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Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were screenwriters and co-producers for the first film, and while they returned for the sequel.<ref name="bears" /> [[Charlie Kaufman]] later helped to revise the screenplay.<ref>[http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/05/14/charlie-kaufman-working-on-kung-fu-panda-2-script/ Charlie Kaufman Working on 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Script]</ref><ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2011/05/which-kung-fu-panda-2-jokes-did-charlie-kaufman-write.html Which Kung Fu Panda 2 Jokes did Charlie Kaufman Write?]</ref>
Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were screenwriters and co-producers for the first film, and while they returned for the sequel.<ref name="bears" /> [[Charlie Kaufman]] later helped to revise the screenplay.<ref>[http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/05/14/charlie-kaufman-working-on-kung-fu-panda-2-script/ Charlie Kaufman Working on 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Script]</ref><ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2011/05/which-kung-fu-panda-2-jokes-did-charlie-kaufman-write.html Which Kung Fu Panda 2 Jokes did Charlie Kaufman Write?]</ref>


In ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', the production crew's shown increased familiarity with Chinese culture. In 2008, after the release of ''Kung Fu Panda'', Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and other Dreamworks members visited the city of [[Chengdu]], which is considered as the "panda hometown."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sohu.com/20100920/n275171128.shtml|title= 来自大熊猫故乡的问候|publisher=Sohu.com|accessdate=2011-05-29|language=Chinese}}</ref> In addition to seeing real pandas, crew members learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thinkingchinese.com/index.php?page_id=291|title= "功夫熊猫2"融入更多中国元素 - 'Kong Fu Panda 2' incorporates more Chinese elements|publisher=Thinking Chinese|accessdate=2011-05-29|language=Chinese}}</ref> The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at [[Mount Qingcheng]], a renowned Taoist mountain.<ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-05/27/content_12594833.htm 'Kung Fu Panda 2' to hit silver screen in China]</ref>
In ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', the production crew's shown increased familiarity with Chinese culture. In 2008, after the release of ''Kung Fu Panda'', Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and other Dreamworks members visited the city of [[Chengdu]], which is considered as the "panda hometown."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sohu.com/20100920/n275171128.shtml|title= 来自大熊猫故乡的问候|publisher=Sohu.com|accessdate=2011-05-29|language=Chinese}}</ref> In addition to seeing real pandas, crew members learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that ''Kung Fu Panda 2'' incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thinkingchinese.com/index.php?page_id=291|title= "功夫熊猫2"融入更多中国元素 - 'Kong Fu Panda 2' incorporates more Chinese elements|publisher=[http://www.thinkingchinese.com Thinking Chinese]|accessdate=2011-05-29|language=English&Chinese}}</ref> The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at [[Mount Qingcheng]], a renowned Taoist mountain.<ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-05/27/content_12594833.htm 'Kung Fu Panda 2' to hit silver screen in China]</ref>


==Release==
==Release==

Revision as of 19:51, 3 June 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJennifer Yuh Nelson
Written byJonathan Aibel
Glenn Berger
Produced byMelissa Cobb
Guillermo del Toro (Executive)
StarringJack Black
Edited byClare Knight
Music byHans Zimmer
John Powell
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • May 26, 2011 (2011-05-26)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$150 million[1]
Box office$122,127,718

Kung Fu Panda 2 is a 2011 3D American computer-animated action comedy film and the sequel to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda. The cast of the original film reprised their voice roles. The film was released on May 26, 2011 in Real D 3D and Digital 3D.

Plot

Long ago, Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), heir of the peacock clan that ruled Gongmen City in China, sought to harness the power of fireworks as a weapon with which to rule the entire country. When he learned from the court's goat soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) that "a warrior of black and white" would one day defeat him, Shen assumed she was referring to the giant pandas and had them exterminated to avert the prophecy. Shen's parents were horrified at this atrocity and exiled Shen, who swore revenge.

Thirty years later, Po (Jack Black) is living his dream as the Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, the Furious Five, but is told by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he has yet to achieve inner peace. While fighting off a pack of wolf bandits who have been stealing refined metal for Lord Shen, Po is distracted by a symbol on the head wolf's (Danny McBride) armor, which causes Po to have a flashback of his mother and allows the wolves to escape. Po asks his goose father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), where he came from, but all Ping can tell him is that he found Po as an infant in a radish crate and adopted him.

