Quick Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

I'm behind in writing my movie reviews again -- two movies I saw over two weeks ago and two more I saw this week -- so I'm going to try and do four short posts over the next day or so, starting with the animated "Kung Fu Panda 2." For some reason the box office figures for the first weekend weren't as high as those for the first KFP (even factoring in money from 3D showings), and I really don't know why because the sequel is right up there, quality-wise. Our hero, Po (voice of Jack Black), the Dragon Warrior, and the Furious Five are tasked with stopping the evil Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who has developed a powerful weapon that seemingly can't be stopped even by the most skilled kung fu practitioners. But Po is troubled by flashbacks of his mother, and needs to achieve inner peace before the fight is hopelessly lost. Lovely animation and, rare for a sequel, real character development. My grade: A-minus.