DREAMWORKS - KUNG FU PANDA SEQUEL TO HIT SCREENS IN 2011

A sequel to animated hit Kung Fu Panda has been given the green light and will be released in June 2011, it has been confirmed.

It emerged earlier this week that the team behind the Dreamworks Animation smash - writers and co-producers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger and lead voice star Jack Black - are to reunite to develop a comedy about an amnesiac who believes he is a secret agent.

And it has now been announced that the trio - along with Angelina Jolie and other voice actors from the original cast - will return to the Valley of Peace for a Kung Fu Panda sequel, according to Variety.

Black, Jolie and Dustin Hoffman provided the voices for the Dreamworks animation, which tells the story of lazy bear Po (Black) who has the destiny of the tranquil Valley of Peace in his clumsy hands.

Having grossed more than $626 worldwide (£353.8 million), the visually sumptuous comedy surprised critics and fans alike, inspiring the studios to give their backing to a return visit.

The second outing will be released in 3D, the new platform for all Dreamworks Animation pictures from 2009.

The 2011 release also means the Kung Fu Panda sequel will now face stiff competition at the summer box office from Disney/Pixar's Cars 2,which was recently moved forward a year from 2012.