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Happy Feet
Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Elijah Wood
Genre:
Animated
Run Time: 109 min.
Release Date:
November 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
For sheer entertainment,
HAPPY FEET is well worth your time and money. Borrowing from several
recent films and incorporating old and new musical numbers, Happy
Feet will most likely get your own toes a-tappin’ as well as crack a
few smiles.
The story is also politically intriguing (although most of this will go
over younger viewers’ heads), commenting on neo-conservatism, differing
lifestyle choices (the gay lifestyle can easily be surmised here), and
how difficult change and acceptance can be.
The film takes on the initial look and feel of MARCH OF THE PENGUINS,
an excellent Oscar winning documentary. But this is animated and the
story much lighter (at least on the surface). We are quickly whisked
into anthropomorphic-land as these emperor penguins talk, sing and
eventually dance. The animation is first-rate, being both very colorful
and detailed. Later in the story there’s also the added bonus of
real-life humans (not animated) that show up in the film.
The story surrounds the birth of a penguin named Mumble (Elijah Wood,
LORD OF THE RINGS). During his
early egg-hood (prior to hatching) his father, Memphis (Hugh Jackman,
THE FOUNTAIN) accidentally dropped the egg during a blizzard and later
blames himself for the “differences” his son exhibits. Penguins sing
beautiful melancholy songs to one another to both appease their spirits
(i.e., to bring back the fish stocks that’ve been diminishing year by
year), as well as to attract a mate. But Mumble can’t sing and instead
moves his feet in true tap-dance style. This is very un-penguin-like and
he is shunned by all except the beautiful Gloria (Brittany Murphy, GIRL,
INTERRUPTED) who finds his singing horrific but his demeanor and
differences intriguing. It is these differences that will ultimately
alienate Mumble from his family, friends, and own kind ...and eventually
save his entire species. Every penguin will have to learn to dance in
order to save themselves.
Added to the fun of the movie is the incorporation of old and new songs
with changing and interlinking tempos, very similar to MOULIN ROUGE. In
fact, one of the main singing characters is named Norma Jean who’s
voiced by none other than Nicole Kidman (one of the stars of Moulin
Rouge).
The neo-conservatism can be witnessed as the older penguins who are in
charge of the emperors refuse to change or accept Mumble’s differences,
wanting to stick to old ways even when faced with possible starvation
from the absent fish in the surrounding oceans.
That the gay lifestyle can be inserted is easily seen. Mumble is
different. Very different. He walks, talks and acts in ways that disturb
the older penguins and they immediately shun him and attempt to keep him
away from the flock. This is obviously severe alienation due to someone
who’ll never have a mate (or so they suspect). When Mumble ventures off
on his own, he finds friends who don’t mind his differences and care for
him all the same (San Francisco anyone?)
But most kids won’t catch these smackingly obvious statements and
instead will simply enjoy the catchy tunes, dancing scenes, and
eye-popping animation. Adults will most likely enjoy it on several
different levels.
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Image from Happy Feet
DVD cost: $19.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Initially Prince refused
to allow the use of his song "Kiss" for the film. However, after seeing
footage of the film, he not only changed his mind and allowed the song
to be used, but also wrote an additional original song for the film to
use in the closing credits.
Movie Quote: "The
aliens exist! I've seen them!"
Other Actors/Actresses
from Happy Feet
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