Happy Feet Two

If there was a Broadway musical set in Antarctica, it might look something like Happy Feet, the delightful 2006 computer-animated story of a tap-dancing penguin that featured plenty of singing and dancing among its waddling protagonists.

The freshness of that film is nowhere to be found in Happy Feet Two, a lackluster sequel that seems driven much more by cash than creativity.

Sure, the 3D animation is sensational here. It’s a showcase for the ability to incorporate fluid movements into CGI without sacrificing background detail. There are some dazzling action sequences.

But the story is an uninspired mix of what feels like outtakes from the first film combined with a threadbare plot about the endangerment of most of the antarctic penguin colony thanks to a canyon created by shifting glaciers, or something like that.

The key characters from the first film return, including tap-dancing Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) and his mate, Gloria (voiced by singer Pink), along with wacky friends Ramon and Lovelace (both voiced by Robin Williams).

This time, the focus shifts more toward Mumble’s impressionable son Erik, who has an aversion to his father’s dance moves. His adventures include encounters with elephant seals and a puffin, and with some human explorers whose presence feels threatening.

The script, written by director George Miller (Babe: Pig in the City) and three others, is too unfocused and episodic, even for an animated family film.

The lively musical numbers are the highlights, including some with choreography by Savion Glover, but none are as memorable as the terrific interpretation of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” from the first film. Here we get snippets of Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” and Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack,” along with a new ballad by Pink called “Bridge of Light.”

But here’s guessing the film is overall too dark and downbeat to appeal to children. Williams supplies some comic relief in his dual role, but doesn’t have the advantage of any new characters to work with. The introduction of a pair of bickering krill (voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) in the middle of an existential crisis is ill-conceived.

Happy Feet Two suffers from a primary dilemma common in sequels. Its main characters are familiar instead of fresh, and the story isn’t compelling enough to compensate.

Rated PG, 99 minutes.