Those tapping penguin feet are back in action and grooving all over the Antarctic
The Krills, image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures Canada
Happy Feet Two arrives in theatres today! I want to start off talking about the best part of this film (at least for the adults): a side story involving two krills, who are shrimp-like marine crustaceans. The only life a krill knows is swimming in a swarm with thousands of other krills. Will (voiced by Brad Pitt) and Bill (voiced by Matt Damon) separate from the pack and head out on an adventure of their own. Their relationship is the ultimate bromance: it's heart-warming, hilarious and filled with songs by Wham! and Rick Astley.
Now to dive into the story. I found it confusing — perhaps because I didn't see its predecessor, the first Happy Feet. But there just seems to be too much happening and too many storylines. In the first movie, two penguin parents, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) and Gloria (voiced by singer Pink), introduce their reluctant young son Erik to the world of “happy feet”: dancing, tapping and overall penguin grooving. Side note: Erik is adorable, and his gang of two other penguin-youngsters are completely relatable to the little kids in the audience. Other things happening in the movie include the Krills storyline, and one about rival penguin nations who worship separate penguin gods. And I won't even get into the fact that Robin Williams plays multiple penguin characters. It's chaos. But setting aside the confusion, this movie is at times a lot of fun! There is great music throughout, including penguin versions of Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and even LL Cool J songs. At the advanced screening I attended, there were a lot of kids really getting their groove on.
The Bottom Line
Are there scary parts? Yes, mostly when earthquake-type movements trap the penguins. Are your kids going to like it more than you? Yes. So I suggest the adults in the crowd don’t try to understand the story, just sit back enjoy the songs, the cute and odd-looking penguins, as well as the witty dialogue between Brad and Matt — I mean Bill and Will, the Krills.
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