Films > Film Reviews

Happy Feet 2

05/12/11

So it’s coming up to Christmas, which means it’s animation season, and this year it’s the sequel to the 2006 penguin spectacular. This slice of Antarctic joy is so sweet it should carry a warning sticker for diabetics.

Now, I know what regular readers are thinking, that I’m about to rip the flightless wings off this bird-of-gay, and declare it a turkey and not a penguin, and I know why you would rightly think that – I am evil! Given the chance I’d eat reindeer pie whilst stamping on Moshi Monsters, laughing as a group of weeping children watch their culturally appropriate cache of wrapped plastic bullshit go up in flames along with their tree. And their parents! Don’t overlook, however, the get out of jail free card – it won an Oscar! Ah, touché. 

Elijah Wood is back as Mumbles, the penguin who can’t sing but has feet like Fred Astaire – if Fred had a spherical body, tiny legs and flippers. This time, Mumbles literally IS the daddy as his son Erik joins the action. The story has everything you would expect. They are stranded by global warming (environmental message) and have to climb out. This leaves Erik, who cannot sing OR dance to find freedom (insert ‘finding yourself’ plot theme). The cast has Robin Williams (stalwart of borderline-racially offensive voice-overs) returning, joined by Pink who doesn’t really seem to shine, although this could be due to taking over the role from the brilliant and tragically lost Brittany Murphy. It also includes the new post Ice Age trend for having incidental comic relief. Instead of a squirrel with an acorn, it’s a pair of existentially pondering krill named Will and Bill, voiced by Matt Damon and Brad Pitt. They steal the film and you can’t help think that somewhere there exists some of the funniest vocal outtakes known to man. 

The film itself looks amazing, and you really notice the detail of the genuinely amazing animation supplied by the Animal Logic Studio. Go see it, buy some chestnuts after, give some coins to a small flat-capped boy with a crutch and go home feeling festive. Happy Christmas, everyone.