“HAPPY FEET TWO” STILL FRESH

HAPPY FEET TWO

Starring (the voices of)

Elijah Wood,

Robin Williams,

Ava Acres,

Hank Azaria,

Pink,

Brad Pitt,

Matt Damon,

Sofia Vergara,

Hugo Weaving

Directed by George Miller

Written by George Miller, Warren Coleman,

Gary Eck, Paul Livingston

Running time 100 mins.

Rated PG

          The animation is amazing, the themes are timely, and the use of music is hilarious and sublime.

          This second entry in what is now (surprise!) a franchise offers more of the same computer animated Antarctic fun. This time, Mumble (Wood) faces the conflict of being a good dad in the adorable eyes of his little penguin boy (Acres), who looks up to a strange flying penguin named Sven (Azaria) as, meanwhile, melting glaciers trap penguins, a lovelorn one named Ramon (Williams) competes for attention, and two tiny krill, Will and Bill (Pitt, Damon), go off on an adventure.

          The main thing that sets “Happy Feet” worlds apart from other animated fare is the unique use of music. Eclectic selections, highly post modern in sensibility, offer opportunities for vast hordes of animals to flap their feet on crunchy ice and…siiiiinnngg.

          Seems like we see a lot of animated movies set in icy realms or jungle places, usually with lots of animals communicating their feelings. And I suspect that the further we fall from the natural world the greater attention we’ll see focused on replicating it in entertainment. So to that extent, this second entry automatically appearing on the cinematic conveyor belt (splort!) looks like just another car commercial, with a car prowling animal-like through a misty forest all by itself.

          On the other hand, how else will people know about krill, or melting ice caps, or maybe even how to be human? 

          To the less than stellar, it’s not a franchise strong on character. Strong on voice, yes. Robin Williams just about carries the movie with his various voices. But how well do we really know these penguins? What sets one of them so memorably apart from another?

          The mere fact of the South Pole setting does nothing to ensure an audience walking away ecologically aware. It’s not the big Global Warming movie, that’s for sure. What these penguins do is dance. And when they work together, why, what they make is big big change.

          Big big change in the safe pretend world of talking penguins and polar ice caps.