This animated movie is the second one in the series with the theme of dancing penguins. The lead character is Erik (with the voice of Ava Acres). All the penguins in Emperor Land know how to dance, but when Erik tries it, he makes a fool of himself. Erik has two friends Atticus (with the voice of Benjamin Flores Jr.) and Bo (with the voice of Meibh Campbell). The go together with Ramon (with the voice of Robin Williams) to neighboring Adelie Land. They find the Mighty Sven (with the voice of Hank Azaria) runs it. Sven appears to have super powers because he can fly. He introduces them to his super power of thoughts called “Sven Think” which supposedly allow him to perform miracles. They do not know this is because he is a puffin not a penguin. Erik's father Mumble (with the voice of Elijah Woods) follows their tracks to Adelie Land. He meets Sven. He returns to Emperor Land with Erik.
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During this same time, in the ocean, there are two krill in the middle of a huge krill colony, Bill (with the voice of Matt Damon) and Will (with the voice of Brad Pitt). Will leaves to go on an adventure. Bill, against his better judgment, goes along as well. Once they leave the safety of the krill colony, they quickly realize they are prey for others to eat. Will decides to become a predator instead.
Returning to Emperor Land, Mumble and Erik run into some elephant seals. Bryan (with the voice of Richard Carter) and with two of his sons, block the pass across a dangerous bridge of ice. Without warning the ice breaks, trapping Bryan. Mumble gets another seal to chase him, which saves Bryan. However, Erik thinks this is only another Sven miracle. Upon reaching Emperor Land, they see all the penguins trapped by huge ice walls. While Erik and Mumble bring fish for the trapped penguins, Bo goes back to Adelie Land to get more help. The following day seabirds attack the penguins. They barely fend off the attack.
Bo arrives with Sven and all the others from Adelie Land. They organize an emergency rescue effort to feed the the trapped penguins. At the same time, Will leaves Bill behind by holding on to a fish Sven takes to feed the trapped penguins. Will can see what the penguins are doing. Some humans try to help with the rescue but a snowstorm prevents them. Erik begs Sven to teach all the penguins to fly. Sven reveals he is not a penguin but a puffin. This, not super powers, is the reason he can fly.
Mumble notices falling snow going down the cracks in the ice forces it to break apart. He starts dancing. He gets everyone else to join him. The method is working until the ice suddenly shifts and many penguins fall into the ravine, now trapped with the others. Mumble saves Erik from falling, but in this effort, Mumble gets hurt in one foot, so he is no longer able to dance. Sven takes up the challenge to continue the dancing while Erik and Mumble go ask the seals to help. Meanwhile, Will returns to the colony of krill. Will explains to them their limited role in life, yet he wants more. He leads them to a safe area under the ice below the trapped penguins.
The seals are fighting amongst themselves to determine the leader. Mumble begs Bryan for help. By singing his praises, he gets Bryan to agree. All the seals go to the area where the trapped penguins are. They join in the dancing. Seals and penguins dance above the ice. The krill dance from below the ice. This causes the ice to break so the penguins are free again.
Best part of story, including ending:
I like the underlying theme of the story, which is about father/son bonding.
Best scene in story:
I like the scene when Will and Bill (the two krill) leave the safety of the krill colony to learn they are the lowest on the food chain. When Will decides to become a predator, to eat rather than be eaten, it is very amusing.
Opinion about the main character:
Erik comes to appreciate the efforts of his father Mumble. Mumble recognizes a powerful new leader in his son. This is a nice result from their adventures together.
