HAPPY FEET TWO 3D [2011 / 2012] [3D Blu-ray + 2D Blu-ray + DVD] [USA Release] Every Step Counts! More Cheerful Animated Fun in the Antarctic!

The sequel to the Academy Award® winning animated smash hit ‘HAPPY FEET.’ ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica, reuniting us with the world’s most famous tap-dancing penguin, Mumble [Elijah Wood], the love of his life, Gloria [P!nk], and their old friends Ramon and Lovelace [Robin Williams].

Mumble and Gloria now have a son of their own, Erik [Ava Acres], who is struggling to find his own particular talents in the Emperor Penguin world. But new dangers are threatening the penguin nation, and it’s going to take everyone working and dancing together to save them. Narrated by Robin Williams.

FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2011 Houston Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2011 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Film. 2011 Satellite Awards: Nominated: Best Original Song for Billy Mann (Writer) and P!nk (Performer and Writer) for the song "Bridge of Light." 2012 Asia Pacific Screen Awards: Nominated: Best Animated Feature Film for Bill Miller, Doug Mitchell, George Miller and Martin Wood. 2012 Australian Screen Sound Guild: Nominated: ASSG Award for Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Design for Wayne Pashley (supervising sound editor), Jenny T. Ward (supervising dialogue editor), Derryn Pasquill (assistant supervising sound editor), Mark Franken (dialogue editor), Anne Breslin (dialogue editor), Fabian Sanjurjo (supervising fx editor). Rick Lisle (fx editor), Andrew Miller (assistant fx editor), Nigel Christensen (fx editor), William Ward (fx editor), John Simpson (foley artist), Emma Mitchell (assistant dialogue editor), Belinda Trimboli (assistant dialogue editor), Ben Beverley (assistant editor), Ines Richter (assistant editor), Jared Dwyer (assistant editor), Rosie Chase (assistant editor) and Big Bang Sound (post production company). Nominated: ASSG Award for Best Achievement in Sound for Film Sound Mixing for Wayne Pashley (re-recording mixer), Phil Heywood (re-recording mixer), Pete Smith (re-recording mixer), Paul Massey (re-recording mixer), Peter Purcell (re-recording mixer) and Greg P. Fitzgerald (re-recording mixer). Nominated: ASSG Award for Best Achievement in Film Sound Design for Wayne Pashley, Jenny T. Ward, Derryn Pasquill, Mark Franken, James Martell, David White, Anne Breslin, Danielle Wiessner, Sonal Joshi, Justine Angus, Tony Murtagh, Fabian Sanjurjo, Rick Lisle, Damian Candusso, Damon Mouris, Andrew Miller, Nigel Christensen, William Ward, John Simpson, Lisa Simpson, Jason Hancock, Libby Villa, Lewis Mallia, Emma Mitchell, Belinda Trimboli, Ben Beverley, Ines Richter, Jared Dwyer, Rosie Chase, Mario Gabrielli and Big Bang Sound. Nominated: ASSG Award for Soundtrack of the Year for Big Bang Sound and Wayne Pashley. 2012 Casting Society of America: Win: Artois Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting in an Animation Feature for Kristy Carlson (Casting Director). 2013 Australian Cinematographers Society: Win: Golden Tripod Award for Virtual Cinematography for David Dulac and David Peers.  

