1 Time Film Excess Award Winner:
Best Animation: Jennifer Yuh
1 Time Film Excess Nominee:
Best Animation: Jennifer Yuh (won)
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| Panda hero Po and his friends are back on this vibrantly colorful poster for Jennifer Yuh's Kung Fu Panda 2 |
QUICK REVIEW:
Po, the kung fu panda from the first, great Kung Fu Panda (2008), is haunted by some disturbing dreams that raise questions as to his parentage, meanwhile he and the Furious 5 must fight the evil peacock and his new fire-powered weapon!
Panda 2 is nearly as good as the excellent first film in the franchise: Jack Black's (School of Rock (2003)) humor and persona is still a major part of the equation and attraction, with other wonderful voices given by, among others, James Hong (Air Plane! (1980)), Dennis Haysbert (The Details (2011)) and Seth Rogen (The Night Before (2015)).
The animation is once again overwhelmingly beautiful and detailed. The film's best scenes from this standpoint interweave traditional cartoon animation with the general CGI animation in flashbacks to Po's tragic beginnings. Panda 2 is clearly made to jump out and grab us in 3D, but the film works just as well if seen in 2D. It is written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger (Kung Fu Panda, both) and directed by South-Korean Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Spawn (1997), TV-series).
There is lots of fun, adventure, a few tears and lots of wow moments here in the infectiously delightful Kung Fu Panda 2.
Related post:
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
Watch the trailer for the movie here
Cost: 150 mil. $
Box office: 665.7 mil. $
= Big hit
[Charlie Kaufman (!) consulted on the script for Panda 2, and the development included more China research than for the first film, with Dreamworks personnel traveling to Chengdu, China for inspiration. Production began in 2009. The film was shown in Cannes (out of competition) before its May premiere. It received positive reviews and opened #2 (behind The Hangover: Part II) in North America to a 60.9 mil. $ first 4-day Memorial Day weekend. It broke the opening day record in China, where it grossed 92.1 mil. $ (13.8 % of the total gross). It became the highest-grossing film in Vietnam, surpassing Avatar (2009). It was the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman until Frozen (2013). It grossed 165.2 mil. $ (24.8 %) in North America. The 3rd biggest market was Nelson's native South Korea with 41.1 mil. $ (6.2 %). Kung Fu Panda 2 was, like its predecessor, the highest grossing animated film of the year, (6th highest grossing film of 2011 overall); it got nominated for the Best Animation Oscar, and it is certified fresh at 81 % with a 6.9 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes. Kung Fu Panda 3 is coming out next year.]
What do you think of Kung Fu Panda 2?
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