Parents need to know that in this sequel to 2006's Oscar-winning
animated musical Happy Feet, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) is now a dad
to young Erik (Elizabeth Daily), who runs away because he's just not
into dancing like his toe-tapping father. Pop star Pink replaces the
late Brittany Murphy as Mumble's mate, Gloria, and Robin Williams
returns as chief Adelie penguin, Ramon. Families looking for a family
treat this Thanksgiving will be shuffle-hop-stepping to the theater for
this chilly treat, which looks just as kid friendly as the original. Watch Happy Feet Two Movie 2011 Online What
appeared fresh and fun back in 2006 now feels like recycled goods in
Happy Feet Two. The first time around, the sight of multicultural
penguins singing and dancing in a gorgeous, environmentally threatened
setting seemed disarmingly novel. But while a number of new characters
have been introduced into the zoologically varied cast, the format and
themes have a shopworn air that even the 3D Antarctic vistas and
intermittent cleverness can't surmount. Commercially, however, there's
no reason this splashy sequel won't perform similarly to the original,
which pulled in $385 million worldwide.
It's now been 13 years
since George Miller directed a live-action feature and the thought that
he's devoted nearly half that time to this sequel, no matter how
remunerative, understandably agitates devoted fans anxious for him to
get on with his Mad Max retooling or some other project.
On the
other hand, tykes will be delighted to return to the icy climes
inhabited by Mumble (now a dad), Ramon, Lovelace and a host of new
creatures, who face the challenges of life with varying amounts of
trepidation and grit. But the minute the film opens with a massive
musical number featuring what could be thousands of penguins singing and
dancing in precision unison, at least some viewers will want to side
with Mumble's little misfit son Erik for not succumbing to the pressure
to conform by joining in the forced jubilation.
But, alas, this
is not to be a penguin The Catcher in the Rye. While little Erik does
run away, accompanied by two fellow Emperor tots and his dad's riffing
friend Ramon, it's not really in rebellion, and the script fragments in a
way that illustrates the variety of life forms on, under and around the
seventh continent,the backdrops of which, as before, are vividly
captured in a hyper-realistic animated style.
A more engaging
quest of identity than Erik's, all the more appealing for being so
absurd, centers on a pair of krill energetically vocalized by Matt Damon
and Brad Pitt. Resembling tiny red shrimp, krill exist in uncountable
numbers at the lowest end of the underwater food chain, there to be
scooped up by the mouthful by a multitude of predators. No creatures
could be more anonymous or less prone individualization, so when Will
proclaims his unique identity--”I am one in a krillion,” he insists in
just one of many such puns—it's hard to not to be taken in by such
unlikely hubris. Not only that, but the interplay between Damon and Pitt
is especially spirited, giving their scenes an energy that feels
natural rather than cranked up by music and in-your-face effects. Watch Happy Feet Two Movie 2011 Online The
feeling is palpable of Miller and his colleagues searching for new ways
to present the Antarctic setting, to come up with something fresh to
justify this sequel. But ultimately they fall back on such reliables as
comic shtick in a variety of accents and soul/funk/rap numbers mixed
with tired '70s and '80s anthem rock refrains. Indeed, the only truly
inspired musical touch, which hits like a bolt from the heavens, has
little Erik delivering, in a pivotal moment, a unique rendition of the
“'E Lucevan Le Stelle” aria from Puccini's Tosca.
As the film
bounces along, much of the incident and action feels increasingly
arbitrary and unmotivated. Compared to the best recent animated
features, the script just isn't very funny, tending towards nutty
hijinks rather than wit. Even where the disarming krill are concerned,
some of their close shaves feel reminiscent of the misadventures of the
desperate squirrel in the Ice Age series.
And speaking of Ice
Age, the global warming theme gets another earnest workout here in a way
that will win nods of approval from the Al Gore faithful but provoke
irritation among those tired of being spoon fed the politically correct
line. The penguins' world is seen to be melting, with puddles and wet
ice in evidence, and an environmental crisis puts the vast avian
population in peril requiring a desperate rescue effort. Scientifically
true or not, on this subject, as well as artistically, Happy Feet Two is
treading water.