Voice Cast: Carlos Alazraqui [Nestor], Lombardo Boyar [Raul], Jeffrey Garcia [Rinaldo], Johnny A. Sanchez [Lombardo], Sofía Vergara [Carmen], Robin Williams [Ramon / Lovelace], Elijah Wood [Mumble], P!nk [Gloria], Ava Acres [Erik], Benjamin Flores Jr. [Atticus], Meibh Campbell [Bo], Common [Seymour], Magda Szubanski [Miss Viola], Hugo Weaving [Noah the Elder], Brad Pitt [Will the Krill], Matt Damon [Bill the Krill], Hank Azaria [The Mighty Sven], Richard Carter [Bryan the Beachmaster], Lee Perry [Wayne the Challenger / Francesco / Eggbert / Leopard Seal], Jai Sloper [Weaner Pup], Oscar Beard [Weaner Pup], Anthony LaPaglia [The Alpha Skua], Danny Mann [Brokebeak], Elizabeth G. Daily [Multiple Voices], Gary Eck [Additional Voices], Imogen Trowell [Additional Voices], Jordan Prosser [Additional Voices], David Arnott [Additional Voices], Robin Atkin Downes [Additional Voices], Sarah Aubrey [Additional Voices], Veena Bidasha [Additional Voices], Denise Blasor [Adelie Chica], Holland Broggie [Additional Voices], Catherine Cavadini [Additional Voices], Rob Coleman [Additional Voices], Warren Coleman [Additional Voices], Will Collyer [Additional Voices], Karissa Corday [Additional Voices], Mason Vale Cotton [Additional Voices], Django Craig [Additional Voices], John DeMita [Additional Voices], Liza de Weerd [Additional Voices], Dashel Eck [Additional Voices], Rosa Fernandez [Additional Voices], Charlie Finn [Additional Voices], Aaron Fors [Additional Voices], Pat Fraley [Additional Voices], Nicolette Gani [Additional Voices], Lillian Groag [Additional Voices], Mónica Guzmán [Additional Voices], Aaron Hendry [Additional Voices], Nathan Kameya [Additional Voices], Daamen J. Krall [Additional Voices], Kal Mansoor [Additional Voices], Ivo Nandi [Additional Voices], Roger Narayan [Bollywood Indian Penguin], Jason Pace [Additional Voices], Harry Pashley [Additional Voices], Max Pashley [Additional Voices], Moira Quirk [Additional Voices], Michael Ralph [Additional Voices], Noreen Reardon [Additional Voices], Nancy Truman [Additional Voices], Nicole Vieira [Additional Voices], Ruth Zalduondo [Additional Voices], Septimus Caton [Guitarist], Ivan Vunich [Beanie Man], Arshad Aslam [Adelie Penguin] (uncredited), Hélène Cardona [Adélie Penguin] (uncredited), Justin Cotta [Scientist] (uncredited), Theo De Pillecyn [Eric] (uncredited), Roberto Donati [Additional Voices] (uncredited), Antony Ginandjar [Performance Capture Artist] (uncredited), Ivy Mak [Scientist] (uncredited), Sunil Malhotra [Indian Adelie Penguin] (uncredited), Ajay Mehta [Indian Penguin] (uncredited), Puja Mohindra [Bollywood Penguin] (uncredited), Carlos Moreno Jr. [Mexican Penguin] (uncredited) and Eddie Tang [Chef] (uncredited)

Directors: George Miller, David Peers (co-director) and Gary Eck (co-director)

Producers: Bill Miller, Bruce Berman, Christopher DeFaria, Doug Mitchell, George Miller, Holly Radcliffe, Graham Burke, Jeannette Maher-Manifold, Martin Wood, Jodie Camilleri and Philip Hearnshaw

Screenplay: Gary Eck (screenplay), George Miller (screenplay) (characters) (uncredited), John Collee (characters) (uncredited), Judy Morris (characters) (uncredited), Paul Livingston (screenplay) and Warren Coleman (screenplay) (characters) (uncredited)   

Composer: John Powell

Cinematography: David Dulac (Director of Photography) and David Peers (Director of Photography)

Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French [Quebec]: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio,
Português: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio,
Danish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Finnish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Icelandic: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Norwegian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Swedish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Português, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish

Running Time: 99 minutes

Region: Blu-ray: All Regions and DVD: NTSC

Number of discs: 3

Studio: Warner Home Video / Village Roadshow Pictures

Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ [2011] is an Australian-American 3D computer-animated family musical film directed by George Miller and returns audiences to the magnificent and epic landscape of Antarctica. ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ is a sequel to George Miller's film ‘HAPPY FEET’ [2006] and features Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, Magda Szubanski and Anthony LaPaglia reprising their roles from the first film. P!nk and Richard Carter replaced the deceased Brittany Murphy and Steve Irwin as Gloria and Trev, respectively. ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ is dedicated to the memory of Brittany Murphy and Steve Irwin. Also Common was also replaced Fat Joe as Seymour. The original cast is joined by new characters voiced by Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Sofía Vergara.

‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ is easily one of the most enjoyable, energetic and sometimes chaotic experiences out there, packed with classic songs, fun characters, great 3D visuals and a few nifty surprises. It's the sort of experience that's worth checking out more than once, and it gets better with each viewing. ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ film is several films crammed into one, mixed with numerous songs, plenty of fun characters, a few genuinely awesome 3D visuals, and outstanding computer animation, not to mention a couple of cute surprises. It also happens to be one of the most intriguing, ambitious, and often original sequels out there. While some will not enjoy the film's chaotic spirit, you can't fault a sequel for daring to be not just different, but better.

This time around, the sequel follows Erik [Ava Acres], the son of Mumble [Elijah Wood], our hero from the last tale. Erik is scared of all the singing and dancing that his Emperor penguin clan engages in, and ends up leaving them in search of greener pastures and Mumble then leaves the clan to track him down. This leads both of them to another colony lead by Sven [Hank Azaria], a so called penguin who has adopted the ability to fly, but later reveals who he really is. From there on things go from traditional, to completely non-traditional. And the narrative spirals in many different directions, not unlike the ice and watery environment painted in the film.

When Erik and Mumble return to their clan, they find that a gigantic iceberg has trapped their families inside the canyon. From there on they attempt to free their loved ones before hunger seals their fate. Along the way, and woven throughout the story, is the somewhat existential adventure of two krill named Brad Pitt [Will the Krill] and Matt Damon [Bill the Krill] who both give tremendous performances, who leave their mundane existence in search of something daring, fresh and new.

Chaos is sort of the best way to describe this film, but what Australian director George Miller seems to be doing is creating multiple of story threads, dozens of characters, and a few twists and turns on the way, so making ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ feel like a four or five animated films ideas tightly woven together into one and does quite a good job overall and if anything, it makes for a much more rewarding experience when watching it in its full and glorious 3D animation.

But ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ is about as bizarre as they come, a lively product that captures the heart and spirit of cult Australian filmmaking. The narrative, while borrowing some cues from the first animated film ‘HAPPY FEET,’ does not flow like a traditional 3D animated film, and the story scenario is sometimes more mature than some younger audiences will be able to handle or understand, and to my mind that is not a bad thing, as why should children always be catered for over adults foremost needs in enjoying a 3D animated film of this calibre.

The somewhat negative reaction ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ endured during its original cinema release was likely the result of shock over how much this film has to say, and how sometimes sprawling the narrative appears. But cut underneath the surface, and there is a simple, and rather lovely poetic message this 3D animated film is trying to convey, and it's a profound one well worth experiencing and especially as it is still has a wonderful rollercoaster ride filled with magic, love, music and tons of hilarious fun. The 3D animated film dares to be better, as well as different, and it always tries its best to make you smile. And seriously, how much more can you ask from a penguin and especially the team behind this 3D animated lovely family oriented film?

HAPPY FEET TWO 3D MUSIC TRACK LISTING

RHYTHM NATION (Written by Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis) [Performed by P!nk]

(Dance and Shout) SHAKE YOUR BODY TO THE GROUND (Written by Michael Jackson and Randy Jackson) [Performed by P!nk and Elijah Wood]

SEYMOUR’S RAP (Written by Wade Robson) [Performed by Common]

MAMA SAID KNOCK YOU OUT (Written by Bootsy Collins, LL Cool J, Marley Marl, L. McCants, J. McCants, Sly Stone, Junie Morrison, George Clinton and Shock-G [Performed by Benjamin Flores Jr.]

SEXYBACK (Written by Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams & Mystikal)

SHAKE IT FAST (Written by Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams and Mystikal)

AIN’T NOBODY (Written by Hawk Wolinski) [Performed by P!nk]

DO YOUR THING (Written by Felix Buxton, Simon Ratcliffe and Richard G. Mitchell) [Performed by P!nk]

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS (Written by Mick Jones) [Performed by Robin Williams]

THE MIGHTY SVEN (Music by John Powell) (Lyrics by George Miller and T Bone Burnett) [Performed by Robin Williams and Hank Azaria]

WALK IT OUT (Written by Korey Roberson, Jarvis Griffin, Dj Montay, Reginald Jones, Brian Unk Hunter, Richard Sims, Howard Simmons and Miguel Willis) [Performed by Elizabeth Daily and Benjamin Flores Jr.]

