Doesn't have as much punch as the first, but still good

Rating: Null/10 (11 July 2011)

This movie seems to fall short of the previous film like most DreamWorks sequels do. The studio seems to make entertaining original flicks, but they try to cash in on the fame of the first movies and overstuff the audience with weak follow ups. When it was announced that they were making a sequel to the first Kung Fu Panda it caught a lot of people of guard because the first movie ended well enough that it shouldn't have been a follow up. This movie tumbles short of creativity and freshness that the first movie had, but improves the action and exploring the world of Kung Fu Panda. The action in this film is top notch and very dazzling at times. It has more fight sequences that I would not expect in an animation film, but works quite well. It brings the movie full speed when flat moments arise. The plot of the movie is not as fresh as the first and seems to drag at times, but that's when the other elements start to come alive. The additional component that works well in this movie is the CGI. Its so well done and life like that you are pull visually to a new level. There are certain scenes that just had me stunned at how breath taking it looks. In addition to that, the 3D works well with the film and I believe DreamWorks studio does a great job of adding that portion into their animation films. Other than those various things, this movie has nothing else to offer. This movie in a way feels lazy at times as if the screen writers just start to throw things in the film to propel dull moments. The past animation characters and new ones they bring to the film do nothing to make their present worthwhile. They are mainly placed in the film to carry the story along for us to learn more about Po back story. The movie also tries to hit on an emotional level just as the previous film did, but seems to try too hard and fails at its task. Adding this extra feature is an attempt to connect with the older audience, but doesn't get plugged in all the way. This movie has enough distractions that keeps the flow of the film moving quite nicely for kids to enjoy, but older spectators will not be easily swayed like the first Panda movie seem to accomplish.