The magic isn’t gone in Happy Feet 2, but it has severely dissipated.
What was a peppy surprise back in 2006, mainly for its bold originality, is now more of a pretender.
There’s still a ton of activity, but this time around, there’s an inescapable feeling that these birds are just going through the motions.
In Happy Feet 2, we return to the frozen dance floor of Antarctica, where young penguin Erik (Ava Acres) is unable to get his groove on, but is encouraged to do so by his mother Gloria (Alecia Moore, better known as singer P!nk, taking over for the late Brittany Murphy) and father Mumble (the returning Elijah Wood), who were the central characters in the original film.
Wanting to find his own gift in life, Erik takes off with a few buddies, where he encounters The Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria), a penguin who can actually fly, and poor Dad certainly has trouble competing with that.
Cameo voices? Happy Feet 2 has ‘em, including Robin Williams, who’s not only back as the quirky Ramon but also pulls double duty in bringing life to the eccentric Lovelace, plus rapper Common, Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving of The Matrix, and last but not least, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, who, in a disjointed yet admittedly fun sub-plot, play a couple of krill, sick of being at the bottom of the food chain and set off on their own adventure to avoid being “one in a krillion.”
Director George Miller once again treats us to an exceptionally good looking movie with Happy Feet 2, but the heart isn’t quite so full this time around. The big reason behind the first movie’s success was the winsome coming-of-age tale with Mumble tap dancing out of the pack. This sequel takes a misstep or two in trying to re-capture that vibe, instead veering into an environmentally friendly message. The original did much the same, but it didn’t seem as preachy as this.
That said, you could certainly do worse for a family pick than Happy Feet 2. The song-and-dance numbers are as elaborate as ever, and ain’t those baby penguins cute, but the wow factor has certainly cooled off.
The feature is currently playing at Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
–– Jason Armstrong is The Morning Star’s longtime film reviewer.
