The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Posted: 15 Nov 2011 01:58 AM PST

Continuing adventures in the magnificent landscape of Antarctica and all in 3D!

HAPPY Feet Two is the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2006 cartoon, with Elijah Wood returning as the voice of Mumble, the dancing penguin. And now he has a son.

Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven – a penguin that can fly! But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces.

Erik learns of his father's guts and grit as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures – from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals – to put things right.

But this movie is not just about penguins, krill and seals. One of the moviemakers, crowd director Greg van Borssum says: "More than 16 million characters were animated by the crowds team in more than 600 shots – that made each crowd artist responsible for around 950,000 actors in the movie – nearly double the population of the Australian state of Tasmania!"

Now that's a lot of work for a lot of people!

Directed by George Miller (who won an Oscar as the creator of the original movie), Happy Feet Two features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Pink, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon (Pitt and Damon play Will and Bill The Krill), Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin Flores Jr.

So is this a kiddie movie which will only appeal to those below 1.5m?

Miller thinks not. He says: "I often say that these stories are for the adult in the child and the child in the adult. I think one of the reasons why Happy Feet resonated is that it had a kind of nourishment to it, with the time-honoured ideas of being true to yourself, being brave and trying to treat the world and yourself with respect."

The idea for the story of Happy Feet Two actually began even as Miller and his team were putting the finishing touches on the first film.

"When you work on a film like that for so long, you actually fall in love with the characters. They became a part of your family," the filmmaker continues. "As you're thinking about them, new stories arise, which is what led to Happy Feet Two. It was surprisingly easy to go back there, and so much fun hanging out with them once again."

But Miller, who directed, produced, and also co-wrote the film with writers Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston, aimed to do much more than simply return to Antarctica with Mumble, Gloria and the other penguins.

He explains: "I think what a storyteller wants from every film is to have the audience somehow experience something that they can relate to, so that they can see their own lives through it. I think this new film – which is about family and community – gives them the opportunity to be able to do that through the characters of the penguins."

Producer Bill Miller adds that the filmmakers wanted to also reacquaint the audiences with the characters they knew and love from the first film. "But we needed to take those characters and the audience somewhere different. And we had to raise the bar with the music and dance."

As such, filmgoers can expect some changes.

Miller observes: "Mumble is now a parent, and the tables have turned on him. Now he has the problem of being a father with a child who doesn't completely conform to the way Mumble thinks his son should be! And he truly wants to connect with his son.

"We all think when we become parents that somehow, we'll know how to do better than our parents did. And, of course, we often make the same mistakes, because there's no real instruction manual about how to be a good parent."

Producer Doug Mitchell comments: "One of the themes in the film is clearly about the relationship between father and son. Mumble, like all parents, struggles with the intent to offer unconditional love and support – he wants the best for Erik, but he also may need to let go a little and let his son find his identity for himself."

■ Happy Feet Two opens in Malaysian cinemas this Thursday.

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 14 November 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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