The Philippine Online Chronicles

Mumble the Emperor Penguin is back (and still voiced by the incomparable Elijah Wood), still looking like an overgrown baby penguin in a tuxedo, still can’t sing to melt an ice cube, and still dancing his way into the hearts of his audience. Alongside some new characters (some of whom are decidedly non-penguin), fans can welcome back familiar faces and voices—including Ramon, Lovelace (both voiced by Robin Williams) and of course, Gloria (voiced by the singer P!nk, replacing the equally incomparable Brittany Murphy), now Mumble’s mate and mother of his son, Erik (Ava Acres).

Happy Feet Two, in a nutshell, is how about how Mumble and Erik get the whole ecosystem of a little corner off Antarctica cooperated in order to free the Emperor Penguin colony from an ice-valley-turned-ice-prison-pit (courtesy of a massive iceberg). While not as wide in scope or tightly-written with regard to plot compared to its award-winning predecessor nor as heavily message-laden, Happy Feet Two provides some good old light-hearted fun. Not to mention, there are more catchy songs to dance to (and attempt to sing to at choir-pitch, even). The graphics are as luscious as ever and the motion capture scenes of the humans weren’t all that disconcerting to watch. In fact, I rather like how in the end, the humans couldn’t save them after all, and the animals had to rely on their own talents and ingenuity.

That said, there are just some things that didn’t fly with me. Number one is the 3D format—but unless someone incorporates other special effects into the moviegoer’s experience, such as, say, chairs that move accordingly with the camera angles—3D doesn’t do anything for me (at least those clunky 3D glasses finally allowed for being worn over ordinary eyeglasses). Story-wise, there were a lot of plot holes and a lot of hastily-stitched add-ons.

For example (SPOILERS AHEAD):

• The whole storyline of the krill swarm and two of its’ individual members, Will and Bill (Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, respectively). They have some of the wittiest lines in the whole film, but their subplot felt contrived. Their connection to the main iceberg problem is tenuous at best, and not least because you don’t get to see the payoff until almost the very end, when Will starts to dance beneath the iceberg and the whole swarm imitates him, causing vibrations.

• Ramon and Carmen’s romance. While their development is amusing, one wonders if they brought back Ramon and made him without a mate in the beginning just to get Robin Williams and Sofia Vergara on the payroll.

• Sven the Puffin’s purpose. The Adelie Penguins would probably have helped the Emperor Penguins even without Sven’s guru-like charisma because Lovelace is still their leader by default. I don’t buy how Sven redeems himself through ballroom dancing atop the ‘berg. And the way he was making the moves on Gloria! I thought that he actually had a shot, seeing as he steals away Erik’s admiration (to Mumble’s chagrin) early on.

• Erik’s Talents. At first, he can’t dance like all the other penguins in Emperor Land. No mention is made as to whether he can sing or not (which, if those who have seen the first film will remember, was the gimmick of the first film). Then suddenly, when the going gets tough and after some hesitation, he starts pirouetting and sliding on the ice. And just as the going gets really, really, really tough—think of having to convince the hard-hearted leader of the Elephant Seals to help save the Emperor Penguins—Erik belts an opera. And it moves some of the seals to tears, too. Totally out of nowhere, I tell you.

The movie’s tagline is “Every step counts.” It’s as if all these side plots occurred in order to serve the tagline—or perhaps the tagline was crafted to loosely bind together the plot lines? Maybe I’m just not used to so many minor characters achieving character development? I don’t know. But hey, the kids sure didn’t notice the discrepancies and the adults in the theater accounted for more than half the laughs. To tell the truth, in spite of the negative reviews on sites like Rotten Tomato and the accolades surrounding the first movie, I liked Happy Feet Two more than Happy Feet. I’m an environmentalist myself, but overall, I prefer more lighthearted storylines.

Sometimes, you just have to ignore the rules about what makes for a good story and enjoy the work in all its imperfections.

Poster used here for purposes of review. Copyright is believed to belong to Warner Bros. Pictures.