Happy Feet

You would be forgiven for assuming that Happy Feet is just another talking animal movie filled with pop songs and cute dancing penguins. After all, that's the main emphasis the film's ad campaign has been taking. Fortunately for viewers, Happy Feet is about more than just being cute. Like the best family films, the movie does not talk down to children, and knows how to get a little dark without actually frightening kids. It is also charming, witty, and infectiously tuneful. I guess it should be no surprise. After all, the film's director and co-writer is George Miller, who previously brought us 1995's Babe and it's underrated sequel, Babe: Pig in the City. Just like those two films, there is a sense of joyous wonder and intelligence behind the cute talking animals that populate the story. Of the numerous animated films released in 2006, Happy Feet deserves a place alongside such other winners as Over the Hedge, Monster House and Flushed Away.

The story is a fairly simple fable about an outcast Emperor Penguin named Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) who does not know how to sing. This is a bigger problem than one would think, as Mumble lives in a community of penguins where each and every one must find a "heartsong" that not only expresses their inner feelings about themselves, but also is used to attract that special someone who you want to be bound to for life. For Mumble, that special someone is Gloria (Brittany Murphy), who has a beautiful singing voice and is searching for someone to share her heartsong with. Because he cannot sing, the lonely Mumble relies on his feet to do the talking, frequently breaking out into elaborate dance steps to show his happiness and his feelings. No one in the community, not even his loving parents (voiced by Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman) understands his dancing, as it's just not natural for a penguin. With fish supplies in the arctic waters running low, the crotchety old Elder of the community (Hugo Weaving) blames Mumble's bizarre behavior for their troubles, and banishes him. Our hero is not alone for long, as he quickly befriends a small group of penguins from another community who are much more open to Mumble's "happy feet". With the help of his new friends, Mumble hopes to discover just what is truly making their fish supply dwindle so severely.

Throughout the film's 108 running time, Happy Feet covers a wide variety of topics and themes. The movie is one part spirited musical-comedy, one part fable about being yourself and finding your place in the world, and one part eco-friendly story meant to open some eyes. Screenwriters George Miller, Warren Coleman, John Collee and Judy Morris juggle these various themes expertly and with style so that the various tones of the story flow naturally into each other, instead of making it feel like the film is awkwardly switching gears. Fortunately, for how serious the story can sometimes get, the film never comes across as being preachy or talking down to its audience. It also never forgets how to have fun, which is one of the great pleasures of this movie. The numerous song and dance numbers are spirited and downright joyous, as the voice actors break into wonderful updated renditions of classic songs by artists that include Prince, Elvis Presley, Queen, The Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra. Like the better animated films, Happy Feet knows how to use these songs to complement the story instead of distracting from it. It certainly helps that the songs actually play a vital role in the story. They're not here simply to sell soundtrack CDs, although I'm sure the film will certainly do just that. Outside of the song and dance numbers, the filmmakers wisely treat their animal stars somewhat realistically. The film is not afraid to show the hardships of the life of a penguin, which will certainly bring to mind last year's surprise hit documentary, March of the Penguins. These moments are brought to life thanks to the vibrant and splendid animation.

Happy Feet is not just the last animated film of 2006, but it is also the best looking one. The animation team have gone above and beyond creating a semi-realistic look for their penguin stars, only having their eyes being able to show a bit more expression than the real thing. Even when they start bursting out into song and dance, the effect does not look awkward or fake. The animators are wise to hold onto the nature of the animals when they are doing things they normally do not so they do not look like tiny humans in penguin costumes. There are a number of scenes where the movie truly shows what great animation can do, the main highlight being a sequence where Mumble and his friends take a lengthy slide down an icy mountain that is just as exciting, if not more so, than some big budget action sequences in live action films. Animation has always had the ability to show the viewer the impossible, and Happy Feet is one of the most expertly animated films I can think of to come along this year. The arctic landscapes are as harsh and unforgiving as the real thing can sometimes be, and no detail has been left untouched. The film's look continues to inspire with its creative and seamless combining of human actors and the CG animals during the film's final 20 minutes or so. The effect is handled with grace, and although the actors never truly interact with the cartoon penguins, it is still able to give the illusion that they are existing in the same place. It is, unfortunately, during these final minutes that the film loses its footing somewhat. While the rest of the story has been given plenty of time to flow out naturally and let us get to know the characters, the film's climax feels far too rushed to truly make the impression that it wants to. It does not hurt the film in the long run, but I still felt there was a lot of untapped potential given everything that had come before it.

An animated film with an all-star voice cast can either be a blessing or a curse. Unless the screenplay and the story can truly make use of the talents that it has attracted, a big name cast is meaningless. (I am reminded of this past summer's The Ant Bully, which completely wasted the talents of Meryl Streep and Paul Giamatti in thankless cameo roles that barely had any lines.) Fortunately, Happy Feet gives every voice talent their own individual moment to shine. Elijah Wood is plucky and likeable as the misfit Mumble, making him into a hero that just about anyone can root for. As his love interest, Brittany Murphy doesn't get as much screen time, but she definitely leaves an impression with her beautiful rendition of Queen's "Somebody to Love" during a key scene. As Mumble's parents, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman immediately grab our attention with a lovely duet they share in the film's opening scene, and continue to come across as a couple who truly love each other and their son, despite the many hardships they face during the course of the story. And then there is Robin Williams, whose casting in animated films has almost started to become a cliche. Here, he has a dual role as one of Mumble's friends, and as a penguin "guru" who is believed to be able to talk to mystic spirits. This is the first time since 1992's Aladdin that Williams' special blend of comedy has been used so well in an animated film. He's not simply a comic relief sidekick, but he is able to create some genuinely likeable performances.

Above all else, Happy Feet proves that you can create a winning and charming animated film without relying heavily on past successful formulas. Here is a film that is able to rise above your usual "talking animal" movie, and become so much more. It is a movie with a story and a purpose, and one that is certain to be embraced and remembered by both kids and adults for years to come. It certainly doesn't matter that the film falls apart somewhat during its final moments, as even at its worst, Happy Feet is light years better than the uninspired mediocrity that has made up most of this year's animated line up. Animation has the power to transport us to other worlds and show us things we've never seen. This movie uses that power and uses it very well.

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