The film was released in theaters May 26, 2011 to positive reviews. It grossed $665 million worldwide against its $150 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a female director until Frozen, as well as being the highest-grossing film solely directed by a female director until Wonder Woman. It was also the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2011, the highest-grossing animated feature film of the year, and the highest grossing film in the Kung Fu Panda franchise. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 84thAcademy Awards, losing to Rango. Nelson became the second woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, after Marjane Satrapi for Persepolis. It was followed by Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016, and another film, Kung Fu Panda 4 in 2024.
Plot
Long ago, the peacock rulers of Gongmen City invented fireworks for peaceful purposes, but their son, Lord Shen, discovered that the gunpowder used in firecrackers could also be used as a weapon. Troubled by Shen's obsession, his parents consulted a soothsayer, who foretold them that if he continued too far down this path, he would be stopped by "a warrior of black and white". Overhearing the prophecy, Shen deduced that the warrior would be a panda, and led his wolf army to exterminate the pandas. Horrified by the massacre, Shen's parents permanently banished him. In the present day, Shen and his wolf army raid villages for scrap metal, hoping to build cannons that Shen can use to conquer all of China.
Meanwhile, Po is enjoying his new life as a kung fu master alongside the Furious Five, although Master Shifu warns him that he has not yet achieved inner peace. When the wolf army raids another village, Po and the Five intercept them, but a symbol on the leader's armor that resembles a red eye gives Po a flashback of his mother. Po questions his father, Mr. Ping, and the goose reveals that he found Po as a cub in a shipment of radishes outside his restaurant. When no one came forward to claim the cub, Mr. Ping adopted Po as his son. Po and the Five are dispatched to Gongmen City after learning that Shen killed Master Thundering Rhino, a regent of the city, with a cannon. Shen imprisons the other regents, Masters Ox and Croc, and takes over the city. However, the soothsayer constantly reminds him of the prophecy until he learns that Po is a panda.
On arrival at Gongmen City, Po and the Five free Masters Ox and Croc, but the duo refuse to help, believing that kung fu died alongside Master Rhino. Po and the Five feign surrender to Shen, secretly replacing Mantis with a dummy. The real Mantis frees the others when they are inside the palace, and they destroy the prototype cannon, but Po sees the same familiar symbol on Shen's plumage, which distracts him long enough for Shen to escape and command his men to take down his parents palace. Lord Shen wanted the Year of the Peacock to begin but realised his past horrors was going to lead to his undoing. When the masters are safe, Tigress demands answers, so Po reveals that he somehow remembered Shen was there the day he last saw his biological parents. Tigress sympathizes, but fears that Po's lack of focus will get him killed. The Five abandon Po for his safety, and proceed to Shen's cannon factory with the intent to blow it up.
However, Po follows and confronts Shen, inadvertently spoiling the plan and allowing the Five to be imprisoned. Shen lies, saying Po's parents hated him, allowing him to use one of the weapons on the Dragon Warrior. Badly wounded but alive, Po floats downriver and is rescued by the soothsayer. She tells him about the panda genocide, and encourages him to embrace his past. Po, finally achieving inner peace, is able to remember his father fighting off the army while his mother hid him in a radish crate, drawing off Shen's army so he could survive. Rejuvenated, Po returns to Gongmen City, where Shen is sailing downriver with his cannons and army. Po frees the Five, and with the help of Masters Ox, Croc and Shifu, they are able to wreck the foremost ships and prevent the army from reaching the harbor. Lord Shen fires a cannon, killing some of his own soldiers, to clear the way.
