DreamWorks released its teaser trailer for Kung Fu Panda 2 on Monday and took a bold, but perhaps necessary step for the success of a family movie: addressing the adults. The first half of the trailer reintroduces Jack Black as Po, the fighting Panda; the second half of the trailer is mostly static and silent, as Po challenges the viewer to a staring contest.

The staring contest is a novelty that works well, especially in a movie trailer world governed by strings of one-liners, loud, punching sound effects and many, many cuts. With this impressive feat in fourth-wall breaking history, I start to wonder if DreamWorks can use fifteen seconds of stillness and silence to hook me into a trailer about a Kung Fu fighting panda, then perhaps they are making a watchable movie. The novelty of the staring contest is also a reminder of the comedic virtues of Jack Black, a comforting thought for the parents who generally dread being bored out their minds as they sit through a family friendly movie with their children.

Anticipation Rating: TWO BONES (Wouldn't Mind Seeing It)