Afterward, Shifu receives word that Master Thundering Rhino (Victor Garber), leader of the kung fu council protecting Gongmen City, has been killed by Lord Shen with his newly developed weapon, a cannon, which threatens to destroy kung fu tradition. Po and the Five go to stop him, reaching Gongmen City to find it under the control of Shen's forces. The heroes find two imprisoned council members, Masters Storming Ox (Dennis Haysbert) and Croc (Jean-Claude Van Damme), and ask their help to liberate the city, but both masters cite their helplessness against Shen's weapon and refuse to escape. Po and the Five are then discovered by the wolf leader, who they chase to prevent him from alerting Shen, only to be captured.

Upon being brought before Shen in his tower, Po and the Five free themselves and destroy Shen's cannon. However, Crane burns his wing and Po is again distracted by a flashback upon seeing the same symbol as before on Shen's plumage, allowing Shen to escape and destroy the tower with an arsenal of cannons. After escaping, Tigress (Angelina Jolie) confronts Po over his distraction. Po explains that he remembers Shen's presence on the night he was separated from his parents, and wants to question Shen about his past. Though empathetic, Tigress orders him to stay behind for his own safety. Po regardless breaks into Shen's cannon factory to confront Shen, inadvertently foiling the Five's attempts to destroy the factory. Shen claims that Po's parents abandoned him before he blasts Po out of the factory and captures the Five.

Po is rescued by Shen's soothsayer, who has been exiled by Shen to the ruined village where Po was born. Guided by the soothsayer to embrace his past, Po remembers that his parents had endangered themselves to save him from Shen's forces, his mother hiding him in a crate before she was subdued. Attaining inner peace, Po returns to Gongmen City to save the captive Five from being executed by Shen at the city harbor. During the ensuing battle (in which Shifu participates after having persuaded Ox and Croc to do the same), Po uses his inner peace to gauge Shen's cannon fire and redirect it against Shen's armada. He then urges Shen to let go of his own past, but Shen refuses and attacks Po until Shen inadvertently slashes the ropes holding up his last cannon, which falls and crushes him to death. Victorious, Po returns to the Valley of Peace and reunites with Mr. Ping, declaring him to be his father. At the same time, Po's biological father (Fred Tatasciore) is shown to be alive in a hidden village inhabited by surviving pandas, sensing that his son is also alive.

Cast

Main article: List of Kung Fu Panda characters

Production

Kung Fu Panda 2 is the sequel to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda. The first film was released in June of 2008, and by the following October, the studio DreamWorks Animation announced plans for a second film. Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who was head of story for the first film, was hired to direct the sequel. The original film's cast members reprise their voice roles. Like the other DWA films beginning production in 2009, Kung Fu Panda 2 was produced in stereoscopic 3-D technology. The studio also plans to release the film in IMAX theaters worldwide.[2]

Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger were screenwriters and co-producers for the first film, and while they returned for the sequel.[2] Charlie Kaufman later helped to revise the screenplay.[3][4]

In Kung Fu Panda 2, the production crew's shown increased familiarity with Chinese culture. In 2008, after the release of Kung Fu Panda, Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and other Dreamworks members visited the city of Chengdu, which is considered as the "panda hometown."[5] In addition to seeing real pandas, crew members learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that Kung Fu Panda 2 incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film.[6] The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at Mount Qingcheng, a renowned Taoist mountain.[7]

Release

Kung Fu Panda 2 was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in early May before its commercial release.[8] The film was released in the United States on May 26, 2011, a Thursday.

Reception

Critical

Kung Fu Panda 2 has received generally positive reviews, with many critics praising its animation, 3D effects, and character development. The film received a "Certified Fresh" score of 81% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 103 critics and a rating average of 7 out of 10, with the consensus being that "The storyline arc may seem a tad familiar to fans of the original, but Kung Fu Panda 2 offers enough action, comedy, and visual sparkle to compensate."[9] It also received a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 at Metacritic, based on 23 reviews from mainstream critics.[10]

Variety called the film "a worthy sequel that gets an extra kick from the addition of dynamic 3D fight sequences"[11] while The Hollywood Reporter similarly praised the film.[12] Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the sequel as superior to the original and as an ambitious extension of the previous story.[13]

Some critics noted the influences of executive producer Guillermo del Toro's works in the film's darker themes,[14] and Jim Tudor of TwitchFilm.net describes that with del Toro on board, the film "effectively probes deeper into Po's emerging hero's journey and personal issues, evoking a truly fulfilling Campbellian archetype, but also remains fully viable as mainstream entertainment suitable for all ages."[15]

As with the first film, the animation has been praised. Frank Lovece of Film Journal International describes the film as "truly beautiful to behold" and states it "works on both aesthetic and emotional levels."[16] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times writes that "For Panda 2 is not just wall-to-wall animation, it is artistry of the highest order."[17]

