Kung Fu Panda 2 Review

Kung Fu Panda 2 Review

Admittedly I was a bit put off by the idea of a sequel to Kung Fu Panda.  The first film was a nice little kids film with some clever kung fu movie references, but I didn't think it had much potential to be much more than that the one film.  I was wrong.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is without question a superior film to the first. As a series it is now much more than a simple love letter to kung fu philosophy. With Kung Fu Panda 2, the series attempts and succeeds at becoming a part of kung fu philosophy. The movie takes itself seriously as a kung fu film, but also retains an innocent level of silly humor obviously aimed at children.  My hope is that as these children grow up they experience true kung fu films and appreciate them because they have been given a solid baseline with these movies.

Most Kung Fu Films have a philosophical purpose, or thesis, that serves as the moral of the story. You are supposed to learn a lesson from the film, something about yourself that you can take with you and apply in your own life.  Kung Fu Panda has taken this concept and applied it to its narrative. We are supposed to learn and accept the philosophy it provides, and properly apply it to our lives.  Yes it is a children's movie, and yes it has silly comedy, but the philosophical thesis is still present.  In fact because it is a movie designed for young children it blatantly and repeatedly bashes us in the head with it's philosophy.

Kung Fu Panda 2 begins with the legend of the disgraced peacock Lord Shen voiced by Gary Oldman. His story revolves around a prophecy of a black and white warrior who will defeat him.  Fearing his fate, Lord Shen hunted and butchered all the pandas of the world. This of course is all prologue to the original Kung Fu Panda, and explains why Po, voiced by Jack Black, calls a soup cooking goose his Father.

Po's desire to reconcile the ghosts of his past, while simultaneously attaining inner peace, give us the philosophical base that all true kung fu movies need. I can see each chapter in this series being about another chapter in the development of Po. Another another philosophy he must apply to his life, and another lesson he must learn in order to grow as a master of kung fu.

The animation in the film is top notch. Initially I was not a fan of Dreamworks Animation.  I always felt that their art came second to being clever.  Last year, when How to Train Your Dragon was released, I began to hope that perhaps they finally understood that the beauty of the animation is what makes these movies pop, not just clever stories (although that is important too).  Kung Fu Panda 2 demonstrates their desire to create beautiful pieces of moving art. Hopefully with each passing film the Dreamworks Animation Studio doesn't forget this.

This movie serves as a bridge from the first Kung Fu Panda, in which we are introduced into the world, and future Kung Fu Panda movies, of which 5 more have been announced.  This entry also theoretically serves as a template for future Kung Fu Panda movies. A template where we are pleasantly treated to heaping gobs of kung fu concepts, philosophy, and ideology, while also being cleverly entertained.