Why watch a bunch of penguins strutting their stuff all over the endless strip of white snow? Why not watch a more serious political movie that can get your intelligent quotient higher and will keep you up to date about the latest political movements in town?
Well, aside from being the most timely movie for the holidays especially for those who love white Christmas, Happy Feet will definitely keep the whole family laughing and singing and oh, not to mention dancing all throughout the movie. There is another reason why people of all ages, sex, nationality, or politics should watch Happy Feet but I am keeping the best for last.
Happy Feet is definitely the best animated film this year not only because it is heartwarming for kids but also it has a mass appeal. There is no question about the quality of the cinematography and the musical scoring because they are definitely the best! The use of pop and rock music all throughout the movie makes it more appealing and definitely not boring even to adults.
The movie opens with a view of thousands of hectares of ice land in Antarctica, where the Emperor penguins live. The focus of the opening scene is an egg that is about to hatch. The broken egg shell proves to be one hell of a baby penguin named Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) who could not help but tap his feet!
It turned out that the Emperor penguins are born singers who take singing to heart because it is their way to peace in their land and to finding their mates. When Memphis (voiced by Hugh Jackman), the father of Mumble, asks his son what is wrong with his feet, Mumble meekly answers "they are happy feet!"
His parents tried their best to enroll him in singing school but they failed. Even the best tutor failed in teaching Mumble how to sing because he is not only off-key but his shrill voice also causes the glaziers to fall down.
But Mumble has a gift; He can sing with his feet! Mumble taps his way to the heart of the audience all throughout the movie. He even taps his way to the heart of Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy), a childhood friend who happens to be the best singer in the Emperor Penguin race.
But Mumble sticks like a sore thumb, always ruining any musical ensemble. The scene where the Emperor penguins were having a concert with the sun setting down behind their back was so beautiful one could almost feel the frustration of Mumble when he joins the group only to find that he is not wanted here. He even failed to graduate because he could not sing.
That scene where Mumble and the rest of the penguins jumped over the icy mountain down to the chilly waters to catch fish was so hilarious and well-orchestrated that they looked like Olympic ice performers cavorting in the waters.
When the fish in the area became scarce, the council of elders blamed it on Mumble saying that they were being punished because he was different. He was given an ultimatum-to stop tapping and dancing and to return to the ways of the Emperor penguin by learning how to sing.
Mumble however suspects that something is amiss here and he accepts the decision of the elders to banish him with a caveat that he will return to tell them the real reason why fish is becoming scarce in the area.
He encounters a group of Latin dancing and singing penguins led by Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams) and they became his pals. Mumble feels at home with this bunch of happy penguins who brought him to Lovelace (voiced again by Robin Wiliams) who seems to be a cult god who claims he can answer all their questions for the price of one pebble.
Good old outspoken Mumble however irritates Lovelace when he kept on asking questions about the fish and the possible reasons for their disappearance. Lovelace finally turns his back and declares it is mating time! The movie explains the mating rituals of the penguins in a very simplistic manner that even kids would understand.
The visuals and vivid colors used in almost all the scenes can make one wish he was in winter wonderland and enjoying the snow with the penguins. This is not surprising though because the producers did not scrimp on costs and invested in the travel of their crew to the snowy Antarctic land itself to get real visuals and shots of the landscape.
The quality of the film as well as its "heart" is not surprising though considering that it was directed and even co-written by George Miller---yes; the same genius who got nominated for an Oscar three times and who co-wrote the ever popular Babe.
But behind the magnificent cinematography is a story that is well worth all their effort. Mumble finally discovers what seems to be causing the disappearance of all the fish in their snow land. Humans.
Mumble follows the fishing boat until he is captured and placed in an indoor zoo where he uses tap dancing to tell the humans about his mission and that is to convince them to stop getting their fish and to help them live where they belong.
He finally gets the attention of an environmental group who set him free and allowed him to return to his land, with a back monitor of course. Mumbles tells his story to the rest of the penguins but the elders deny that there are aliens out there who are getting their fish. Mumbles refers to the humans as aliens. He finally succeeds in convincing them to dance and show the people (represented here by five helicopter-riding men who brought with them their video cameras to show the world that millions of penguins exist in the area) their message.
The scene of millions of penguins dancing altogether was broadcasted live all over the world and it caught the attention of the decision makers who later on realized that over fishing can cause the annihilation of these creatures. Finally, the humans prohibited fishing in the area, making Mumble a hero among the eyes of the Emperor penguins.
