Kung Fu Panda

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Lore & Background

The lore of Kung Fu Panda 2 centers on Lord Shen, a peacock warlord who discovered that fireworks' gunpowder could be weaponized. Troubled by Shen's obsession, his parents consulted a Soothsayer, who foretold that 'a warrior of black and white' would defeat him if he continued down this path. Shen deduced the warrior would be a panda and led his wolf army to exterminate every panda in China. Horrified by the massacre, Shen's parents banished him from the city. Po's personal lore deepens when he learns from his adoptive father Mr. Ping that he was found as a cub in a shipment of radishes. Through flashbacks triggered by Shen's emblem, Po recalls his father fighting off Shen's army while his mother hid him in a radish crate and sacrificed her life by distracting their pursuers. This reconciliation with his past allows Po to achieve inner peace. The film introduces the concept of inner peace as a martial arts philosophy. Master Shifu warns Po he has not yet achieved it, and the Soothsayer encourages Po to embrace his painful memories instead of fighting them. Using inner peace, Po redirects cannonballs shot at him back at Shen's fleet, destroying the ships.

In Their Own Story

Long ago, in Ancient China, the peacock rulers of Gongmen City invented fireworks. Their son Lord Shen discovered the gunpowder could be weaponized. After a prophecy foretold a 'warrior of black and white' would defeat him, Shen led his wolf army to exterminate every panda. His parents banished him. In the present, Po enjoys life as Dragon Warrior alongside the Furious Five, though Master Shifu warns he has not achieved inner peace. Shen's army raids villages for metal to build cannons. Po and the Five intercept them, but an emblem on the head wolf's armor triggers a memory flash of Po's mother. Po consults Mr. Ping, who reveals he found Po as a cub in a radish shipment. Po and the Five are dispatched to Gongmen City after Shen kills Master Thundering Rhino with a cannon. In Gongmen City, Po and the Five feign surrender but destroy Shen's prototype cannon. Po sees the same emblem on Shen's plumage, distracting him long enough for Shen to escape and destroy Gongmen Palace. Tigress and the others abandon Po for his safety. Po follows them to Shen's cannon factory, ruins their plan, and gets captured. Shen claims Po's parents never loved him before shooting him with a cannon. Severely wounded, Po floats downriver and is rescued by the Soothsayer at the abandoned village where he once lived. She nurses him back to health. Po recalls his father fighting off Shen's army while his mother hid him in a radish crate and sacrificed her life. Having reconciled with his past, Po achieves inner peace. Po returns to free the Five and, with help from Ox, Croc, and Shifu, takes out foremost ships. Using inner peace, Po redirects cannonballs back at the remaining ships, destroying them. Shen refuses to let go of his pain and attacks Po, accidentally severing lines holding up a destroyed cannon, which crushes him. Po returns to the Valley of Peace acknowledging Mr. Ping as his father. In a secret panda village, Po's biological father senses his son is alive.

Reader's Guide

Kung Fu Panda 2 was released in theaters on May 26, 2011, by Paramount Pictures. It was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival in early May before its commercial release. The film premiered on May 22, 2011, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. It was widely released in the United States and South Korea on May 26, 2011, in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2011, and in Australia on June 23, 2011. It was also released in IMAX theaters in the EMEA region. The film was produced in DreamWorks's stereoscopic 3D technology, as with every DreamWorks Animation film from Monsters vs. Aliens onward. Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who was head of story for the first film, was hired to replace John Stevenson and Mark Osborne as director. Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger returned to write and co-produce, with Charlie Kaufman consulting on the screenplay early in development. The production crew showed increased familiarity with Chinese culture. After the release of Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, director Nelson, and production designer Raymond Zibach visited Chengdu, considered the 'panda hometown'. They saw real pandas at the Giant Panda Research Centre and learned about local culture. The film's landscape and architecture found inspiration from Mount Qingcheng, a renowned Taoist mountain. The Panda research center gave them the idea for baby Po in a flashback and featuring Sichuan food such as Mapo tofu and Dandan noodles. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 13, 2011, accompanied by the short film Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters and an episode of the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness television series. As of February 2013, 6.5 million home entertainment units were sold worldwide. It was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 9, 2025. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82%, based on 185 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Metacritic assigned a score of 67 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating 'generally favorable' reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an 'A' grade. Variety called the film 'a worthy sequel that gets an extra kick from the addition of dynamic 3D fight sequences'. Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, praising the sequel as superior to the original. Some critics noted the influences of executive producer Guillermo del Toro's works in the film's darker themes.

Did You Know?

• Kung Fu Panda 2 was the highest-grossing film from a female director (Jennifer Yuh Nelson) at the time of its release.
• The film was originally subtitled 'Pandamonium', then changed to 'Kaboom of Doom' before being retitled to 'Kung Fu Panda 2'.
• Production designer Raymond Zibach and the crew visited Chengdu, the 'panda hometown', and holding a month-old panda cub named A Bao gave them the idea for baby Po in a flashback.
• The film's landscape and architecture were inspired by Mount Qingcheng, a renowned Taoist mountain.
• Kung Fu Panda 2 was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards.