Viewed – 14 June 2012  Blu-ray

The first Kung Fu Panda was a highly entertaining homage to martial arts cinema with stand-out voice work from the otherwise annoying Jack Black.  I loved it.  So the prospect of a second adventure featuring the cuddly, accident-prone Panda named Po was an enticing prospect.  This time around a vengeance-seeking Peacock returns to reclaim China for himself after being banished many years previous.  Yet Po, the newly appointed Dragon Warrior and his team of Kung Fu masters (featuring the voices of Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan), the furious five are on hand to stand in his way and hopefully save the day once again.

The villain’s evil plan (a big cannon and a pack of personality-free wolves) may lack imagination, and some of the comedy falls flat, but this is a movie with a very likable lead character, great action and simply gorgeous visuals (helped immeasurably by the ancient China inspired art style).  The story, shedding new light on Po’s origins is also interesting and adds some much-needed emotion to the otherwise slap-stick and silly comedy that I must confess still had me giggling quite a bit.

In comparison to KFP #1 I think it lacks a little something, and with Po being more of a bad-ass, he’s lost a bit of his bumbling charm … but overall this is a fun, if uninspired follow-up that paves the way well for Kung Fu Panda 3.  Skidoosh!!

Verdict:  3 /5