Many years ago, the peacock villain Lord Shen (voiced by Gary Oldman) made plans to take over all of China by harnessing the power of fireworks. But a goat soothsayer (Michelle Yeoh) warned him that 'a warrior of black and white' would ruin his plans. Shen assumed the warrior was a panda and wiped out a whole village of the cuddly bears.
Flash forward to the present. Panda Po (Jack Black) is a 'dragon warrior' alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters the Furious Five. Fighting an army of wolves (who work for Shen), Po spies an emblem on one of the wolves' sleeves which causes him to have a flashback. Po gets the feeling Shen had something to do with his separation from his parents. His fight is no longer just to protect the country against villainy: now it's personal.
Many movie lovers will agree that most sequels just don't work. But with a blend of relatable characters, incredible artwork and a gripping story, DreamWorks has achieved an effective follow-up. It is packed with action, incredibly smooth kung fu moves and a guaranteed 91 minutes of laughter.
While I'm not a fan of 3D - the effects in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 were yet another addition to my list of letdowns - DreamWorks has made 3D work in Kung Fu Panda 2.