Movie of the Week: Happy Feet

Enter the world of singing Emperor penguins, a happy, tuneful Antarctic Paradise. If you swore by March of the Penguins, here’s something you surely will not want to miss. Happy Feet is a tale of Mumble, his parents – Norma Jean and Memphis, his friends, and a world where being different easily makes life not so easy. But don’t all animation stories these days have a similar plot, you might wonder. Well, Happy Feet certainly does not follow the formula.

 

Mumble is born in a community of singing penguins, but unlike others, he cannot sing. Instead, he can tap dance. This takes Mumble, and the audience along with him, into a realm of song and dance, adventure, excitement, and pure entertainment.

 

As a musical comedy, Happy Feet is bound to get you snapping your fingers to the songs (what with your favorite pop hits of yore refurbished for the story) or tapping your feet to the music (they even carry a warning!). Directed by George Miller, the movie is a wonderful experience complete with the not-your-usual-animation-flick story, a mixed-bag soundtrack, slick animation and graphics, and great performances by Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy, and Robin Williams, among others.

 

Highly recommended, and not essentially for kids!