Opened: May 26, 2011

Directed by: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Jackie Chan, James Hong, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber, Danny McBride, Fred Tatasciore, Liam Knight, Lauren Tom & Conrad Vernon

Diving into its main character’s past and providing a strong new villain, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a worthy successor in the film franchise.

When Soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) predicted Lord Shen (Gary Oldman) would be defeated by “a warrior of black and white,” Shen had pandas exterminated across China. Years after being banished, Shen returns and aims to destroy Po (Jack Black) while taking power.

Until Po can finally connect his visions to himself, the visions/flashbacks are done in gorgeous 2D animation that stands apart from the modern-day CGI. Though there are some plot holes in Shen’s story, exploring Po’s background and the larger crisis of then-endangered giant pandas in China makes for a deeply rich story.

Oldman and Yeoh create fantastic new characters while the cast members from the original film return.

Final say: Layered more than you’d think. ★★★★☆