I was surprised to see that Gary Oldman had joined up with KUNG FU PANDA 2: THE KABOOM OF DOOM (quite the title), but Oldman does more voicework that I guess I realized. He was in PLANET 51, he voices a character in the Spyro video game series (that still exists?) and played multiple parts in A CHRISTMAS CAROL. He was even Tiny Tim. That explains a lot of the creepiness.
Well, now he’s showing up in the already celebrity-heavy KUNG FU PANDA 2 as a peacock who helps Jack Black’s panda find other pandas, but he’s “more than he seems.” No word on yet was said “Kaboom of Doom” might be. I would guess a volcano, given the timeframe of the film.
I really wasn’t a fan of the first KUNG FU PANDA, as it relied on a rather unoriginal story (lame guy is destined to be great and suddenly realizes his potential with a montage) and its dependence on celebrity voices was flat out annoying. How many lines did Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen or Lucy Liu have in that movie? It had to have been less than five each.
But recently, I have more faith in Dreamworks after HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON blew me away, so maybe there’s a good chance this project will be cool. I don’t think Oldman is “celebrity grabbing” per se, as the man just does have a good voice for animation.
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