Kung Fu Panda 2

“Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be...”

That quote, that in various was is spoken by multiple characters in the Kung Fu Panda sequel, is the theme of the story. In that regard, the film is better than its predecessor, because it is a theme that reflects a couple of important truths in life, as opposed to the unfortunate nonsense in the first one.

Both films are entertaining, funny, and have moments of genuine emotion. Both films have great art design and animation. These would probably have to be considered some of the best work DreamWorks Animation has done, and that is including the Shrek movies.

The two things that are so great about the theme of this second film are that life is indeed about choices and not about circumstances. In American society today, there is far too much emphasis laid upon all the things and circumstances in a person’s past that give them an excuse to do wrong, be evil, or simply not try to live a life worth living. This movie makes a case that even the most tragic of pasts need not shape who a person ultimately will be.

Instead, it is the choice a person makes that determines what sort of person they will become. Choice, not choices. The little daily decisions we make are not as important as the decision, at some point in a person’s formative years, which a person makes regarding what kind of person they will be. Will they take the road of responsibility and life lived by a standard, or will they simply go with the flow and allow circumstances to govern their character?

(Oh, and when will theaters come to the realization: I would pay even MORE extra to see these movies in 2D!)