Episode Guide
Journey to the East Curse of the Monkey King A Game of Fists The Beast of the Wasteland Danger in the Forbidden City The Battle(s) of Gongmen Bay Gongmen City Hustle Night of the White Bone Demon Rise of the Empress Bridge Over Troubled Lava House of Flying Pandas Coronation of the Iron Goddess The Invincible Armor Although officially titled as Part 2, Kung Fu Panda’s second season is an action-packed, enjoyable thrill ride, one that returns with the same humour and pacing that made the first part so endearing. With our characters already established last time out, the second season sees the Four Constellations and Po spring into action for a new adventure that takes them across the world and face to face with their deadliest threat yet. After sending Jindiao to the spirit realm last time out, the series begins with the Four Constellations contemplating hero life and what to do next before being drawn into a new challenge involving the Forbidden City. After being tested several times on their travels, when they all do eventually arrive at their destination, they’re tasked with protecting Xiao during her Father’s funeral. Predictably this escalates into another epic fight that sees Po and the kids battle a new threat at Volcano Island and across the land. Shocking secrets and twists ensue before this builds toward one final, climactic fight at the end where all our heroes come together and use their powers to stop the threat once and for all. Unlike the first part, this one has a much more definitive ending. Aesthetically, Paws Of Destiny looks great and with all the added effects from the fighting, the scenes are vibrant, awash with colour and really show off the great animation at work here. If you enjoyed the visuals the first time around, you’ll certainly not be disappointed here either and Paws Of Destiny is faithful to the Kung Fu Panda name, injecting the right level of detail into its characters and backgrounds. Thematically, the series very much sticks to the same messages that made the first so interesting, with ideas around self-worth, teamwork, friendship and, of course, wielding power responsibly. These are great themes and with the core audience already established for the show the first time around, the second season layers on its ideas much more lackadaisically this time around, much to the benefit of the series. These ideas never come across as preachy which is certainly a welcome change from other kid shows and feels tonally in-line with the films. Although Paws Of Destiny does well to emulate this, expect more of the goofy slapstick and humour here to run throughout the series. This does help make it more accessible to kids and Paws Of Destiny is certainly one of those rare shows that parents and kids can watch together and be equally as entertained.
