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Oy vey. The money-grubbing cynical studio executives have really scraped the bottom of the barrel for this family-friendly flashy mess of recycled pop songs. It is safe to say that Happy Feet 2 completely stumbles over itself in this largely unnecessary and rather ridiculous sequel. While the glossy 3D animation keeps it from being solely a one reel affair, long forgotten is the Oscar-winning original the sequel begs to stand side-by-side with.
Mumble (Elijah Wood) is an adult. He has married Gloria (now voiced by Pink) and has everyone shuffling along with their feet. When the visiting Ramon (Robin Williams) leaves to return to his peeps, Mumble’s kid, Erik (Ava Acres) and his two friends, follow. Mumble goes to retrieve the hatchlings, but – upon his return – he discovers that shifting icebergs have trapped his penguin clan away from their food supply and the rest of Antarctica.
And…
And…
And, really, that’s it. It’s the thinnest of plots and it took – let’s see – a whopping FOUR people to write it…including its returning director George Miller (The Road Warrior). This time out, the writers suggest that individuality is … just okay. It’s the group that matters. Forget light touches. Forget nuances. There's no subtle affecting in this storyline. It's all for the sake of song and dance. Cue the chorus lines. Contain the drama.
There's no gentle sub-text for this one, folks. There is none. This isn’t the gentle message-driven film that made the first one float so well and so far in Hollywood. Remember, this film, meaning the original, topped the superior Monster House with the number of votes it received. See? Message matters. And without a simple message, the film – full of 3D animation and unremarkable versions of pop songs – simply sinks into the frigid waters.
With the only wit and stemming from the banter of two new characters – Will the Krill (Brad Pitt) and Bill the Krill (Matt Damon) – Happy Feet 2 feels more like an excuse to sing some songs. All the dramatics serve as simple set-ups until the next song and dance routine. This is simple sidekick territory, leaving the heart of the original buried in the deepest of snow and ice.
There’s nothing engaging that moves the narrative forward. The inclusion of a mighty messianic puffin named Sven (Hank Azaria) who is mistaken as a penguin that can fly is interesting and wasted all at the same time. Does everyone need a ridiculous and rather loud accent? Burlesque? Really?
The choreography – again patterned by Savion Glover – sporadically comes alive with goofy stomp-and-holler routines, but it seems a bit … tired. In fact, the quality of the animation into the characters seems to have changed some, too. The characters don’t seem as lifelike and, without a doubt, simply do not earn their intended responses from the audience.
Families would be wise to save their money and watch this as a rental when it becomes available. It just isn’t worth the price of those high-dollar 3D tickets. You’ve been warned; Warner Bros want a Holiday hit without actually earning it.
MPAA Rating:
