Kung Fu Panda 2: Press reviews

'sweet, scary and charming, with yet more fantastical kung fu, make this an engaging winner. Stunning visuals make it real art as well.'

'a knowing script, beautifully bright animation and a truly towering effort from Black combine to create a cracker of a family film.'

'The law of Hollywood franchises guarantees that this dumpling-loving, staff-wielding panda is going to be around for a while to come. So long as Jennifer Yuh Nelson gets herself a new set of screenwriters that's more than fine with me'

'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'

'not just better than the original but the best sequel of the year so far.'

'Bigger and better than the original, Panda 2 skilfully avoids the curse of the sequel with wit, flair and a 3D paw to the face.'

'Genuine moments of tension, humour and pathos come from the well realised characters, while as brilliantly staged and exciting as the fights are, there's perhaps a few levels too many in this video game-like structure.'

'Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson has done her best to ensure a child-friendly movie that parents can sit through too.'

'"Kung Fu Panda 2" is about what you would expect, and its audience is likely to settle for it in the absence of a compelling alternative'

'a solid slice of summer entertainment: forgettable, perhaps, but plenty of fun'

'It drops points for a narrative that overstretches by at least 20 minutes. Kids will love it, though, and parents won't be savagely bored'