The Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria) and Erik (Ava Acres) in 'Happy Feet Two.'
The original “Happy Feet” was an amiable, family-friendly time killer that featured phenomenal animation. A sequel to the 2006 hit seemed unnecessary, but a domestic box-office gross of almost $200 million and an Academy Award for Best Animated Film suggested otherwise. Now, five years later we get “Happy Feet Two,” another lavish, brightly colored animated spectacle/distraction serving as a babysitter to the nation’s kiddos. If you can think of another purpose the movie fulfills, I welcome your comments.
The movie takes us back to chilly Emperor Land, where our tap-dancing penguin hero, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), is now a daddy. Despite Mumble’s encouragement, his son, Erik, can’t find his rhythm. An embarrassing, public tumble leaves the little guy angry with his father. Wandering away from home, he eyes his new idol: A heroic, cocky “flying penguin” named The Mighty Sven (voiced by Hank Azaria) who favors motivational rhetoric and malapropisms.
Mumble brings the wayward Erik and his friends home only to find that Emperor Land is in shambles, unreachable to the ocean and its food supply. Mumble faces two challenges: He must win back his son’s affection and save his friends and family before predators and starvation exact a deadly toll. Good thing he gets a little help from his friends, including diminutive motormouth Ramon (Robin Williams in one of two vocal performances that further drains our goodwill).
The mood of “Happy Feet Two,” as befits a movie with singing, dancing penguins, is upbeat and playful. It’s hard to find fault with a story that urges adapting to change and presents parents acting as role models to their kids. But, man, the movie has the pizzazz of pleated khakis. The animation is vivid and crisp, but we’ve been there, done that. There’s no suspense, no pithy dialogue, no dramatic conflict. Kids probably won’t mind, but adults will have to resist the urge to use their smartphones. Or hold off on the next multiplex trip until Pixar’s next release, “Brave.”
In lieu of improving the story or jazzing up the screenplay, the fine folks at “Happy Feet Two” offer more characters. They really shouldn’t have. Common (as Mumble’s friend) and Sofia Vergara (as Ramon’s diva girlfriend) have rich, distinctive voices, but their characters are barely around. Instead, we’re subjected to Williams and Azaria reaching into their annoying ethnic grab bag to voice three grating characters, which I think qualifies as a violation of the Geneva Conventions. A nice chunk of time is devoted to the story of two krill (the meek Bill and the bold Will) that dare to roam from their underwater group. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are terrific as the two buddies — enthusiastic, funny, completely at ease with being silly. And their characters’ travails are more engaging than Mumble’s new set of struggles.
The Will and Bill storyline is the only part of “Happy Feet Two” that feels like director George Miller and his team tried to make the film bigger and better. Everything else here feels mandatory, a connect-the-dots effort to further position an emerging franchise. (And the outlook for the tap-happy penguins is far from golden. Did you see the box office thrashing issued by the latest “Twilight” installment?) “Happy Feet Two” is perfectly functional, which is why it’s almost impossible to warm up to.
Rating: W W
Read more of Pete’s cinematic musings on whatpeteswatching.blogspot.com or follow @PeteCroatto on Twitter.
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