Remember when Po (the voice of Jack Black) was worried he was never going to fit in with the martial arts legends The Furious Five? All that seems so long ago now, and yet being the Dragon Warrior charged with defending the Jade Kingdom still has its challenges: for one thing, as a teacher Po is kind of rubbish. For another, the evil Kai (J. K. Simmons) has escaped from the spirit realm and thanks to his chi-absorbing powers he’s defeated everyone he’s fought – including Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim). Now his army of Jade Zombies threatens to overrun the world, and only the chi-channelling power of pandas can stop him. But Po doesn’t know how to channel chi; fortunately Po’s biological father Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) has just arrived in town…
This is basically more of the same but when you’re on a good thing – and the Kung Fu Panda’s mix of sharp visuals, decent fight scenes and some solid comedy is definitely a good thing – then why mess with things? The messages might be simplistic and the twists less than shocking, but it moves fast and the animation is excellent. Reportedly the series could go another three films; for once that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris
