A groovy, socially conscious triumph, the Oscar-winning Happy Feet stands at the very top of the 2006 animated kid’s film class. It’s no surprise to discover that George Miller – the man behind Babe and its stellar sequel – is capable of crafting children’s entertainment that’s at once playful, intelligent and modestly profound, but his ability to make penguins seem fresh and fascinating after 2005’s ubiquitous March of the Penguins hype is more than a minor feat. In this rollicking tale, young penguin Mumble (Elijah Wood) becomes a pariah when it’s revealed that he can’t sing like the rest of his flock – their songs (imaginative hybrids of tunes by Prince, Boys II Men, and countless others) functioning as the lynchpin of the mating ritual – but instead has irrepressibly dancing feet (modeled on the moves of Savion Glover). Mumble’s toe-tapping saga is one of exclusion and intolerance, his difference derided but ultimately proven to be the key to the penguins’ survival, as the animals’ way of life is threatened by a severe fish shortage caused by humans. Especially during close-ups and picturesque master shots of the frigid landscape during snowstorms and sunrise, Miller’s CG animation is a wondrous thing to behold, and his two centerpiece action sequences (involving a seal and two killer whales, respectively) are both formally exquisite and technically breathtaking. What truly holds Happy Feet together, however, is the magical, mystical aura that envelops Mumble’s boisterous journey from arctic snow to caged zoo and back again, the director marvelously capturing a sense of the world’s grand beauty and strangeness – and, just as impressively, finding two suitable, distinct roles for that strangest Hollywood bird of all, Robin Williams.
This was indeed the first time in ages that I've not only tolerated a Robin Williams vocal performance (let alone two of them), but that I outright adored it. Glad to see you're on the same boat with this one; something about it is so pure and direct that every time I watch it (thrice so far), the opening alone damn near makes me burst out of my seat with the excessive energy (not to dance, mind you -- that would be an affront against the maker himself).
Posted by: rob | April 11, 2007 at 07:36 AM
Think this film would have landed some where on your top ten list would you have seen it before? Just curious.
Posted by: Andres | April 11, 2007 at 09:49 PM
Yeah, the film - and Williams in particular - is really good. And getting to watch it with Hannah (who really dug it) was also pretty sweet.
As for your question, Andres - it likely would have made my Honorable Mention list last year. Unfortunately, the one screening I tried to attend was cancelled at the last second, and my busy November-December schedule prevented me from seeing it before year-end lists were due.
Posted by: Nick | April 11, 2007 at 11:10 PM
I just bought one of those Disney-packaged "Family Double Features" that has Babe (full screen) on one side and Pig in the City (1.85:1) on the flip. The latter is sheer perfection.
(Didn't see Happy Feet all the way through but each time I peeked in, it looked pretty enough.)
Posted by: Ryland | April 13, 2007 at 07:58 PM
You should definitely give Happy Feet a look, Ryland. I can't say I was all that interested in it, but it's definitely smarter/funnier/more touching than its marketing campaign made it seem...
And abviously, I have got to get off my ass and finally write that glowing Babe: Pig in the City review, if only so there can be a proper forum to discuss it.
Posted by: Nick | April 13, 2007 at 10:43 PM
My two year old is really fond of this film and because of her I've had to watch this many times! I feel that this film is a true masterpiece not only of animation but film-making in general. I know am lot of people find it too preachy but remember that the message is being given to the kids not some high-brow intellectuals (over)fed on some foreign films art of 'subtelity'. The issues it brings up while entertaining are nothing but remarkable - especially in an animation film about singing dancing penguins. It's environmental message has a serious emotional punch and the sequences of the human world being discovered through penguins are brilliant. I love the way these 'meetings' escalate. The way first a machinery comes dislodged from a mountain etc. The music too is superb! This could be the children's version of March of the Penguin but it is nonetheless important for that.
Posted by: Shaz | July 26, 2011 at 04:58 AM