I saw WALL-E earlier this week and while it’s pretty good, Kung Fu Panda is still the best animated film of 2008. Scratch that, it’s not the best animated film, it’s just the best film. It’s a breathtaking, imaginative, artistic piece work and it’s perfect just the way it is. It’s an instant classic, one which ought to be put up on a pedestal and left untouched. Unfortunately DreamWorks animation needs another franchise. People are sick of Shrek and after The Love Guru everyone now hates Mike Myers, so they need something else. It looks like sequel-beating of Kung Fu Panda is where it’s at.

The folks over at TAG Blog claim that work on Kung Fu Panda 2 is already underway over at DreamWorks Animation. Story crews are hammering away on a sequel, even while the first film is still going strong in theaters. Kung Fu Panda is on its way to being the next Shrek, whether it makes sense or not.

I say it does not. Kung Fu Panda is a perfectly contained piece of film which couldn’t possibly be topped by revisiting its characters. The film is all about the Po’s pursuit of a specific goal, and once that goal is achieved the story really is over. Besides, I can’t imagine watching a Kung Fu Panda without Master Oogway. Am I the only one who had to choke back tears during his final scene? It’s a soul stroking confluence of visual and emotional transcendence as he vanishes in that glorious cloud of swirling flower petals and ancient wisdom. Kung Fu Panda would seem all wrong without him, but it’d seem even more wrong to resurrect the character from the grave, purely for the purposes of sucking up more money.

Kung Fu Panda is an amazing, incredible animated film. One of the best ever made. It’s a shame DreamWorks doesn’t have the good sense to leave it alone and simply let it remain perfect.