Well, aside from being the most timely movie for the holidays especially for those who love white Christmas, Happy Feet will definitely keep the whole family laughing and singing and oh, not to mention dancing all throughout the movie. There is another reason why people of all ages, sex, nationality, or politics should watch Happy Feet but I am keeping the best for last.
Happy Feet is definitely the best animated film this year not only because it is heartwarming for kids but also it has a mass appeal. There is no question about the quality of the cinematography and the musical scoring because they are definitely the best! The use of pop and rock music all throughout the movie makes it more appealing and definitely not boring even to adults.
The movie opens with a view of thousands of hectares of ice land in Antarctica, where the Emperor penguins live. The focus of the opening scene is an egg that is about to hatch. The broken egg shell proves to be one hell of a baby penguin named Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) who could not help but tap his feet!
It turned out that the Emperor penguins are born singers who take singing to heart because it is their way to peace in their land and to finding their mates. When Memphis (voiced by Hugh Jackman), the father of Mumble, asks his son what is wrong with his feet, Mumble meekly answers "they are happy feet!"
His parents tried their best to enroll him in singing school but they failed. Even the best tutor failed in teaching Mumble how to sing because he is not only off-key but his shrill voice also causes the glaziers to fall down.
But Mumble has a gift; He can sing with his feet! Mumble taps his way to the heart of the audience all throughout the movie. He even taps his way to the heart of Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy), a childhood friend who happens to be the best singer in the Emperor Penguin race.
But Mumble sticks like a sore thumb, always ruining any musical ensemble. The scene where the Emperor penguins were having a concert with the sun setting down behind their back was so beautiful one could almost feel the frustration of Mumble when he joins the group only to find that he is not wanted here. He even failed to graduate because he could not sing.
That scene where Mumble and the rest of the penguins jumped over the icy mountain down to the chilly waters to catch fish was so hilarious and well-orchestrated that they looked like Olympic ice performers cavorting in the waters.
When the fish in the area became scarce, the council of elders blamed it on Mumble saying that they were being punished because he was different. He was given an ultimatum-to stop tapping and dancing and to return to the ways of the Emperor penguin by learning how to sing.
Mumble however suspects that something is amiss here and he accepts the decision of the elders to banish him with a caveat that he will return to tell them the real reason why fish is becoming scarce in the area.
He encounters a group of Latin dancing and singing penguins led by Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams) and they became his pals. Mumble feels at home with this bunch of happy penguins who brought him to Lovelace (voiced again by Robin Wiliams) who seems to be a cult god who claims he can answer all their questions for the price of one pebble.
Good old outspoken Mumble however irritates Lovelace when he kept on asking questions about the fish and the possible reasons for their disappearance. Lovelace finally turns his back and declares it is mating time! The movie explains the mating rituals of the penguins in a very simplistic manner that even kids would understand.
The visuals and vivid colors used in almost all the scenes can make one wish he was in winter wonderland and enjoying the snow with the penguins. This is not surprising though because the producers did not scrimp on costs and invested in the travel of their crew to the snowy Antarctic land itself to get real visuals and shots of the landscape.
The quality of the film as well as its "heart" is not surprising though considering that it was directed and even co-written by George Miller---yes; the same genius who got nominated for an Oscar three times and who co-wrote the ever popular Babe.
But behind the magnificent cinematography is a story that is well worth all their effort. Mumble finally discovers what seems to be causing the disappearance of all the fish in their snow land. Humans.
Mumble follows the fishing boat until he is captured and placed in an indoor zoo where he uses tap dancing to tell the humans about his mission and that is to convince them to stop getting their fish and to help them live where they belong.
He finally gets the attention of an environmental group who set him free and allowed him to return to his land, with a back monitor of course. Mumbles tells his story to the rest of the penguins but the elders deny that there are aliens out there who are getting their fish. Mumbles refers to the humans as aliens. He finally succeeds in convincing them to dance and show the people (represented here by five helicopter-riding men who brought with them their video cameras to show the world that millions of penguins exist in the area) their message.
The scene of millions of penguins dancing altogether was broadcasted live all over the world and it caught the attention of the decision makers who later on realized that over fishing can cause the annihilation of these creatures. Finally, the humans prohibited fishing in the area, making Mumble a hero among the eyes of the Emperor penguins.
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