Review of Happy Feet Two

Revolutionary dancing penguin Mumbles (Elijah Wood) is back, but now he and Gloria (Pink, replacing the late Brittany Murphy) are worried parents of Erik (Ava Acres), a little fur ball trying to find his way in life. The uplifting "be yourself" moral message is still present, however there's also an unwelcome caution about global warming that unnecessarily darkens the tone. Push that aside though and there's plenty of the trademark song and dance that made Happy Feet a surprise smash in 2006. The remixed (or is that penguinised?) tunes are enjoyable to bop along with, although by the elongated finale they start to wear thin and the complete lack of a story becomes more noticeable. Standout supporting character Ramon (Robin Williams) from the original isn't as funny this go round, so thankfully Brad Pitt and Matt Damon's odd couple krill, Will and Bill, pick up the slack with some hilarious scenes and dialogue. The law of diminishing returns is evident in this follow-up, yet it still delivers enough humour and toe-tapping entertainment to satisfy the whole family.