Kung Fu Panda 2
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 26, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
67
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMay 25, 2011
Part two is even more gorgeous to behold, and deeper in substance. Read full review
90
We Got This CoveredBilly Tatum Feb 16, 2021
Kung Fu Panda 2 benefits from an entertaining story, fantastic direction and amazing visuals. It's one of 2011's best animated films. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyMay 23, 2011
It all moves along briskly, with a degree of visual grace and a solid feel for 3D. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 23, 2011
Once again, the DreamWorks team demonstrates that humor is the primary weapon in its arsenal. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertMay 25, 2011
The animation is elegant, the story is much more involving than in the original, and there's boundless energy. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMay 25, 2011
At times, Kung Fu Panda 2 suggests "Bambi" redone as an episode of Oprah. Yet it's a more-than-worthy sequel. Read full review
80
EmpireAngie ErrigoJun 3, 2011
A richer plot, life lessons and loving Chinese cultural references rendered by turns sweet, scary and charming, with yet more fantastical kung fu, make this an engaging winner. Stunning visuals make it real art as well. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierMay 26, 2011
Kung Fu Panda 2 plunks down squarely in the spot marked for "chop-socky action with heart." Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy SharkeyMay 25, 2011
The big action pieces, particularly the final face-off, are masterful both for their cleverness in bringing down the house and the detail jammed into every frame. Even composers Hans Zimmer, who's scored a zillion movies, and John Powell seem to be having more fun than usual. Read full review
80
Boxoffice MagazineTodd GilchristMay 24, 2011
A fun and surprisingly affecting little adventure, Kung Fu Panda 2 ranks among the best films DreamWorks has ever done. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicKerry LengelMay 24, 2011
A precisely calibrated crowd-pleasing machine, balancing action, comedy and just the bare minimum of pathos. Read full review
80
Village VoiceNick SchagerMay 24, 2011
Jennifer Yuh Nelson's sequel delivers a bevy of superpowered set pieces that are dexterous and delirious, as well as tonally confident. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMay 28, 2011
This is the most mature animated feature since "Rango." Read full review
75
MovielineMichelle OrangeMay 27, 2011
Scenic, inventively playful, and successfully serious when it wants to be. Read full review
75
USA TodayScott BowlesMay 26, 2011
Black is clearly suited for the role of a modern-day Inspector Clouseau, a hero clown who can't help but save the day. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMay 26, 2011
For a movie touting "inner peace," this 3-D sequel sure goes in for its share of battle scenes, but for the most part they are excitingly conceived. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsMay 25, 2011
This well-executed sequel is sneaky. While it distracts us with Chinese backdrops and buffoonish humor, it sucker punches us with a message about belonging. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaMay 25, 2011
Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who oversaw the elegant title sequences from the first film, likewise gives Kung Fu Panda 2's series of flashbacks a different look, harking back to Chinese shadow puppetry and delicate watercolors. With its mix of vibrant CG and classical elements, the movie dazzles. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreMay 24, 2011
A sequel that delivers more heart than laughs, and is, if anything, more visually dazzling than the 2008 original film. Read full review
70
Screen RantKofi OutlawFeb 16, 2021
Despite its drawbacks the kids will still love it, it's still epic and entertaining for adults, and the movie still manages to say something inspired and meaningful - even if it takes a little longer to do so. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMay 27, 2011
Hardly a scene goes by that isn't visually striking or kinetically thrilling, and all of it enhanced by 3-D. Read full review
70
TimeRichard CorlissMay 27, 2011
The new Panda has a bright palette, an amiable vibe and enough vivacity to keep kids entertained and any accompanying moms from bolting for "Bridesmaids." Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMay 25, 2011
Accomplishes the depressingly familiar mathematical trick of being both more and less than its predecessor. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMay 26, 2011
Kids are bound to get a kick out of these kung fu creatures. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle SmithMay 27, 2011
It wouldn't be right to say that, half an hour after Kung Fu Panda 2 ended, I was starving for laughs again. In truth, I was starving pretty much all the way through. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeJanice PageMay 25, 2011
It's still Black's franchise, though. And part of the problem with this sequel is how little it lets its star just riff with silly abandon, as he did throughout the original. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Philip FrenchFeb 16, 2021
The central notion of discovering one's unique personal identity ("the only thing that matters is what you choose to be now") takes us back to an earlier China and it's free of jokey references to other movies. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichMay 24, 2011
For an animation studio that too often specializes in the frivolous and glib (begone, Shrek series!), the move to the dark side is refreshing. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineGlenn Heath Jr.May 30, 2011
Exquisite looking but substantially hollow. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen ColeMay 26, 2011
There just isn't the same zingy rapport. Seth Rogen's praying mantis and Jackie Chan's monkey have no more than a dozen lines between them. Even Jack Black's Po is more subdued. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMay 25, 2011
And, yes, Kung Fu Panda 2 is a little darker and a little more intense than the first film, especially for very young viewers. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianShawn LevyMay 27, 2011
Kung Fu 2 does almost NOTHING to advance the story, to deepen the characters, or to charm, amuse or entertain. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonMay 26, 2011
The sequel remains visually beautiful and strikingly designed, but otherwise, it's a surprise in all the wrong ways. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMay 26, 2011
A ghastly sequel to a charming animated film. Read full review
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