Preview: Happy Feet Two

PG for stereotypes about penguin ethnicities, the sexualization of young penguins

Release Date: November 18, 2011

Usually trailers are faster-cut, crazier, and more bewildering than the movies that they advertise.

But I’m looking at this and thinking, “Yeah, that’s about right.”

The original Happy Feet was the most overstimulating pop culture experience of the Overstimulated by Pop Culture Generation, and it appears that they’ve gone back to whatever computer algorithm originally spat out the idea of baby penguins dancing to pop hits. So all the pieces are in place once again: breathy parodies of “Sexy Back”; human ethnic stereotypes transplanted onto penguins; and the terrifying ubiquity of Robin Williams, who seems to account for 60-70% of all voices here. It promises all the playful fun of Kung Fu Panda with all the overwhelming confusion of a drug hallucination – and really, what more can you ask for in a kid’s film? ~Ben Orlin – See more at pg13foruglycast.com