Thoughts on "Kung Fu Panda 2"

I went to watch "Kung Fu Panda 2" at the theater today with D'Angelo and one of his friends.  Keep in mind that I really preferred to watch the new "X-Men: First Class" movie and also that I never saw the original "Kung Fu Panda" movie.  I kind of get the premise (oddball panda becomes kung fu master), but it's all new to me.  As it is, it was pretty easy to catch up with the premise and to get a feel for all of the major characters in this film.  The panda character, Po (voice acted by Jack Black), finds his quest for inner peace interrupted by a nasty peacock by the name of Lord Chen (voice acted by Gary Oldman).  Lord Chen has invented scores of powerful cannons and is threatening to take over all of China.  We quickly learn that the only think standing between Chen and his domination of China is a prophesy of his defeat at the hands of a "warrior of black and white".

So here are my takeaways:

1. I liked the repeated concept of "you don't need to let your past define you; you need to define yourself."  It was a little more refined than that, but that's essentially it.

2. The artwork was beautiful.  We watched in 2D.  I could see myself really digging this movie in 3D.  As it is, the 2D art was rich and textured and brightly colorful.  Very nice.

3. I hadn't realized that Kung Fu Panda and its sequel had an adoption angle.  Po had been hidden away by his birth parents in a radish crate when their people were being slaughtered by Lord Chen's forces.  Po was found by Mr. Ping -- a goose -- and eventually adopted.  For whatever reason, Po didn't realize that he was adopted by Ping.  Maybe he realized it in the earlier movie, but remained silent so that he didn't upset his father.  I don't know.  The relationship between the two creatures was very touching and almost made you want to cry when they were reunited at the very end.  I anticipate that we will witness some emotional pushing and pulling between Po's adoptive family and his birth family if there's ever a second sequel.  As it is, it's very clear from their words and actions that Po and Ping love each other very much despite their differences.

I definitely recommend "Kung Fu Panda 2".  It has an excellent mix of action and character development and paces quite well.