Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Though sadly no longer subtitled The Kaboom of Doom, Kung Fu Panda 2 can sit happily alongside also poorly monikered sequel Toy Story 2 as being that rare beast, an animated movie (heck any movie!) that manages to be even better than the brilliant first instalment. This film was all kinds of awesome, it had me laughing out loud, catching my breath at the imaginative action sequences, and marvelling at the beautifully animated Chinese city and rural landscapes. 

The gang's all back from the previous film, headed up by the charming and fluffy Po, voiced by Jack Black, just one of a cast of stellar actors including Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Victor Garber, Jackie Chan, and um Jean-Claude Van Damme who give life to an array of peacocks, geese, pandas, tigers, storks and rhinos. A brilliantly colourful mix of animal characters and stunning background work make Kung Fu Panda 2 one of the most visually arresting movies of recent memory, and they are well complemented by an unexpectedly emotional plot and sophisticated character work. Even the end credits looked great, eschewing the usual scrolling text on black background for beautiful images that look like production paintings. 

The CGI animation looks amazing, and the 3D was good although I continue my argument that 3D doesn't add anything to an already awesome movie. What surprised me were the segments of 2D traditionally animated flashbacks that looked just as good as the CGI stuff. Proof positive that there is still room for traditional animation in a world of ever-increasing numbers of CGI flicks. Kung Fu Panda 2 was a triumph from beginning to end, and I hope the inevitable threequel (is that a word?) can pull off a Toy Story 3 and be as good as if not better than the first sequel.