HAPPY FEET TWO - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2011)

A colony of all singin’ and all dancin’ penguins gathering for a soundtrack that runs for 73 very generous minutes? You can count us in! The furry birds which beat Disney Pixar’s automobiles to bring home an Oscar statuette some five years ago are back, with more songs, more music and yes, lots more fun.

The album kicks off with the infectious "Happy Feet Two Opening Medley" featuring the Happy Feet Two Chorus, Common, Lil P-Nut and popular American singer songwriter P!nk. The versatile musician whose birth name is Alecia Beth Moore provides the voice of the film’s female protagonist Gloria, a loving mother and a noble wife. She returns in the soulful “Bridge of Light”, a tune which showcases the artiste’s powerful vocals. Backed up by the Happy Geet Two Chorus, this track is easily the album’s highlight.

There are few oddities in the song section of the soundtrack. Robin Williams, Hank Azaria perform the strange but amusing “The Mighty Sven”, while Omar Crook and Eg Daily’s “Erik’s Opera” is plain awkward. You’d have fun listening to tracks like “Papa Oom Mow Mow”, “Dragostea Din Tei” (more commonly known as the tune from the Chicken Little movie trailer) and featuring a hilarious Azaria and “Under Pressure/ Rhythm Nation” featuring P!nk at her best.

British composer John Powell is a talent we are looking out for, given his commendable works on recent animation productions like How To Train Your Dragon, Rio and Mars Needs Moms. Here, while there is no particular standout track or memorable main theme, the music is energetic and illustrates Powell’s ability to blend orchestral and choral elements effectively. The 47 minutes of score material on this album doesn’t hurt either.

“Ramon and the Krill” is comical, while “Lovelace Preshow” is a grand choral performance. “Trapped in Emperor Land” paints a wondrous and mighty picture, while “Skua Attack/ Adelie Rescue” is an adventurous action cue. When the album ends on a high note with “Tappin’ to Freedom”, you’d be wanting the lovable animals from Antartica to return for more music, dance and fun.

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (3) Bridge of Light – P!nk and Happy Feet Two Chorus

Review by John Li