I went to see this with the five year old I was looking after for the day and his friend, and to be honest it was the ideal opportunity to see a kids film without looking weird! We got there in plenty of time, but there were only premier seats left, so we had to take those (luckily I wasn't paying!) so we had good viewing spots.
Having not seen the first film, I didn't really know whether it would be my kind of thing or not, but I can safely say it was right up my street. Aside from it being animated, having cute animals and a host of famous voices in it (such as Brad Pitt and Robin Williams), it also included a plethora of chart songs that had been remastered for the creatures to dance to, and some of the choices were just genius. They not only had great little beats for the critters, but also were all completely relevant to the part in the film, making it funny for the adults, and easier for the children to understand the messages.
The main story was that Mumble (Elijah Wood), the character from Happy Feet that first got all the penguins dancing, is now an adult with a baby of his own, Erik. Struggling to fit in, Erik runs away with his friends after an argument with his dad, who feels he is failing at fatherhood. He encounters another colony of penguins, being led by the magnificent Sven (Hank Azaria) a penguin who can fly. Spurred on by him, Erik believes he can make himself fly and therefore leave his own colony and feel like he really belongs. Little does he know that Sven is actually a puffin, who was rescued by humans when he was injured in the sea and escaped to the colony. As well as this, there are a few sidelines, such as two krill on a mission believing the grass is greener, and an Adélie penguin with a crush on the queen bee.
Then, disaster strikes, and a massive iceberg traps Erik's own colony, including his mother Gloria (voiced by P!nk) so that they can no longer get to the sea to find food. It is the penguins dancing in the end that frees them all, with a little help from some fabulous Australian elephant seals, leaving Erik to finally realise that he can fit in after all. There is a very cute ensemble denoting Mumble as his hero, so father and son rekindle their relationship. This bit, as well as a couple of others actually stirred a few tears in me (though as my friends will tell you, this is not that difficult to do).
Despite not really having a Christmassy message, the plot revolves around family and making amends, and so I feel that it is the perfect feel-good film to see over the festive period. If you have kids to take, then even better!
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