MY MIKE SOUNDS NICE (Written by Hurby 'Luv Bug' Azor) [Performed by Common]

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS (Written by Freddie Mercury) [Performed by Brad Pitt]

PAPA OOM MOW MOW (Written by Al Frazier, John Harris, Carl White and Turner Wilson Jr.)

BRIDGE OF LIGHT (Written by P!nk and Billy Mann [Performed by P!nk]

NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP (Written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman) [Performed by Matt Damon]

WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO DO (Written by George Michael) [Performed by Matt Damon]

ERIK’S OPERA (Lyrics by Augusta Miller, George Miller and Bill Miller) [Performed by Omar Crook and Elizabeth G. Daily]

DRAGOSTEA DIN TEI (Written by Dan Balan) [Performed by Hank Azaria]

UNDER PRESSURE (Written by David Bowie, John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor [Performed by P!nk and Cast]

RAWHIDE (Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington) [Performed by The Elephant Seal Chorus]

TIGHTROPE (Ice Cold Mix) (Written by Janelle Monáe, Nate 'Rocket' Wonder, Chuck Lightning and Big Boi) [Performed by Janelle Monáe featuring Benjamin Flores Jr. aka Lil P-Nut and the Happy Feet Two Chorus]

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3D Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Home Video presents you ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ in a stunning 1080p image and an equally impressive its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. It really should come as no surprise to anyone that ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ looks positively marvellous and stunning via this 3D Blu-ray disc. These days, it's very rare when a 3D animated film of this calibre hits the Blu-ray format and cannot fail to impress and the transfer brings out the very best of the 3D format. The image is bright, bold, immeasurably detailed, as well as flawless images in every single way. Just take a look at any scene with the impressive clouds and you'll experience some of the most impressive detailing this 3D format has ever offered, plus you get a good depth to the vast landscape’s and objects appearing from the screen is a stunning achievement. The underwater sequences and the iceberg disaster are particularly impressive, but all of the 3D animation is top notch.

Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Home Video brings you ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ with an audio experience that is mixed in an impressive 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Also again it comes as no surprise to anyone that ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ sounds positively brilliant with this 3D Blu-ray disc. With the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio you will experience some awesome audio that is very aggressive and thoroughly layered and is equally without error. There is a rather thunderous cue of extreme bass toward the end of this 3D animated film, and it's sure to wake your neighbours up, so fair warning.

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2D Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:

Trailer [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:05] This is the trailer for the HAPPY FEET TWO: The Video Game.

Special Feature: HAPPY FEET TWO Movie App Second Screen: Here you get to enhance your viewing experience by using your iPad®, iPhone® or iPad touch® as a “second screen.” You can play games with the characters from the film, sing along and dance with the movie, and chill out with Lil’ P-Nut [Atticus].

Special Feature: Behind the Story: Here you get to view five individual special features that can only be viewed separately and they are as follows:

Helping Penguins and Pals [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [11:52] Lil' P-Nut [Atticus] hosts as we explore the amazing world of Antarctica, which is the home to penguins, whales, seals, krill and all kinds of fascinating species. Learn more about their habitat, environment and what organizations are doing their part to protect them . . . and how we can all help to preserve these creatures in their natural habit now, and of course it is all aimed at the green environmental angle, but it is again all done very nicely and to the point. We also take a visit to the AQUARIUM of the PACIFIC at Long beach, California. Contributors include: Lori Perkins [Presentation Manager], Monica DeAngelis [Marine Mammal Biologist], Kera Mathes [Blue Whale Research Coordinator] and Jerry Schubel [President of AQUARIUM of the PACIFIC].

How to Draw a Penguin [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:59] You get to see the Storyboard and Concept Artist Tim McEwen, who shows us step-by-step how to draw one of our favourite characters "Erik," while highlighting his uniqueness and differences. This feature is about the CGI characters that are hand drawn on a special computer screen. Moreover, this is really interesting and totally fascinating how Tim McEwen shows you how he does his animated drawings of the little penguin to the finished drawing.

