Kung Fu Panda 2

Overview

The saga of Po continues in this sequel that finds the newly anointed Dragon Warrior (voice of Jack Black) teaming with The Furious Five to safeguard the Valley of Peace. But when a new adversary launches a treacherous bid to seize control of China and obliterate the martial arts, Po must look back to his enigmatic origins in order to unleash his true potential, and defeat his most powerful opponent to date. Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Michelle Yeoh provide addition voices for this sequel directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson from a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/05/2018
UPC:	0191329060896
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	PG
Source:	Dreamworks Animated
Language:	English
Time:	1:31:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Black	Po
Angelina Jolie	Tigress
Dustin Hoffman	Master Shifu
Gary Oldman	Lord Shen
Jackie Chan	Monkey
Seth Rogen	Mantis
Lucy Liu	Viper
David Cross	Crane
James Hong	Mr. Ping,Mop Bunny
Michelle Yeoh	The Soothsayer
Victor Garber	Master Thundering Rhino
Danny McBride	Wolf Boss
Dennis Haysbert	Master Storming Ox
Jean-Claude Van Damme	Master Croc
Michael Patrick Bell	Gorilla Guard 1,Voices
Fred Tatasciore	Panda Dad/Gorilla Guard 2,Gorilla Guard 2 / Panda Dad
Jason Bertsch	Antelope Driver
Michael DeMaio	Happy Bunny
Joseph Izzo	Wolf Soldier 1
Dan O'Connor	Stain Pig/Wolf Soldier 2,Wolf Soldier 2 / Stain Pig
Maury Sterling	Wolf Soldier 3
Shane Glick	Wolf Soldier 4
Lena Golia	Pig Fan/Bunny,Bunny / Pig Fan
Alexandra Jourden	Bunny Fan,Voices,Bunny Fan
Stephen Kearin	Musician Pig/Awesome Pig
Liam Knight	Baby Po
Paul Mazursky	Musician Bunny
Romy Rosemont	Pig Mother
Jeremy Shipp	Dumpling Bunny
Lauren Tom	Market Sheep
Conrad Vernon	Boar
Hape Kerkeling	Voices
Bettina Zimmermann	Voices
Cosma Shiva Hagen	Voices
Gottfried John	Voices
Hans-Jürgen Dittberner	Voices
Bodo Wolf	Voices
Tobias Kluckert	Voices
Lutz Mackensy	Voices
Lutz Schnell	Voices
Jörg Hengstler	Voices
Ralf Schmitz	Voices
Marie Gillain	Actor
Pierre Arditi	Actor
Tomer Sisley	Actor
Mylène Jampanoï	Actor
John Powell	Composer
Hans Zimmer	Composer

Technical Credits

Jonathan Aibel

Glenn Berger

Jennifer Yuh Nelson	Director
Jonathan Aibel	Screenwriter,Producer
Glenn Berger	Screenwriter,Producer
Melissa Cobb	Producer,Director
Leslee Feldman	Casting
Nico Marlet	Character Design
Jeff Hermann	Production Manager
Guillermo del Toro	Consultant/advisor,Executive Producer,Producer
John Marquis	Sound Effects
PK Hooker	Sound Effects
Zachary Carter	Special Effects
Suzanne Buirgy	Producer
Erik Aadahl	Sound Effects
Matt Titus	Special Effects
Ji Hyun Yoon	Special Effects
Masahito Yoshioka	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

The first Kung Fu Panda became a well-deserved success for all the right reasons: it boasted a good story that stayed true to the tropes of martial-arts movies, the animation was lively and adorable, the action was choreographed to maximize thrills and laughs, and the voice actors, especially Dustin Hoffman and Jack Black, were charming. Thankfully, the sequel measures up in every single way, giving DreamWorks a franchise that can compare artistically with Pixar. The story begins with the panda Po (Jack Black) enjoying life as a Dragon Master and keeping the Valley of Peace safe. He's informed by his master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), that the next phase of his training focuses on achieving inner peace, something that eludes Po because he's unsure what happened to his biological mom and dad. His training is interrupted by Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), an evil peacock who intends to rule all of China with the metal-shooting cannon he's invented -- a weapon powerful enough to destroy kung fu. Po and the Furious Five set off to stop Shen, but the mission grows complicated when Po discovers that his nemesis knows the truth about Po's past. Kung Fu Panda 2 smartly bypasses rehashing any of the first movie; the filmmakers know the characters are so clearly defined that you don't need to have seen the first film to understand their personalities and motivations. That's true not only of central figures like Po and Shifu, but also for many of the secondary characters like Po's adoptive dad and Tigress (Angelina Jolie) -- the bravest member of the team. Armed with an understanding of the characters, the filmmakers waste no time getting us into the story. Visually the film is a delight, not just because of the cuddly character designs or because the animation styles vary during flashbacks and dream sequences. No, the real coup is that this is one of the only family films in the current wave of 3D features to use the format well -- meaning they don't make a big deal about it. Every once in a while, especially in the fight scenes, something unexpectedly flies at you, but otherwise they use the stereoscopic effects in order to give the images depth -- a trait they use to humorous effect during dizzying rooftop chases. All of this is in support of a screenplay that offers up a rather traditional take on the tried-and-true formula of the hero's journey. However, the martial-arts film is a genre that easily supports such well-worn ground, so we never mind going along for the familiar ride -- especially when the entertaining action sequences are augmented with so many laughs along the way. David Cross and Seth Rogen are both seasoned comedians, as well as animated film veterans, and they expertly twist every line to elicit a giggle. The cast and crew obviously cared about this movie -- the stylistically daring director Guillermo del Toro is credited as a creative consultant -- and their efforts blossom. Kung Fu Panda 2 achieves something few sequels to blockbusters ever do -- it stays true to a successful formula without seeming tired, cynical, or lazy.