Dreamworks is on fire!

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2011)

Kung Fu Panda 2 is just as awesome as the more recent Dreamworks masterpieces like Megamind and How to Train Your Dragon, and like Madagascar 2, it by far surpasses the original.
With less focus on slapstick, and more on the story, the characters and the animation, Dreamworks is on a roll. The action sequences had superb animation. They weaved 2D animation in with the 3D when exploring the past; and the especially significant scenes had a great "epic" feeling about them, which was perfectly complemented by the brilliant comic timing and witty humor. And the movie was surprisingly touching at times, which was possible this time perhaps because the story involved Po's past and so the events of the movie had a much greater emotional impact on him. It also had a star studded cast, so the voice acting was excellent - especially Gary Oldman's, who played the villain.
I can't believe I was actually debating on whether to go watch this in the theater. I was especially shocked to hear some people actually cried watching it, and that caught my interest. It was a two-and-a-half-hours well spent, and they showed us Baby Po! OMG!