Kung Fu Panda 2 is easily the best Kung Fu Panda for a plethora of reasons. For starters, the lighting and camerawork is very very good when compared to the film that it supersedes, as well as the previous one, and there are many beautiful shots within this movie that are unparalleled in the series. The ethereal use of shadows and lighting blows me away, almost as much as I wish that Tigress would blow me. The animation style in these films is something truly special. Secondly the narrative is the most compelling out of the three films, with Po going through an external conflict that ties into his internal journey of self discovery and introspection. Meanwhile, Po and the Furious 5 battle the most intimidating antagonist that the series has seen to date, in the form of Shen the peacock, who is responsible for the death of Po’s mother. This creates an intriguing dynamic between the two characters, that has otherwise not been seen in the franchise. The movie's set pieces are also superb, with the main city that the film takes place in being a stand out. The city being large, industrial, and a stark contrast from the other locations in the Kung Fu Panda cinematic universe. The writing is also drastically improved, with more mature dialogue that suits the characters much better than the first movie. And from a thematic aspect, Chen’s arc as a villain calls back to what Master Ugway said in the first movie: “One often seals his fate on the way to avoid it” and that’s what Chen did, when attacking the Pandas. As a result Po became the dragon warrior and fulfilled the prophecy that Chen set in motion when he tried to prevent it from occurring. And Gary Oldman does an incredible job voicing Chen. And they way Po and the Furious 5 work as a team created an interesting and entertaining dynamic to fights that makes them amazing. And this dynamic, coupled with the the fact that each of the 5's fighting styles reflect the animal that they are is a great touch that wasn't necessary, but serves to make the film even more fantastic. The movie also has an excellent score, that perfectly encapsulates the film tone and mood. Also it’s worth noting that Tigress is hot. You know it's true stop lying to yourself.