GEORGE Miller didn't want to talk about it, but as he posed for photos, shook hands, waved to fans and strolled down an icy blue carpet outside Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, he likely had an Oscar flashback.
The Australian director and his star-studded voice cast of Robin Williams, Sofia Vergara, Elijah Wood, rapper Common and rocker Pink staged the world premiere for Happy Feet 2 at the famous theatre today.
It was an almost replica shindig to the world premiere five years ago that launched the original Happy Feet on the road to Oscar glory.
"That's a long way off," Miller, in his trademark black-rimmed spectacles, said when the prospect of another Oscar run was raised.
"I didn't expect to win it the first time."
Happy Feet 2 continues the story of a colony of dancing and singing emperor penguins in Antarctica.
It's the latest feat in filmmaking for the 66-year-old Miller, who launched Mel Gibson's career in 1979 with Mad Max and has been nominated for three other Oscars, two for Babe in 2006 (best picture and screenplay) and in 1993 for the screenplay of the drama Lorenzo's Oil.
Just as the original Happy Feet was made in Sydney, the sequel was also made in the harbour city.
"We had some wonderful, wonderful people working on this film," Miller said.
"We had physicists, maths geniuses, computer geniuses. It is embarrassing to say, but I had no idea how they do it."
Miller hired plenty of Australian voice actors, with Magda Szubanski, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia and Richard Carter voicing characters alongside Williams, Vergara, Wood and Hollywood A-listers Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, who play krill named Will and Bill.
"Brad and Matt sing in the film," Miller said.
"Matt surprised me as he can really sing. Brad can't."
Pink, born Alecia Moore, penned the ballad Bridge of Light for the film and admitted at the premiere she is more comfortable singing than acting in a voice booth.
Iowa-born Wood has spent most of his adult life in the southern hemisphere, shooting the first three Lord of the Rings films in New Zealand, the two Happy Feet movies in Sydney and is back in New Zealand working with Peter Jackson on two Hobbit films.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last week released the 18 animated feature films eligible for the category, with Happy Feet 2 included with Pixar's Cars 2, Gnomeo & Juliet, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rio and the new Steven Spielberg-Peter Jackson collaboration, The Adventures of Tintin.
Williams, who won the supporting actor Oscar in 1998 for Good Will Hunting, is also taking a cautious approach when discussing Happy Feet 2's chances of scoring the animated feature film Academy Award.
"There's so many great animations films made, but when he (Miller) won it was like 'Alright, George good on ya!'," Williams, putting on an Australian accent, said.
Happy Feet 2 opens in Australia on Boxing Day.
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