Po stands alone against Shen, using his newfound inner-peace skills to deflect the cannonballs shot at him back at the fleet, destroying it. Po offers mercy to Shen, but Shen rejects it and attacks Po with a spear. This accidentally cuts the few cords keeping the ship together causing the destroyed cannon to fall onto the ship, killing Shen. Po is congratulated by Shifu and the Five, and while returning to the Valley, Po reaffirms his identity as Mr. Ping's son and his love for his adopted father. Meanwhile, at a secret panda village in the mountains, Po's biological father is revealed to still be alive, and he senses his son.[a]
When Kung Fu Panda was released in June 2008, DreamWorks Animation planned a second film with the subtitle Pandamoneum,[5] which was changed by 2010 to Kaboom of Doom,[6] before being wholly retitled to Kung Fu Panda 2. Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who was head of story for the first film, was hired to replace John Stevenson and Mark Osborne as director for the sequel when it became evident that they would not be returning for the sequel. The first film's cast members reprised their voice roles. As with every DreamWorks Animation film from Monsters vs. Aliens onward, Kung Fu Panda 2 was produced in DreamWorks's stereoscopic 3D technology.[citation needed]
In Kung Fu Panda 2, the production crew showed increased familiarity with Chinese culture. In 2008, after the release of Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, director Nelson, and other DreamWorks members, including production designer Raymond Zibach, visited Chengdu, which is considered the "panda hometown".[11] In addition to seeing real pandas at the Giant Panda Research Centre, the production-design crew learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that the sequel incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film.[12]
The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at Mount Qingcheng, a renowned Taoist mountain.[13] In an interview with the China Daily, Zibach recounted that the Panda research center influenced the movie in a big way, as did their experience of holding a month-old panda cub named A Bao, which gave them the idea for baby Po in a flashback.[14] It also gave them the idea of featuring Sichuan food, such as Mapo tofu and Dandan noodles.[15] In an interview with Movieline, Berger stated, "We never really thought of this as a movie set in China for Americans; it's a movie set in a mythical, universalized China for everyone in the world."[16][17]
Release
Kung Fu Panda 2 was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in early May, before its commercial release.[18] In the United States, it premiered May 22, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.[19] The film was widely released in the United States and South Korea May 26, 2011, in the United Kingdom June 10, 2011, and in Australia June 23, 2011. It was also released in IMAX theaters in the EMEA region.[20]
On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81%, based on 185 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "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."[23] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an "A" grade on a scale of A+ to F.[25]
Variety called the film "a worthy sequel that gets an extra kick from the addition of dynamic 3D fight sequences",[26] while The Hollywood Reporter similarly praised the film.[27]Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, praising the sequel as superior to the original, and as an ambitious extension of the previous story.[28]
Some critics noted the influences of executive producer Guillermo del Toro's works in the film's darker themes.[29] Jim Tudor of TwitchFilm.net said 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".[30]
As with the first film, the animation has been praised. Frank Lovece of Film Journal International described the film as "truly beautiful to behold", and stated that it "works on both aesthetic and emotional levels".[31] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "Panda 2 is not just wall-to-wall animation, it is artistry of the highest order".[32]
Many critics praised Gary Oldman's voice acting and developed characterization of Lord Shen, with some comparing him favorably to Ian McShane's voice performance as Tai Lung in the first film. Angie Errigo of Empire called him "fabulous as the feathered fiend and his character animators do his performance proud with a stunning, balletic fighting style, the fan tail flicking with lethal fascination".[33]
In North America, the film earned $5.8 million on its opening day (Thursday, May 26, 2011), ranking second behind The Hangover Part II.[38] On Friday, the film earned $13.1 million, which was behind the first film's $20.3 million opening Friday.[39] Over the three-day weekend (Friday-to-Sunday), the film earned $47.7 million, which was behind the first film's $60.2 million debut; it also finished second at the box office, behind The Hangover Part II.[40] The film made $13.2 million on Memorial Day, bringing its four-day weekend total to $60.9 million.[41]
Outside North America, the film debuted with $55.5 million on the same weekend as its North American debut, topping the box office in nine of eleven countries in which it was released. It ranked third overall, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Hangover Part II.[42] The film topped the box office outside North America on two consecutive weekends (its third and fourth weekend).[43][44]
In China, its highest-grossing market after North America, two different grosses were reported: a $19.3 million two-day weekend and a $16.7 million two-day weekend. Either way, the film set an opening-day record in the country.[45][46] It earned $93.19 million in total, making it the highest-grossing animated film released in China, surpassing the previous record-holder, Kung Fu Panda ($26 million).[47] It held the record until 2015, when it was surpassed by the Chinese film, Monkey King: Hero Is Back.[48] The Asian-themed film scored the largest opening weekend for an animated film in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.[49][50] It became the highest-grossing film released in Vietnam, surpassing Avatar.[51][52]
DreamWorks Animation has invested $100 million in creating promotional partners and building up marketing for its films. For Kung Fu Panda 2, DWA had partnerships with McDonald's, AT&T, Best Buy, General Mills, Sun-Maid, Airheads, Hint Water and HP. The film's characters were used in products and advertising campaigns across various media. The studio also pursued social media efforts to promote the film.[78]
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 during Memorial Day weekend in late May 2011.[78]
Kung Fu Panda 2 is the soundtrack of the film,[79][80] collaboratively scored by Hans Zimmer and John Powell, and originally released May 24, 2011.[81]
A video-game adaptation of the film was developed by Griptonite Games and published by THQ May 23, 2011. The game was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS platforms. The plot takes place after the events of the film, and features Po and the rest of the Furious Five troubled by an evil group of Komodo dragon mercenaries. With the help of the other kung fu masters, Po has to uncover the plot behind this siege and put a stop to it.
^Gray, Brandon (May 27, 2011). "Hangover 2 Rocks Thursday". BoxOfficeMojo.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
