Po, the kung-fu master panda (Jack Black), has everything he hoped for in the first movie.  He has the martial arts skills to protect and impress the community and he is accepted as a teammate by the greatest champions in China.  But he has not yet found inner peace, and that will require an even greater struggle.

Po has not wanted to think about the fact that his father is not a panda, until a glimpse of an all-but-forgotten insignia on an enemy unlocks some memories so painful Po does not want to think about.  But a new villain (Gary Oldman as the peacock Lord Shen) is the most vicious Po has faced, and he cannot be defeated unless Po understands the tragedy that links them together.  He cannot fight his memories and his adversaries at the same time.  Po must make peace with his past to move on to the future.

As with the first one, this film combines exquisite, Asian-influenced design and a story that includes the classic heroic themes and gentle humor.  The action sequences are exciting, especially a sensational scene with our heroes hiding out in a dragon costume.  Before the peril gets too tense, there is always a laugh to remind us that we are safe with Po.  “Ah,” he says, walking into battle, “my old enemy — stairs!”

It has some nice parallels — Po and Lord Shen were both given up by their parents, for different reasons.  And both make use of fight techniques that can be used for good or evil.  The same gunpowder that creates inspiring firework displays can be weaponized into something that could mean the end of kung fu.  Po fights for freedom and for the discipline and skill of martial arts itself.

It opens with some background, beautifully told with traditional shadow puppets.  Po’s existential crisis is handled deftly, with the reassuring message that even when the beginning of our story is not happy, that does not have to control who we are.

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