HAPPY FEET TWO (Rated PG)

Five years ago, dancing penguins became all the rage in “Happy Feet,” a film so good it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Since Hollywood can no more resist a sequel than Lindsay Lohan can avoid being arrested, “Happy Feet Two” proved to be inevitable.

That’s good news for younger viewers who delight in witnessing the outlandish dancing and singing Emperor penguins who have the hoofing and vocal talents of a Broadway chorus line.

The leading penguin role, then and now, belongs to Mumble (Elijah Wood). As a youngster in the original film, unlike his fellow penguins, Mumble had no talent for singing.

While vocally challenged, Mumble proved to be an exceptional tap dancer who decided to cut his own path in the world, teaming up with other birds, including the exotic Ramon (Robin Williams).

In “Happy Feet Two,” Mumble is now an adult penguin, married to his original love, Gloria (singer Pink), and the father of awkward Erik (Ava Acres).

Mumble, the Master of Tap, faces a parental dilemma because Erik, unable to locate his inner waltzing mojo, doesn’t have the groove to become a tap dancer.

Reluctant to find his own “happy feet,” Erik runs away and encounters the Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria) – a colorful penguin who can actually fly.

Meanwhile, the despondent Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. His parenting skills are questionable, though he truly wants to connect with his outcast son.

Naturally, Mumble sets out to bring his wayward son back home, and then a massive storm causes great problems, cutting off the rest of Mumble’s clan from the outside world.

A parallel story of discovery and redemption plays out with two tiny crustaceans that decide to cut loose from their massive swarm that is doomed to be consumed by a passing whale.

Will and Bill the Krill (Brad Pitt and Matt Damon respectively) break away from the pack in search of identity and adventure, which is no easy task for these microscopic creatures.

The audacious Will, longing to be a predator, wants to move up the food chain, while the nervous Bill remains terrified that he will not survive outside the comfort zone of being just one in a billion.

Back to the penguins, Mumble eventually links up with Erik and two of his little penguin pals, but they are soon stranded on an impassable ice bridge.

Their plight is further complicated by an encounter with the ferocious elephant seal Bryan the Beachmaster (Richard Carter), but something happens that is reminiscent of a Greek fable.

It may be a matter of personal taste, but I found that the most compelling characters were the tiny crustaceans, and not just because Brad Pitt and Matt Damon played the roles.

Actually, Will and Bill the Krill may not be the most compelling, but they are the funniest characters as the bicker and banter about their search for survival and new meaning in life.

Aside from the shrimp-like creatures, humor arrives in more limited doses than in the original “Happy Feet.” Though the Mighty Sven is a certifiable oddball, his spiel wears thin long before he’s exposed as a fraud.

In the end, “Happy Feet Two” delights with its lovable creatures. After all, who doesn’t love adorable penguins? I am sucker for any movie with penguins, even one starring Jim Carrey.

On the downside, the eco-friendly film strains for relevance and lacks a coherent storyline that does little more than tap into the predictable emotional attachment we have for the tuxedoed birds.

To appreciate the majesty of the Emperor penguins, it might be best to take another look at “March of the Penguins,” the documentary that followed these majestic birds on their home turf in Antarctica.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

For a look at an upcoming DVD release, I am going completely in the opposite direction of something family friendly.

“Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” is a strange brew of comedy and horror. It’s a hilarious take on the cheesy slasher films that involve college students lost in the woods.

Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are two best friends on vacation who are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of preppy college kids.

Of course, Tucker and Dale look like the characters in “Deliverance” and they own a dilapidated cabin in a remote lakeside area.

All that the two buddies want to do is to enjoy a relaxing weekend of fishing at their secluded vacation home. But evil has other plans for them.

Instead, a series of misunderstandings and tragic events occur that result in the death or dismemberment of some of the visitors, who come to believe that Tucker and Dale are out to kill them all.

“Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” is a clever satire on the horror/slasher genre. On the film festival circuit it has been a huge hit with horror fans.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.