The widely-accepted definition of an
Oscar-worthy
movie is a bit stiff. We think of "prestige" movies—high drama,
electric performances, socially conscience material, themes that speak
blatantly to the universality of mankind. High art—a label an animated
sequel starring Jack Black as a kung fu wielding panda would rarely
garner.
But what's a qualifier for "Best" when it comes to movie
awards? If it's delivering the difficult balance between goofy,
kid-friendly comedy and tender moments of drama in an elegantly produced
picture bursting with color and energy (and I believe that
is a qualifier for "Best"), than
Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of 2011's stand out entries. The movie, up for the Best Animated award alongside
Rango, Dreamsworks other 2011 movie
Puss in Boots, the Spanish-language film
Chico & Rita and France's
A Cat in Paris, continues the story of Po (
Jack Black),
a panda who started as the black sheep of his town, only to rise up to
legendary martial arts warrior and save the day. In the sequel, Po and
his band of do-gooders, the Furious Five, are tasked by their master,
Shifu (
Dustin Hoffman), to stop a rising force of evil. Shen (
Gary Oldman),
a nasty peacock with a serious hatred for pandas, has harnessed the
power of explosives and aims to take over the world—unless, of course,
Po and the Furious Five can put the kibosh on his plans.
When the original
Kung Fu Panda
hit theaters in 2008, it came as a bit of a shock.
Dreamworks Animation
had long lived in Disney/Pixar's shadow as a company that was banking
on the low-brow standards of
Shrek and its anthropomorphized, cartoon animal carbon copies. But
Kung Fu Panda
had a level of maturity—still packed with comedy, but with the added
perks of kinetic direction, emotional storytelling and stylistic
cinematic choices.
Kung Fu Panda 2 continues that trend and
one-ups its predecessor, with action sequences that rival any
live-action movie in the past year (perhaps even ranking above Steven
Spielberg's motion-captured
Tintin) while logically segueing
into a truthful next chapter of Po's journey as a character. Women are
afforded a shameful amount of opportunities to tackle big-budget
spectacles in Hollywood (in 2011, only five wide-releases were directed
by women, only two live-action), so to see director
Jennifer Yuh
knock the sequel out of the park, with slick camera movements and
aggressive fight choreography, is even more inspiring. The movie takes
full advantage of its unrestrained form and blows it to smithereens,
with a scale and speed that only animation could begin to attempt. No
surprise that Yuh took home the Directing Award at this year's
Annies.
Kung Fu Panda 2
has a lot of flash, but its dramatic hook is what elevates the film to
truly "
Oscar-worthy." In the first movie, Po was dealing with the
expectations of the world around him as he dreamed of becoming a
kung fu
master. In number two, the hungry panda confronts his past, the
extinction of his race by his nemesis (Po was the lone survivor of
Shen's panda genocide) and how he ended up as Dragon Warrior. The
strength of the movie's heartfelt message comes from Jack Black's
physical inhabitance of Po. That may sounds ridiculous—especially
considering the best of the best voice performances barely muster their
accolades, let alone "Actor" awards—but what Black is able to convey
with voice, combined with the animated expressions of his fluffy
counterpart, breathes reality into the pixelated presentation. Same goes
for Oldman as Shen, who displays as much vigor in
Panda 2 as he does in his Oscar-nominated
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
role. He's a ruthless villain, but one with lyricism and brains, making
his ambition to rule with an iron thumb that much creepier. The
exquisite acting is another testament to Yuh's work as a filmmaker too.
She brings warmth and consideration to quiet scenes of introspection, in
an environment that can be maliciously branded and demeaned as a "kid's
movie." Her use of
2-D animation in Po's flashbacks is an exhilarating
change of pace and a clear indication Yuh's savvy sensibilities.
Kung Fu Panda 2
is nothing less than underestimated and under-appreciated in the Oscar
game. The film is not an awards contender in the broad sense of the
race, but the top prizes if it came down to quality, compassion and
artistry,
Kung Fu Panda 2 would put up a good fight.
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