Kung Fu Panda 2 2011

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: "Kung Fu Panda 2" is a sequel that delivers more heart than laughs, and is, if anything, more visually dazzling than the 2008 original film. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: At times, Kung Fu Panda 2 suggests Bambi redone as an episode of Oprah. Yet it's a more-than-worthy sequel. Read more

Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies: Kung Fu Panda 2 packs lots of firepower: detailed, reach-out-and-touch creature design, lush settings, big 3D action set-pieces. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Accomplishes the depressingly familiar mathematical trick of being both more and less than its predecessor. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: The animation is always jazzy, especially some dazzling dream sequences -- one involves a radish schooled in the martial arts -- that seem indebted to Genndy Tartakovsky's Samurai Jack. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: Hardly a scene goes by that isn't visually striking or kinetically thrilling, and all of it enhanced by 3-D. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: This thin follow-up feels like a betrayal of its predecessor's accomplishments and goodwill, cheapening what worked in the first place to emphasize some wrong things this time around - particularly the film's 3-D presentation. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: The original film was a compelling surprise, an unusually fun and sophisticated take on the wacky-animal CGI movie. The sequel remains visually beautiful and strikingly designed, but otherwise, it's a surprise in all the wrong ways. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: A precisely calibrated crowd-pleasing machine, balancing action, comedy and just the bare minimum of pathos. Read more

Janice Page, Boston Globe: Part of the problem with this sequel is how little it lets its star just riff with silly abandon, as he did throughout the original, rather than advance the serious themes set out by Yuh Nelson and her crew. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: For a movie touting "inner peace," this 3-D sequel sure goes in for its share of battle scenes, but for the most part they are excitingly conceived by director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and her writers, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: No, we're not talking about Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, although it does feel that way early on in the animated Kung Fu Panda 2. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: The film's visuals are thrilling, beguiling, vivid: the greens of a glade or a terraced hillside; the molten reds of Shen's smelting works or yellow-orange arcs of fireworks. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: What really makes the film work... is director Yuh's sense of timing. She knows how to get in and out of a joke before beating it to death. A quick Pac-Man reference during a chase comes and goes, delighting without ever dragging. Read more

William Goss, Film.com: Nearly matches the original in charm and kicks. Read more

Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: It all moves along briskly, with a degree of visual grace and a solid feel for 3D. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: That expressiveness combined with the talented voice cast brings a nuance, a sense of reality that is hard to achieve in animation. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Like that kung pao chicken at the back of your fridge, none of it's quite as crisp the second time around. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: The freshness and novelty that made the original film such a kick back in 2008 has been, well, kicked to bits. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson's true cannon fist is how seamlessly "Panda's" wild skirmishes mesh with its eloquent narrative, even if there are less pauses for reflection this time 'round. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Po and friends redeem themselves with a terrific third act, the animation (in three distinct styles) is superb and there's enough hiii-YA-ing to keep the kids yipping throughout. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: With its mix of vibrant CG and classical elements, the movie dazzles. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Jack Black once again shows his excellence as a voice actor. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: A breezy, funny, touching, action-packed sequel. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The animation is elegant, the story is much more involving than in the original, and there's boundless energy. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Alas, this time there are about three or four mild laughs in the whole picture, and the entire visual aspect of the movie is a botched disappointment. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: This entry aims to expand the series both in storytelling terms and visually. It introduces emotionally complex issues, and literally adds new scope via 3-D. In each case, the payoff is impressive. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: For a summertime sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is an unexpected kick. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: The kinder, gentler Kung Fu Panda 2 will surely try the patience of older children and fun-seeking parents. Read more

Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine: Has a bright palette, an amiable vibe and enough vivacity to keep kids entertained and any accompanying moms from bolting for Bridesmaids. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: A solid slice of summer entertainment: forgettable, perhaps, but plenty of fun while it lasts. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Black's Po manages to retain his requisite bumptiousness while also making a credible action hero. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: It may not tread new narrative ground, but Panda echoes some worthy tales that parents heard a long time ago at a theater far, far away. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: While not as fresh as the first, the sequel certainly makes good on its promise. Read more

Nick Schager, Village Voice: A fleeter, funnier beast than its 2008 predecessor. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: [A] satisfying, if less than sensational, sequel to the funny, charming and action-packed animated feature from 2008. Read more