2011, Warner Brothers
Animated
Rating: PG
Approx. 100 mins.
THE STORY:
Mumble (Elijah Harper) the Emperor Penguin is all grown up with a family of his own. He has settled down with Gloria (Pink) and has a young son, Eric, who has trouble fitting in. Despite his own experiences as an outsider and his good intentions, Mumble just doesn't know how to help his son.
Like his father before him, Eric leaves the penguin colony with some friends to find his place. Mumble sets off after him and the penguins have various adventures along the way back home. They meet a variety of interesting characters including a truculent elephant seal and Sven the flying 'penguin'-- he's actually a well-intentioned puffin masquerading as a penguin to gain status.
When the penguins get back to Emperorland, they discover that a major shift in the ice has left the colony inaccessible. Not only can Mumble and the young penguins not get back to their families, but the penguins in the colony cannot get out to fish. After a number of interventions, the penguins get help from the other creatures sharing their environment-- seal, krill, puffin, etc.-- and the colony is saved.
Like his father before him, Eric leaves the penguin colony with some friends to find his place. Mumble sets off after him and the penguins have various adventures along the way back home. They meet a variety of interesting characters including a truculent elephant seal and Sven the flying 'penguin'-- he's actually a well-intentioned puffin masquerading as a penguin to gain status.
When the penguins get back to Emperorland, they discover that a major shift in the ice has left the colony inaccessible. Not only can Mumble and the young penguins not get back to their families, but the penguins in the colony cannot get out to fish. After a number of interventions, the penguins get help from the other creatures sharing their environment-- seal, krill, puffin, etc.-- and the colony is saved.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- stupid
VIOLENCE:
- no violence, but some lightly scary, threatening scenes
- effects of global warming on the environment
- even the smallest effort can help produce results
- it's important to keep promises, especially when they are the ethical thing to do
THE UPSHOT:
I wasn't a huge fan of the original Happy Feet, so my expectations were low. And they were met. The movie feels far longer than its ??? minutes and when the end finally comes it is completely predictable. The movie touches on some worthwhile themes including global warming; but most of the messages remain at the level of subtext, and the film doesn't really say too much about them in the end. And then there's Elijah Harper's continuous quasi-whine.
The saving grace in this film is every scene involving Will (Brad Pitt) and Bill (Matt Damon), krill on a mission to move up the food chain. They have some hilarious exchanges, but their discussions of existential malaise and free will, etc. are intended to appease parents rather than kids.
All of that said, my 4 year-old is a big fan. The cute animals and silly voices are pretty much enough to win her over. It could be worse.
3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment