Operation: Nussknacker 2 - Voll auf die Nüsse

I saw the sequel to "The Nut Job" right after finishing the first one, making it a double feature picture night. I wasn't impressed with the original, but wasn't disappointed either as I enjoyed it with no major expectations going in. The same thing happened after watching "The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature".

"The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature" follows the events of the first movie, centering once again on Will Arnett's squirrelly character, Surly. This time the gang's mission is to stop the Mayor from bulldozing the park and replacing it with an amusement park. A thing that happens too often in the real world, green zones getting paved and constructions getting build on top of them.

The human characters were all horrible people and, if I didn't yet find myself rooting for the animals before, I certainly did after seeing the terrible intentions of the humans. On the other hand, the street mice were a terrific addition to the movie, with the leader voiced by Jackie Chan turning them into a deadly martial arts gang. One of my favorite characters from the first movie was Buddy, the mute rat partner of Surly, who unfortunately, I think, didn't get enough screentime in the sequel.

"The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature" didn't succeed at the box-office and the released date was pushed multiple times, but it's still an uplifting animation that will leave kids and adults lighthearted.