Kung fu panda 2

A+

More action-packed than the first, if less character-driven, a successful extension into the 3D dimension.

************************************************************

The most favourable comment on Kung Fu Panda 2 is that it looks (in 2D) as if it's an unusually effective if over-busy usage of 3D effects.

The original CGI cartoon movie's creatures reappear (with the same megastar voices). The colourings are lovely to look at, and one new creature (a China-threatening peacock) has a much more expressive face and character than the bland "Famous Five" heroes helping the obese and mildly comic panda anti-hero perform his predestined duties.

The peacock's finely boo-able voice is that of yet another Brit-accented gift to conniving cartoon-world villainy (Gary Oldman, channeling moments from Jeremy Irons et al). Jack Black is inoffensively easy to listen to as the bumbling hero. Dustin Hoffman self-effaces well as the divinely patient kung fu master. Less admirably, James Hong's characterisation of the panda's father figure, a noodle-shop-owning duck (Mr Ping), sounds almost racially offensive, depicting the obsequious creature as a whining maudlin Chinese hand-wringer.

Director Jennifer Yuh might claim that character is true to human life. She surely deserves great credit for her debut feature, having been promoted by Dreamworks from her leading artist role on the first Panda. For that she composed a bewitching sequence of Chinese-style shadow puppetry, which is utilised well again as the intro to the fast-paced CGI saga.

More action-packed than the first, if less character-driven, this is a successful franchise extension into the 3D dimension and good ocular entertainment. That's all, folks, and that's good enough.