Kung Fu Panda 2: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Movie

1. Director In The Works: Jennifer Yuh Nelson, the débutante director of Kung Fu Panda 2, had worked on the first ‘Kung Fu Panda’ in three different capacities  – Head of Story, Actions Sequences Supervisor and Dream Sequence Director!

2. Reel Inspires Real: When Jack Black visited the Atlanta Zoo, he was surprised to know that the latest panda born in captivity was named Po, after his character in the film.

3. Black Goes kung fu: Jack Black, who lends his voice to the leading panda in the film, practised kung fu for both films, but “It wasn’t just for research purposes,” he says. He also used the kung fu to “kind of” get in shape and get in touch with his spiritual side.

4. An Eye For Detail: To make Wolf Boss (voiced by Danny McBride), really fierce and cool, the makers gave him only one eye. “That is always shorthand for someone who is tough.  Anyone in a Western missing an eye is someone to be reckoned with,” said McBride.

5. Buddhist Inspirations: For visual inspiration, the creative team visited the ancient walled city of Pingyao, the Shaolin Monastery, Beijing and Chengdu. They also spent time at a panda reserve and among Buddhist and Taoist temples and shrines.

6. Olympic battles: Po’s adversary, Shen (an albino peacock), has a fighting style that was inspired by the rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympics.

7. Another Sequel?: Not surprisingly, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ has a scene at the end of the film that hints at another sequel to the successful franchise.

8. Po & Pa: The film also reveals the special relationship between Po and his noodle cooking father, Mr. Ping, the duck. It explains how Po came to consider Mr. Ping as his father.

9. Stars Galore: ‘Kung Fu Panda 2′ has a bigger voice cast than probably any other animation films in the recent past. Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, Jean-Claude Van Damme… the list goes on.

10. Peacock  Gang: The villain, Lord Shen (a peacock) has the most unlikeliest  sidekicks – Gorillas and Wolves. Such is the evil power of the peacock that his ‘minions’ shake in their boots when Shen chides them for their foolishness.