Kung Fu Panda 2: Blu Ray Review
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Ent
The big fat cuddly Karate kid of the animal world, Po is back in
the sequel to the multi million grossing Kung Fu Panda.
This time around, Po, along with the Furious Five his kung fu gang,
are forced to face off against Gary Oldman's peacock Lord
Shen.
Shen was banished from China's Gongmen City after wiping out the
pandas whom he believed would be responsible for his downfall
thanks to misunderstanding a prophecy
But he's back and harnessing the power of fireworks to take back
the city he was kicked out of.
Meanwhile, Po's on a dual quest - not only one to vanquish Shen,
but a personal one to find out who his family were; however, his
search is haunted by flashbacks as he nears the truth - can he find
inner peace and do what needs to be done to save himself and his
friends?
Kung Fu Panda 2 is an animated joy to watch; this time round, the
creators have gone deeper on many levels.
Firstly, the animation is stunning and with frenetic and frantic
kung fu fight scenes, there's visually so much to take in. Throw in
some beautiful nods to Oriental artistry and shadow puppetry for
ancient tales from their past and there's truly something to marvel
in. But it's the clever use of different types of animation which
make this - Po's quest in China is in computer animation and then
for flashbacks to his childhood, they've used more traditional hand
drawn animation - it's these flourishes which add to the richness
of the story.
Secondly, the characters have been given a bit more depth this time
round - no doubt thanks to the involvement of Guillermo del Toro;
sure Black still brings his goofy wacky vocal ways to Po, but
thanks to a push to give him a bit of an emotional journey to go
on, there's more humanity on display too - which is rewarding
With an ending which tugs at the heartstrings, and hints at a third film to make this series a trilogy, Kung Fu Panda 2 is the perfect mix of fun and heart; it's perfect filmic fodder for the upcoming holidays
Extras: Commentary, panda stories, learn to speak Chinese - a reasonable bunch for a great story
Rating: 8/10
