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#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

94






Studio and Year: Warner Bros. - 2011
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 99 minutes
Genre: Family, Animation

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS HD-MA 5.1, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Alecia (Pink) Moore, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon
Directed by: George Miller
Music by: John Powell
Written by: George Miller, Gary Eck, Warren Coleman, Paul Livingston
Region Code: Free

Blu-ray Disc release Date: March 13, 2012







"They're bringing fluffy back"



Film Synopsis:


Mumble's son, Erik, is struggling to realize his talents in the Emperor Penguin world. Meanwhile, Mumble and his family and friends discover a new threat their home -- one that will take everyone working together to save them.




My Take:


Being a fan of the original, 2006s Happy Feet, my family and I were excited to see this. The opening number was fun but it felt and looked like a rehash. About twenty minutes in my son said "Daddy I don't like". I was surprised a four year old, who was a fan of the first felt this way. We gave it another fifteen and he insisted I put in something else. He wanted to see Jedi's. -- a chip of the old block indeed. I put it in later to finish it off by myself and had a hard time getting through it. It was a visual attack and felt as if they were throwing all they could at you, but didn't care to make it a great story that connected to the viewer, young or old.


The animation is simply gorgeous and looks amazing in HD and the music is fun and sounds great, but that alone isn't enough. I just felt bombarded with "look what we can do" and never cared about the plot-line of Mumble's (the little guy from the first one) son Erik and his fear of dancing and fear of what people think of him. He runs away to meet up with The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly and Jesus figure. He literally has penguins following him in a "worship" way. Little Erik gains the confidence from his new "guru", while his dad Mumbles must bring the Penguins, Krill, seals...all together to beat an evil force. Speaking of the Krill, the movie has a sub-plot of funny duo of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as a pair of krill which has some nice comic relief. The first Happy Feet had heart and emotion, which is what made me enjoy it, this one has good messages at heart but it never has any flow which is disappointing as this could have been so much better.




Parental Guide:


Rated PG for Rude Humor and Peril.




AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 92


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 96


  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:


Happy Feet Two comes to Bluray Disc from Warner Bros. featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24.4 mbps and lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 sound that has an average bitrate of 2.7 mbps


The opening 5 minutes of Happy Feet Two show you all you need to know that you are in for a reference quality release. The opening number, a medley of the songs "Rhythm Nation", "Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)", "Do Your Thing" "Mama Said Knock You Out" and "SexyBack" have it all: thunderous LFE, room filling surround and a sound-stage that is wide and accurate. The sound of a penguin tap dancing in the snow shows off the quality of the sound design. The clarity of the tapping and the shuffling of the snow, as well as the song, all stand out and sound amazing. The video transfer is phenomenal as well. We expect a big budget new release computer animated movie to be reference and it sure is here. There are no issues of banding or video noise, and the image depth can be striking. Black levels are inky, colors pop on the snow white Antarctic backdrop, and fine details are apparent on every single thing on screen. The A/V presentation almost makes up for the lack of substance this sequel has to offer.





Bonus Features:

  • (HD) Happy Feet Two Movie App - Download the free Happy Feet Two movie app for more movie fun (
    here[/URL] )! The movie app is compatible with your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and synchs with the Blu-ray disc to provide enhanced content and interactive features. Plus, create and save pictures and videos from the Coloring Book and the popular Talking Penguin app.

  • Second Screen

  • (HD) Behind the Story Featurettes

  • (HD) Music

  • (HD) I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat

  • BD Live Enabled

  • DVD Copy

  • UV Digital Copy




Final Thoughts:


For a gorgeous animated movie with lots of music with amazing sound and video, Happy Feet Two is a whole lot of nothing feeling wise. It was made to look pretty, and story seemed a distant second. Most kids should still dig it, but adults will be bored, and even the funny duo of Brad Pitt and Matt Damon as a pair of krill doesn't save the day here. For fans the package has a bunch of decent extras as well as a DVD and UV digital copy and its worth a buy. All else I suggest a rental.









Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews




Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-RS45 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector

Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen

Denon AVR 4311 Pre/Pro

Sunfire Theater Grand 7201 Amplifier

Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

MK Sound S-150MKII LCR

MK Sound S-150T Tripole Surrounds

MK Sound MX-350MKII Subwoofer
 
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#4 ·
Saw this theatrically (3D glasses) about a month ago. The effect was nice, but this is nowhere near as charming as the original. I love animation, but will be passing on purchasing HF2. The only saving-grace was the "re-imagined" Tweety-Bird cartoon, also in 3D.
 
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