Kung Fu Panda 2

***Kung Fu Panda 2*** is a 2011 3D American computer-animated comedy-drama martial arts film, directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, produced by DreamWorks Animation, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2008 film *Kung Fu Panda* and the second installment in the *Kung Fu Panda* franchise.

## Plot

Now known as the Dragon Warrior, Po (Jack Black) protects the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the Furious Five. However, a dangerous villain threatens Po's awesome new life with plans to use a secret weapon to wipe out the martial art and conquer China. In order to defeat the new enemy, Po finds he must recall his past and unlock secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he find the strength to vanquish his foe.

## Why It Achieved Inner Peace

1. Beautiful animation that is a major step up from the already technically impressive first film.
2. The movie once again has amazing voice acting such as from Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Jackie Chan and James Hong reprising their roles from the first film, alongside newcomers such as Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh and many others.
3. It expands upon the previous film and dives into subjects like Po's origins. The ending even teases the plot of *Kung Fu Panda 3* in a nice way.
4. Exciting and fast paced fight scenes that are also really creative at times, such as the first fight scene.
5. Lord Shen is an excellent villain and Gary Oldman does a phenomenal job bringing him to life with his voice acting as him, and he is a much better villain than Tai Lung, who, while he was awesome, is also pretty forgettable. And he has the most personal connection to Po than every other villain in the franchise since Shen actually took the life of his mother due to the panda genocide (yeah, this is still a comedy. A hilarious comedy that doesn't rely on dark humour can still be the darkest film of all time) and being the reason he is adopted by Mr. Ping.
6. Its darker tone is executed very well, fitting on certain scenes.
7. John Powell and Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is excellent,
8. Lots of heartfelt scenes, especially those involving Po's origins.
9. It has 2D animated scenes similar to the first film.
10. Funny humor, such as the stairs scene. This perfectly balances the dark elements in the film.
11. Baby Po is just adorable.
12. The soothsayer has some pretty funny scenes.
13. The world-building is once again excellent, such as the introduction of Gongmen City.
14. The final battle between Po and Shen is epic, as Po destroys Shen's entire armada, and Shen's death is pretty brutal as a cannon falls on him. Plus, it is great Shen accepts his fate at the end.
15. The stakes are even higher than before, as Shen plans to take over China using powerful weaponry. It is also personal since this is why Shen kills Po's mother and many other pandas for.
16. It perfectly captures Po's struggle with his past in a realistic way.

## The Only Bad Quality

1. The Act-2 breakup between Po and the Furious Five takes too long, and it felt a bit forced.

## Reception

*Kung Fu Panda 2* was met with positive reception, with many praising the animation and the story. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 80% based on 184 reviews, and an average rating of 6.90/10. The audience approval rating is a 74%, with an average rating of 3.9/5. The site's critical consensus reads, "The storyline arc may seem a tad familiar to fans of the original, but *Kung Fu Panda 2* offers enough action, comedy, and visual sparkle to compensate." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 31 critics, and a user score of 7.7/10, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

YouTubers Lukimus Prime and Sean Chandler Talks About reviewed this movie in their Kung Fu Panda trilogy ranking videos and they regard this movie as their favourite of the trilogy. Lukimus Prime in particular regards this movie as his favourite DreamWorks movie of all time and Lord Shen as his favourite DreamWorks villain.

## Trivia

* The title was originally planning with subtitle *Pandamoneum*, which was changed by 2010 to *The Kaboom of Doom* before simply being retitled to *Kung Fu Panda 2*.
* It is the highest grossing Kung Fu Panda film.

## External Links

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