Kung Fu Panda 2 was fantastic! It was so much fun from beginning to end combining a funny yet heartwarming story, killer Kung Fu moves and incredible 3D. Dreamworks Animation is quickly becoming my favorite animation studio. Last year, How To Train Your Dragon was my favorite animated film and I’m predicting that Kung Fu Panda 2 will be my favorite this year. Jack Black is back in his best form (a panda) along with Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and the list goes on. I had such a good time watching this that I was smiling from ear to ear and literally laughing out loud. Kids and adults alike are going to love this movie.
Kung Fu Panda 2 jumps right in with characters we remember from the last movie: Dragon Master and his kung-fu idols, the Furious Five: Po (Jack Black), Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). Quickly, we’re in an eye-popping 3D battle with amazing Kung Fu choreography. The action scenes are by far the coolest part of the movie and the way they utilized the 3D was refreshing. There’s no doubt that this movie should be seen in 3D and it really teaches a lesson to every other movie company on how it’s supposed to be done. There are weapons flying right at you, crazy camera angles that emphasize the action and even a few gimmicky scenes that will make kids of all ages laugh. The movie has just begun and the initial fight scene makes you sit up in your seat and let you know that you’re in for a great movie.
Dragon Master Po and the Furious Five!
Other than the 3D, another great element of Kung Fu Panda 2 is the use of various animation styles. The movie begins with some background filler of our new villain, an albino peacock named Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), using Chinese abstract drawings. There are also flashbacks of Po’s origin which use a completely different animation style. These different styles were a great way to separate the various story lines and time periods of the movie. You also get to see the cutest baby panda evar which will get a synchronized group “aww” from every audience member. The whole movie was visually stunning and by using different animated techniques, the Dreamworks team got to have a lot of fun, be innovate, creative and show their numerous skills.
cutest. panda. baby. evar.
All the great visuals would mean nothing without a great story to go along with it and Kung Fu Panda 2 has a great story. The movie has very strong themes of time (past, present, future), technology, family and inner peace. Lord Shen, a vengeful peacock wants to control his future (as well as the whole country of China) and sets out to create a powerful weapon that Kung Fu can’t stop. Master Shifu sends Po and the Furious Five to assist other Kung Fu masters that Po idolizes and stop Lord Shen from taking over China. But Po must first find inner peace by remembering his past, finding out who his true parents are, where he came from and figure out who he is. The scene where Po confronts his (obviously) adopted father, the noodle-making Goose, Mr. Ping (James Hong), is hilarious.
Master Shifu sends the Kung Fu Masters to save China
Like Kung Fu, the movie taught great lessons while being a spectacle in itself. There are a couple scenes where the characters just jumped off the screen and you had no choice but to smile in wonderment. The script was so funny and definitely my kind of comedy with off screen comments and back and forth word play. You can always expect Po to come up with some crazy line that Jack Black delivers so well. Even in the most serious scenes, the script allows for some great laughs to come out at any time. The voice acting was of course superb with an all star cast including the aforementioned as well as newcomers Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michelle Yeoh, Dennis Haysbert and Victor Garber. Kung Fu Panda 2 was better than the original…and I loved the original. I don’t see this franchise going anywhere but up. There’s nothing at the end of the credits but there is a surprise ending! Ska2oosh!
You can still find passes to Kung Fu Panda 2 screenings here!
From the animation studio who brought you Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and their most recent work, How to Train Your Dragon comes Megamind. It’s an action comedy about the lifelong rivalry between a super hero and super villain from two distant planets. What’s the difference between a super villain and a regular old villain? Presentation! And this movie is presented in Mega 3D. Great voice actors lend their personas for this movie including Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, David Cross, and Brad Pitt. The comedy is witty and the story is very predictable but it still does offer up a good time…for adults. I’m not sure this one will translate with children that much.
Let me start by saying: Wow. Every aspect of this movie was great – the story, the visuals, the music, the characters, the whole package. This is DreamWorks Animation’s best work yet. The title of this movie, How To Train Your Dragon, does not do it justice as there is so much more to the movie. You go in to the movie not knowing what to expect, which may be a good thing, because by the end, you’re blown away. It’s a story about a young Viking unlike all the rest of the Viking town since he’s not blood hungry for dragon slaying. Where he’s from, hunting and killing dragons is the way of life and everybody expects each other to do the same. To make things worse, his dad is the head honcho in town who is a bit embarrassed that his son hasn’t turned out like himself: all muscles with guts and glory on the side. Instead, Hiccup (yes, his name is Hiccup) is a small toothpick with a brain on his shoulders. He likes to tinker and make things; he’s an engineer at heart. He doesn’t fit in with everybody else but that’s all he wants – to be like everybody else, or at least that’s what he thinks.
