About.com Rating

Bottom line:Happy Feet Two continues the saga of the singing, toe-tapping penguins with a new adventure that is full of peril and adventure. Some gimmicky 3D scenes will excite kids, as will the music. The movie contains some rude humor and mildly scary scenes that could frighten very young children.
MPAA Rating: PG, for rude humor and mild peril
Guide age recommendation: 5+
Genre: Animated/adventure/comedy/family
Runtime: Approx.

105 minutes
Starring: Elijah Wood, Pink, Elizabeth Daily, Sofía Vergara, Robin Williams
Release Date: November 18, 2011

Happy Feet Two - Overview

Now parents themselves, Mumble and Gloria (from Happy Feet 1) have a young son named Erik who is struggling to find his place in the world of musically talented emperor penguins. So, when their family friend, Ramon the Adelie penguin, decides to hightail it back to Adelie Land to be among his own kind, Erik and friends Atticus and Bo decide to follow him.

Worried about the young penguins, Mumble sets out to find them. In Adelie Land, Erik and his friends have been impressed by a remarkable penguin named Sven, who uses his ability to fly to convince the young penguins that they can do anything they dream of if they just believe. Meanwhile, Ramon becomes smitten with a fellow Adelie named Carmen. And as that goes on there, we get intermittent glimpses of a subplot down below, where two krill named Will and Bill are trying to find their own way in the vast ocean that is their home.

As Mumble guides the little runaway penguins back home, they face various obstacles such as a huge elephant seal who won't get out of the way. However, the obstacles on their journey are nothing compared to what they find when they return home. A large shift in the icy landscape has trapped the entire emperor penguin colony in a place where food is unobtainable. If Mumble, Eric and their friends don't figure out a way to help, the trapped penguins will surely perish.

Happy Feet Two - Guide Review for Parents

If you've seen one Happy Feet, you've seen them both. The sequel grabs kids' attention with similar musical numbers by toe-tapping musical penguins and an adventurous plot based on, at least in part, environmental catastrophe. Like the first film, kids and families will also appreciate the colorful animation and cute characters. What's new in this film, is a couple of gimmicky but well done 3D scenes that will absolutely delight young kids and a distracted subplot about two krill friends.

The storyline in Happy Feet lacked depth, and the same goes for the sequel. However, there are enough perilous moments and interesting characters to keep kids' attention. Most of the perilous scenes are fairly mild, however some very young children may be frightened during moments such as a seal swimming after a penguin intent on eating it or a scene when scavenger birds come after the penguins. The movie has some mild violence between creatures, but most of the violence occurs due to penguins falling or otherwise getting hurt (none are badly injured). For most kids, this movie contains only a couple of scenes that may be temporarily worrisome, but for those who are more easily frightened or unsettled, the numerous instances of peril may be more disturbing.

The movie also contains some mild rude humor and some potty humor. A couple of rude words like "idiot" are used. For more details on possibly offensive or frightening content, please see the overview below.

Click here for a review of the Happy Feet Two Blu-ray Features

Happy Feet Two - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (Medium): Most of the violence in the movie is of the accidental nature -- penguins falling, sliding, bumping and such. Other violence occurs when predators chase after or try to eat their prey (sea lions swimming after seals, scavenger birds trying to grab young penguins). In one scene, a penguin and an elephant seal trade insults and some mild fighting occurs.
• Scary Scenes (High): Scary scenes in this movie involve penguins in peril either from predators or from precarious ice or snow situations. There are also a couple of krill who flounder in and out of troublesome situations here and there. Very young children may be frightened or disturbed by these scenes.
• Sex/Nudity (Low): Some penguins become smitten with others. A few mild jokes about mating or love are made. Two male krill have a weird discussion about having children together, with one reminding the other that can't happen and saying there will be no "hanky panky."
• Drugs and Alcohol (Medium)
• Language (Low): A couple of rude words like "idiot" are used.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Medium): 3 young penguins run away on what could potentially be a dangerous journey without permission. A bird lies to get attention. Some potty jokes about bodily functions are made.

• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (High): Erik is sad that he doesn't fit in with the rest of the penguins. His father and mother try to help him, and there is some mild family discord throughout the process. Some young elephant seals see their father fall and become trapped. For a time it appears that they will never see him again.
• Movie Topics Kids Might Have Questions About: penguins, oil spills, melting of the polar ice caps, fitting in, penguin mating