Penguins Get Animated
Happy Feet Teaches Conservation Lesson

Throughout our vast world, there are a number of creatures that are inherently funny to watch. For me, penguins are near the top of the list (right behind chimpanzees). I love seeing penguins waddle, slip, slide, and swim. They are graceful and serene, as well as comical. Now, the folks at Warner Bros. bring these tuxedoed flightless birds to the big screen in an animated singing and dancing extravaganza called Happy Feet.

Happy Feet
Gloria (Brittany Murphy) and Mumbles (Elijah Wood) dance to a new rhythm in the animated feature Happy Feet. (Warner Bros, 2006)
Directed by: George Miller
Written by: Warren Coleman, John Collee, George Miller, and Judy Morris
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski, and Steve Irwin

Rated PG (for some mild peril and rude humor)
Running time: 98 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 8 out of 10.

Happy Feet is the story of a colony of emperor penguins in Antarctica. The film begins with the union of song between Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) and Memphis (Hugh Jackman), which leads to the creation of an egg. While the women in the colony go off in search of food, Memphis is left guarding the egg through the long winter. When he slips, the egg is almost lost in the cold.

When the egg hatches, it appears that Mumble (E.G. Daily) is different than the others. While other penguin children are focused on finding their heartsong, Mumble follows the joy of his heart through the rhythm of his feet.

As Mumble grows, he (now voiced by Elijah Wood) is an outcast. He loves Gloria (Brittany Murphy), whose heartsong attracts every male in the community. But Mumble's inability to sing leads him to a solitary life. By the time he should graduate with his peers, he finds himself held back. Searching for food, he discovers another group of penguins who do not care about singing. The old ways are not easily pushed aside, however, and Mumble soon finds himself banished from the emperor penguin colony.

The supporting vocal performances are well cast, including Jackman as Memphis and Kidman as Norma Jean. Jackman turns into an Elvis-styled songster while also conveying a sense of Southern preacher. Kidman's Norma Jean is as close as one can get to Marilyn Monroe in the new millennium.

Robin Williams, who provides the voice work for both Ramon and Lovelace, is outrageously funny. Nevertheless, having him voice multiple characters could be confusing for some people.

Surprisingly, Happy Feet is educational without being heavy-handed. The lessons it teaches range from diversity to conservation, but it does so with a sense of hope and wonder. The audience is left feeling that we humans are a part of the Earth, instead of some outside force damaging it. Yet, we must observe nature and learn from it if we are to protect it. For all its moralizing, however, it never becomes preachy.

Happy Feet is a musical extravaganza at its core. The singing performances and animated choreography make it a delight to watch. The humor is often a bit more sophisticated than most kids would understand, but there are plenty of sight gags (slipping, falling, sliding) to keep everyone laughing.