Kung Fu Panda 2

"The future of Kung Fu hangs in balance."

2011 1h 31m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 8,184

AnimationFamilyComedyAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Po is finally living the dream as the Dragon Warrior—until a shadow from his past comes roaring back. When the ruthless peacock Lord Shen unleashes a devastating new weapon used to wipe out kung fu masters across the land, Po and the Furious Five race across China to put an end to his plans. But if Po is to have any hope of stopping him, he must first confront the truth of his origins—and find inner peace before his past tears him apart.

“The future of Kung Fu hangs in balance.”

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Cast

Jack Black
Po (voice)
Angelina Jolie
Tigress (voice)
Dustin Hoffman
Shifu (voice)
Gary Oldman
Shen (voice)
Jackie Chan
Monkey (voice)
Lucy Liu
Viper (voice)
Seth Rogen
Mantis (voice)
David Cross
Crane (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Philip Craven, Glenn Berger
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$150M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Kung Fu Panda Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, shot by Damon O'Beirne. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Clare Knight shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jack Black and Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jennifer Yuh Nelson directs. Damon O'Beirne behind the camera. John Powell scores. Clare Knight cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$150M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Made its money back 4.4× over at the box office.
3Released 15 years ago.
4Part of the "Kung Fu Panda Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, shot by Damon O'Beirne. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Clare Knight shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jack Black and Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The future of Kung Fu hangs in balance.".
10IMDB entry: tt1302011 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 24 themes, including "mission", "martial arts", "kung fu", "fortune teller".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Damon O'Beirne
Original score: John Powell
Editing: Clare Knight
Production design: Raymond Zibach
VFX supervisor: Alex Parkinson
Sound: James Bolt
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $150,000,000
Box office: $665,692,281
Return: 444% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Awards

Annie Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Kung Fu Panda Collection

The Kung Fu Panda series are computer-animated action comedy films set in a version of China populated by humanoid talking animals, the plot revolves around a bumbling humanoid panda named Po who aspires to be a kung fu master.

Also by

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2013-10-18
★ 7/10
Threre are few sequels that are better than the original. This is one of them. Smarter, with good plot and an amazing animation. Perfect for a movie session with the family.
Sheldon Nylander2019-10-19
★ 5/10
Admittedly, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first “Kung Fu Panda.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s alright, but that’s all. Just alright. The jokes about him being big and clumsy get old after an hour and a half, to the point where it almost seems like a movie that’s trying to (ironically) fat shame kids. “Kung Fu Panda 2” is really more of the same. Same characters, same plot, same jokes. It’s extremely predictable with literally no surprises, giving the characters little depth. What we are presented with here is essentially a paint-by-numbers family film. If you’re okay with that, then more power to you. It’s pretty harmless brain candy, but if you’re looking for more substance or any way to challenge your kids a little, look elsewhere. Again, it’s just kind of...there. Ironically zen, in a way.
The Movie Diorama2020-01-16
★ 6/10
Kung Fu Panda 2 excitedly kicks, punches and belly flops its way through overused visual humour. “Everybody was kung fu fighting!” much more so in this sequel when compared to its predecessor. The Furious Five were slapping Shen’s army of diabolical wolves left, right and centre. Master Shifu prodding his stick conveniently during the climactic battle. And a plethora of other anthropomorphic beasts harnessing the power of said martial art. This very much felt like an animated martial arts feature, one aspect the original was sorely missing. However, despite DreamWorks’ best efforts in continuing Po’s search in becoming the Dragon Warrior, its quality offers no improvements. Unable to surpass the boundaries of family-friendly humour that reduces the visual splendour and narrative heft to progress the story onto the next level. Po, having realised who his parents truly are (not a goose...), must save China with the Furious Five from the malicious peacock Shen and his fascination with metallic weapons. DreamWorks constantly pump out family orientated animations with powerful morals every year. This sequel illustrating the ability to manipulate our past childhoods to shape the person we want to be. For Po, this meant ignoring the familial scars that Shen caused, producing his prepubescent abandonment. A notable moral that many should abide by, but unfortunately is weighed down by excessive comedy that diminished a vast amount of beautiful moments. Aside from the tantalising scene when Po finally discovered what happened to his parents, conveyed through mesmerising hand-drawn animated flashbacks, all other heartfelt examples were brutalised by Po’s apparent requirement to exercise his bumbling personality. Black’s prolific voice doesn’t help matters, with a lack of sincerity to his vocal performance, but the frantic pacing and rushed sequences made for a frustrating central narrative. That’s not to say this sequel is poor, in fact it’s just as consistent as its predecessor. Rather infuriating is all given the tender bamboo seeds that were lovingly planted, unable to grow into ferocious stalks. The humour, as overwhelming as it is, does provide characterisation to these animals. Po in particular. Making it hugely accessible for all members of all families to watch and enjoy. The action sequences were splendid and vibrantly colourful, with some ingenious editing that made one chase scene resemble ‘Pac-Man’. The oriental aesthetics and environments built a beautifully inclusive world for the characters to roam in. The antagonist, Shen, was far more memorable and sinister in comparison to...ummm...I forgot his name. The snow leopard? We’ll go with that. Mostly due to Oldman’s vocal work that has a larger range than the entirety of his filmography (and that’s saying something!). The red and black lighting was, at times, excessive in depicting “evil” and surprisingly dark. No, not thematically. It was literally difficult to see anything! Aside from that, Kung Fu Panda 2 slaps. And punches. And kicks. But also tumbles repetitively due to Po’s constant buffoonery. It does however set the third film up nicely, so guess I’ll have to give that a go...