Niko 2: Little Brother, Big Trouble [Little Brother, Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure, Niko 2] (2012)

Okay, that wasn't half bad. Actually... hold on. Let me double-check my math. Actually, I take it back: this was exactly half bad. But that does mean it was half good, which is a hell of a lot better than the first installment. The improvements are mainly in the animation, which received a substantial upgrade, likely due to the first being fairly successful. This wasn't giving Disney or Dreamworks a run for their money, but to my eye it looks about on par with most of what Blue Sky was putting out around that time. Given this was probably made for a tiny fraction of the money US studios have, that's pretty impressive. The characters interact better with their environments (though the lighting still looks off at times), and - more importantly - the action sequences are kinetic and engaging, both in how they're storyboarded and brought to life. This was a huge issue with the first movie, so I was happy to see the course correction.

Unfortunately the writing didn't improve the way the animation did. The comedy remains uninspired, and the story is about as rote as these get (which, given the genre we're in, is saying something). For all its issues and awkwardness, the first movie touched on subject matter that US G-rated animation wouldn't dare approach. But the sequel borrows a template (and for all intents and purposes an outline) we've seen before.

Niko, returning home after spending some time with his dad, discovers his mom has a new partner, a reindeer named Lenni, who has a son named Jonni. Niko, who'd hoped his parents might get back together, is furious and lashes out at Lenni and Jonni.

During a game of hide-and-seek, Jonni is kidnapped by eagles working for White Wolf, who's out for revenge for the death of her brother, Black Wolf, from the first movie (as a sidenote, White Wolf is voiced by Niamh Shaw, an Irish scientist who sounds pretty goddamn awesome). Niko lies to his mother and Lenni and sets out to try and rescue Jonni with the help of an elderly reindeer named Tobias (who turns out to be a veteran of Santa's team) he meets on the way. They're soon joined by Julius and Wilma from the first movie, and Niko's mom and Lenni make their way to Santa's Fell, mainly because everyone keeps lying to Niko's mom about where the kids are and what's going on ("don't lie" is one of the movie's many additional morals, with "be kind to your extended family" and "it's not better to be alone" as the primary two).

Niko rescues Jonni pretty quickly, so White Wolf convinces the eagles to attack Santa's Flying Forces (apparently they have history). The eagles manage to capture Santa's team and shut down the factory, which appears to be automated. Niko and friends show up and the standard chase/fight sequences commence, this time ending with the villain captured rather than falling to their death. Valuable lessons are learned by all, Tobias comes to live with Niko's herd, Niko's mom has a baby daughter, and Niko is so happy he's able to enter the Speed Force or something.

Again, the storyline is your standard mix of nonsense and cliche. The writing isn't the draw here: that'd be the animation (particularly the chase and fight sequences). I also thought a few of the side characters were decent - I mostly thought Tobias was fun, if a bit by-the-numbers.

It also helped they recast Julius - he'd been voiced by Norm Macdonald in the first movie, and that just wasn't a good fit. Frankly, the switch to Darragh Kelly (Dock Thug #3 in Batman Begins seems to be his biggest claim to fame) was a good one.

I really wish the script had been better. I understand wanting to give your main character a defined arc, but Niko comes off so unnecessarily cruel and whiny most of the movie you almost root for the eagles (half of whom just seem confused). The movie also sidelines Prancer and the rest of Santa's team for most of the movie, which means it doesn't explore their flaws. And, as in part one, Niko's mom is less a POV character than an opportunity for the male characters to learn lessons. Given the reduced role for Wilma, this one's even less gender-balanced than part one, at least as far as the heroes are concerned (White Wolf is actually kind of rad at times).

But, again, that animation is a bit of a saving grace. There are so many animated movies available now, there's not much reason to seek this one out unless you've got a kid who specifically wants to see a CG movie about talking reindeer. But, if you find yourself in that spot, this is a lot more interesting to watch than the first. It's actually a little less interesting to think about, but you might as well take the win where you find it.