by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
D Rated PG 108 min.
It’s a movie about adorable dancing penguins starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood. What’s not to love?? Well, as it turns out, a lot, especially if you’re looking for a sweet comedy about dancing penguins. Unfortunately, Happy Feet proves once again to never trust a film’s trailer or a rock-solid cast. Between this and Shark Tale, I vow never to make that mistake again!
After searching far and wide for their one true love, Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), a pair of singing emperor penguins living in the South Pole, meet and fall deeply in love. The talented duo get together and make an egg and Memphis is left in charge of their little bundle while Norma Jean is away. During the long, cold winter Memphis accidentally drops their precious egg and, as a result, their son Mumble (Elijah Wood) was born a little different: he can’t sing. Instead, the wee little fuzz ball dances like a waddling Fred Astaire, much to the concern and bewilderment of the tribe’s elders, who consider the act of dancing to be sinful in the eyes of “the Great Guin,” their god. When the local fish supply runs out, the elders blame Mumble for cursing them by turning his back on the ways of the Great Guin and cast him out of the tribe.
While living on his own Mumble comes across another group of penguins (of the Adelie variety) who are far more tolerant of his tap-dancing way of life. He hooks up with a hip new clique run by a seemingly clairvoyant guru named Lovelace (Robin Williams, who also voices two other characters in the film and serves as the narrator). While hanging with his new friends, Mumble discovers evidence of aliens (a.k.a. humans) and is convinced that they are the ones behind the fish shortage. With his new friends by his side Mumble makes a cold and perilous journey to the forbidden shore, where the aliens supposedly dwell. Then things get interesting…
In addition to the big names I’ve already mentioned, Happy Feet also stars Brittany Murphy, Hugo Weaving, Fat Joe, Anthony LaPaglia and the late Steven Irwin.
Happy Feet was a little too preachy for me. This film not just nudges but shoves the filmmaker’s political views in your face, giving those who may not be prepared for such heavy stuff, especially from a film about dancing penguins, an alarming little jolt. Happy Feet looks like a sweet kid’s flick, but it’s really dark, depressing a good portion of the time and sends a message that a belief in a higher power is ignorant and those who do happen to hold one are out of touch with the times and reality. I can certainly see religious groups getting up in arms over this seemingly innocuous kid’s flick.
To add insult to injury, my kids and I didn’t find the film all that funny. Despite what the title suggests, Happy Feet is anything but happy. The film is at times rather disturbing. Without giving too much away, a scene towards the end of the film involving a zoo was extremely disconcerting and hard to watch. Laughs were few and far between. The smaller penguins met in the second act are amusing but nothing all that special. There are a few sweet moments but most of those are when Mumble is a baby and is all fuzzy and cute. Then he grows up and he just looks weird for the rest of the film (half fuzzy, half adult penguin). The cuteness seen in the trailer lasts all of 15 minutes at the most in the final film.
While the story was lacking, the animation was phenomenal. Some scenes were downright breath-taking. Every person looking to get into animation should view Happy Feet and take notes. Toward the end they combine CGI with real footage and it’s unreal how cool it is. The music, too, is really something. I enjoyed the penguins’ searches for “heart songs” (their ways of finding their one true mate) and the twists on the old-school jams of yore. My kids aren’t familiar with Prince or Grandmaster Flash or Salt ‘N Pepa (“let’s talk about eggs baby”), but I got a kick out of it.
Happy Feet gets a low rating because the story just won’t appeal to the vast majority of parents who are looking to have a fun day at the movies, which is undoubtedly the target audience. The film will most likely creep out some children and the not-so-gentle chiding of religion will have some conservatives writing nasty letters to the brothers Warner. The only reason to see this film is for the groundbreaking animation, which is stunning. But are pretty pictures really worth the price of admission? That, my penguin-loving friends, is for you to decide. Dancing Feet are Happy Feet
Instead of animating Mumble’s tap dancing numbers from scratch, the film’s directors decided to use motion capture technology. Mumble’s foot work was motion captured from the legendary Savion Glover, who has won a Tony for his choreography work in Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk. As a virtuoso of tap who began his career at just twelve, dancing alongside such greats as Sammy Davis Jr. and Gregory Hines, Glover is a perfect choice for the dance-savant penguin.
Warren Coleman, co-writer and co-director of the film, describes just how astonishing Glover’s talent for tap dancing is. “At the start of every motion capture take, the performers stand still to be ‘snapped’ by the computer. But at times we could hear a ‘brrrrr’ noise…It sounded like a tiny machine gun. The sound technician tried desperately to find its source so that we could start capturing. He checked the air-conditioner, computers, sound equipment, everything. But then it would disappear and we could start. it was only later that Savion let us in on his little practical joke. He had actually been tapping, with foot movements so tiny and fast that no-one could detect them, even up close, under powerful lights. He had us all completely stumped, particularly the sound guy.”
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