Kung Fu Panda 2 - 6 stars out of 10

Kung Fu Panda 2 - 6 stars out of 10

"Kung Fu Panda 2" takes the same characters but uses them in a very different way.  Instead of Po trying to master the art of Kung Fu, the film goes in an entirely different direction as he battles internal conflict throughout his journey to discover where he came from.  The other characters take a back seat as "The Po Show" takes center stage.  Jack Black's voice acting is fantastic, which is no surprise since his live-action films reveal that he should've been born as a cartoon character.  Angelina Jolie takes on a larger role in this edition as Tigress and creates a few nice, emotional moments.  Gary Oldman was PERFECTLY cast as the villain and who can resist Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu.  All of the voice acting is wonderful, as is the animation style which embraces a cartoony look while providing the vivid details available through modern computer technology.  I thought that the use of a comic book style during the flashbacks was a creative way to distinguish between past and present, though it felt a bit like a "Kill Bill" rip-off to me.  I also dislike the overuse of slow motion for comedic effect, as this film is one that can easily entertain adults and children at the same time without needing cheep, cheesy visuals to get giggles from the kids.  My last complaint is a major glitch in the overall theme of the movie: They go out of their way to paint Kung Fu and inner peace as these things that takes many, many years to develop... but then they let the main character discover his overnight.  The script very effectively takes Po on his journey, develops his character, and delivers him to the perfect conclusion (which admittedly got some tears out of me), but it really irked me to see them give up on the other theme in lieu of a quick resolution.  "Kung Fu Panda 2" is an entertaining family film but cannot attain the same status as "Toy Story 3" because of its cheesy gags and thematic oversights.