RBR: Kung Fu Panda 2

The first Kung Fu Panda film was a pleasant surprise back in 2008 and proved that Dreamworks was capable of making an animated film on par with those offered by Pixar. In their second go-round, Po (voiced once again by Jack Black) and company deliver a solidly entertaining effort, but one that fails to match the quality of the first. Plot-wise, I really liked the story they went with here. It centers on Po's quest to find inner peace. To do so, he'll have to discover the truth about his actual parents who are connected to the film's primary villain, a peacock named Shen (nicely voiced by Gary Oldman). I actually wished the film had spent more time with this plot and character development. Instead, we get one too many action scenes meant to showcase the 3D effects. Each of the kung fu fighting scenes are well choreographed, but a little goes a long way with them. I was also disappointed that Po's master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) did not have a larger presence in this film. His Yoda-like character provides a nice anchor to the film without being overly cliched. Despite the excess of action, the film finishes strong with an emotional tone that hits the right notes. While not as good as the first, this continues to be Dreamworks' strongest animated franchise and I would certainly welcome another film (something that is strongly hinted at in the final scene of this one). Rating: *** 1/2