Kung Fu Panda 2 - The hardcore understand

This review is on Kung Fu Panda 2 starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Lu, Seth Rogen, and Jackie Chan. The director is Jennifer Yuh who also did Kung Fu Panda, Spirit, and Dark city. Well like most sequels it is always nice to see all of the actors reprising their rolls. I just want to say that this movie was fun. But I always had a soft spot for cartoons/CGI films. From the opening credits a smile steadily grew on my face. This film started off with a strange paper show that described the reasoning for the plot of the movie. Then skips over to Po who has a funny moment and then jumps right into an action scene. At the end of the fight Po sees a symbol that stirs up memories of his past and sets him on a side quest of finding out who he really is. The fight scenes are very well animated and are extremely entertaining. But like most sequels this movie suffers from what most sequels suffers from. It does not live up to its predecessor. There is growth, development, and good comedy but there just didn't seem to be as much brought to the table. Their wasn't as much at risk nor was their anything to really gain either. The relationships didn't grow or get any deeper. There was an instance where I thought Po and Tigress were going to show some sort of signs of getting closer but alas their was nothing. In that instance I was slightly let down. I hope this franchise does not become like the rest and is just out to make a quick buck. I have high hopes for Kung Fu Panda. Their were scenes at the end that lead me to believe that there will be a third movie. And in this scene I saw a connection with the first movie. No matter how minuscule it was, it was there which made me think that their was an attempt at something deeper in the works. But that may just be wishful thinking. I give Kung Fu Panda 2 a 3 out of 4. I also have a soft spot and a respect for Kung Fu.