Running with Boadicea [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:10] Running, jumping, acrobatics and flips where Bo is the Parkour champion on ice and snow. See how this little lady stays a step in front of all the boys! Once again we have Tim McEwen guiding us through the process of drawing this particular penguin. Contributors include Rob Coleman [Animation Director] and George Miller [Director].

The Amazing Voices of ‘HAPPY FEET TWO’ [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:51] here we see Robin Williams, Alecia Moore [P!nk], Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Elijah Wood, Hank Azaria. Common and Lil’ P-Nut show us how much fun it was, down under, to voice their animated characters! This brief look shows the obvious fun all the cast had in the studio, where they recorded their lines as a group instead of individually.

Special Feature: I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat [Looney Tunes Short] [2011] [1080p] [2.40:1] [4:00] Here we have a New Looney Tune Computer-Animated Short. It features the voice of June Foray as Granny, and Mel Blanc's archive recordings taken from the song for Sylvester and Tweety pie. The short is an adaptation of the 1950 song of the same name, sung by Mel Blanc. The animated short is presented with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround audio track as a bonus. In 1950, Mel Blanc recorded some novelty songs for Capitol Records in the voices of his characters he did for Warner Bros. Cartoons. Now someone has taken his voices from one of those records and, with a new arrangement based on the originals by Billy May, has put them in this new computer animated short in order to illustrate the characterizations of Tweety Pie and Sylvester in all their violent glory!

Special Feature: P!nk's New Song [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:56] Spend time with P!nk and the new song that has been recorded especially for the animated film, which is entitled “Bridge of Light” and was released on the 2nd December, 2011 by Sony Music. We also get to see some behind-the-scene with P!nk in the recording studio. You also get some scenes from the animated film where the song is sung. The song was written by P!nk and her long-time collaborator Billy Mann and serves as the theme song to the film ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ [2011]. The song was a moderate success and became a top 10 hit in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, but failed to chart high in other countries due to minimal promotion.

Special Feature: Happy Feet 2 Sing-A-Long: Here you have a selection of three Sing-A-Long music videos and they are as follows:

The Mighty Sven Sing-A-Long [2011] [1080p] [2.40:1] [4:15] Why not join in and Sing-A-Long with some of your favourite songs from the animated film and especially with penguin Lovelace [Robin Williams] and to help you, you get the wording at the bottom of the screen, so enjoy!

Bridge of Light Sing-A-Long [2011] [1080p] [2.40:1] [3:25] Once again you are invited to Sing-A-Long with one of your favourite song from the animated film. But this time you get the full music video from P!nk of the song that again appeared in the animated film and again you get the wording appearing at the bottom of the screen.

Papa Oom Mow Mow Sing-A-Long [2011] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:14] Here we get to view the final Sing-A-Long music video. Once again you get the wording appearing at the bottom of the screen to help you join in singing along with the animated characters in the animated film. Sadly, for some unknown reason the Sing-A-Long video ends abruptly.

Special Feature: BD-LIVE: This feature requires access to a broadband Internet connection. If your Blu-ray player is currently set to prohibit connections to the Internet, then please consult your Blu-ray player manual or a Blu-ray support website.

Finally, ‘HAPPY FEET TWO 3D’ might pack a lot into a small package, but it's a joyful experience that will bound to impress many adults and children alike. If nothing else, expect this one to earn cult status in the years to come, especially among lovers of Australian cinema. Director George Miller has also mastered the art of the elaborately choreographed animated musical number: The sequel features even more show-stopper performances usually led by P!nk, that is very original, and each of which was planned by a team of famous choreographers, including tap dancer Savion Glover, who was responsible for all of Mumble's moves thanks to motion-capture technology. Overall, the musical numbers and the 3D animation are totally fantastic, but the actual story isn't as cohesive as the original's coming-of-age tale. So I definitely recommend you see this one even if you missed the first ‘HAPPY FEET’ animated film. It's original enough to feel like a stand-alone 3D animated film for sure. Highly Recommended!

Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado 
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom

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