Box office

On its opening day, a Thursday, Kung Fu Panda 2 earned $5.8 million, taking second place to The Hangover: Part II.[18] On Friday, Panda earned $13.1 million, which was behind the original's $20.3 million opening-Friday.[19] Over the three-day weekend, Panda earned $47.7 million, which was behind the first movie's $60 million start.[20] Kung Fu Panda 2 went on to make $13.2 million on Memorial Day, bringing its four-day weekend total to $60.9 million.[21] Overall the film made $66.7 million in its first five days, but it still trailed behind the original film's five day opening of $72.6 million.[22] Altogether, Panda 2 earned the same amount of money in five days as the original Panda did in four.

Internationally, the film opened simultaneously with its North American debut in 11 markets, premiering at number-one in nine. This includes China, where at $16 million it broke that country's record for the opening day of an animated film. The total foreign box-office earnings as of May 29, 2011, is $55.5 million, making a worldwide total of $108.9 million on its first weekend worldwide.[23]

Marketing

DreamWorks Animation has invested $100 million in creating promotional partners and building up marketing for its films. For Kung Fu Panda 2, DWA has partnerships with McDonald's, AT&T, Best Buy, General Mills (cereals), Sun-Maid (raisins), Airheads (candy), Hint Water and HP. The film's characters are used in products and advertising campaigns across various media. The studio is also pursuing social media efforts to promote the film.[24]

DWA partnered with House Foods America to brand its products, notably tofu, with advertising of the film. Variety reported that the partnership was the first-ever between a film studio and a tofu company. The studio also enlisted the parade balloon of Po from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to tour in six cities, concluding with Los Angeles over Memorial Day weekend in late May of 2011.[24]

Merchandise is also being produced for the film: Mattel (toys), THQ (video games), Hallmark Cards (cards), and Jem Sportswear (apparel). Publishers VTech, Penguin Books, Dalmatian Press, and Ape Entertainment are releasing books tied to the film.[24]

References

  1. ^ Kaufman, Amy (2011-05-25). "Movie Projector: Memorial Day weekend to soar with 'Hangover,' 'Kung Fu Panda' sequels". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
  2. ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana (October 1, 2008). "'Kung Fu Panda' bears 3-D sequel". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Charlie Kaufman Working on 'Kung Fu Panda 2' Script
  4. ^ Which Kung Fu Panda 2 Jokes did Charlie Kaufman Write?
  5. ^ "来自大熊猫故乡的问候" (in Chinese). Sohu.com. Retrieved 2011-05-29.
  6. ^ ""功夫熊猫2"融入更多中国元素 - 'Kong Fu Panda 2' incorporates more Chinese elements" (in English&Chinese). Thinking Chinese. Retrieved 2011-05-29. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. ^ 'Kung Fu Panda 2' to hit silver screen in China
  8. ^ Collett-White, Mike (May 12, 2011). "Jolie, Black seek 'inner peace' in Kung Fu Panda 2". Reuters. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Kung Fu Panda 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "Kung Fu Panda 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ DeBruce, Peter (May 22, 2011). "Kung Fu Panda 2". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 22, 2011). "Kung Fu Panda 2: Review". {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Unknown parameter |journal+= ignored (help)
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Kung Fu Panda 2". Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  14. ^ Kung Fu Panda 2: The second entry in the DreamWorks franchise turns on the dark.
  15. ^ KUNG FU PANDA 2 Review. Twitch.
  16. ^ Lovece, Frank. Film Review: Kung Fu Panda 2 "Film Review: Kung Fu Panda 2". Film Journal International. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  17. ^ Sharkey, Betsy. "Movie review: 'Kung Fu Panda 2'". Los Angeles Times.
  18. ^ Gray, Brandon. "'Hangover 2' Rocks Thursday", BoxOfficeMojo.com, May 27, 2011
  19. ^ Box office update: 'The Hangover Part II' adds another $30 mil on Friday
  20. ^ Box office update: 'The Hangover Part II' parties on with $86.5 mil three-day weekend
  21. ^ Box office report: 'The Hangover Part II' rules record Memorial Day weekend with $105.8 mil
  22. ^ Weekend Report: ‘Hangover’ Gets Higher with Sequel, 'Panda' Loses Weight
  23. ^ "WORLDWIDE OPENINGS". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  24. ^ a b c Graser, Marc (April 25, 2011). "DreamWorks inflates 'Kung Fu Panda' campaign". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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