arts cinema.  While it’s beautifully animated, it works on both aesthetic and emotional levels in an effort to provide dramatic backstory and the requisite pathos.  This isn’t just a kung fu movie, this is the art of kung fu fighting for its own life.  At a time in China when gunpowder has introduced a ying and yang of fireworks and artillery, these legendary martial artists must fight back with an explosive mix of deadly force and comedic timing.  The story is a fairly standard hero’s journey to find Po’s inner strength, which he discovers when his friends are in dire peril.  Along with stunning imagery, KFP2 features great sound effects and editing, paired with an average musical score.  However, there’s something about the tactile animation style that DreamWorks uses that prevents me from being fully immersed in the computer-generated atmosphere for very long.  It feels too strange and occasionally rushed not to remind me that I’m watching a movie instead of getting absorbed in its world.  The voice acting is above average in parts (Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, Seth Rogen, James Hong) and underwhelming in others (Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan).  As Lord Shen, the antagonist bird of stark plumage, Oldman and the talented animators manage to make a peacock actually seem seriously sinister.  Viewers can easily identify with the furry protagonist, as Jack Black excels in delivering a winning, childlike, and lovable lead.  Po is a prototypical anti-hero galumph, who wanders in search of his true identity and is shown the way to choose his own destiny.  Kung Fu Panda 2 is a clearly driven morality tale, but devoid of ego, in a Taoist sort of way.  The ending is uplifting, but uninspired, before it unabashedly sets itself up for another sequel, which would be a welcome addition to this entertaining animation franchise.  There is enough quality action and humor worthy of repeated viewing by kids and adults alike.   83  B-

Acting  B-
Story  C+
Cinematography  B+
Directing  B-
Music & Sound  B

In Class With:  Shrek, Star Wars, Megamind, and How To Train Your Dragon

<3