Movie Title: Happy Feet
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (6/10)
Year: 2006
Happy Feet official site: http://www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/
Now… the trailer got everyone to like it. The happy penguins. The little dance moves… the happy feet. When everyone was expecting it to be happy happy… funny. Yes, it’s going to be Christmas and all the happy and cheerful mood is in the air.
Okay… I got in, settled down and the show begins. I must say the animation for this show was top notch. Superb to the dot. But I didn’t really like it. Haha… sounded contradicting? Okay… it looks real and I don’t know… maybe I just never really like something 3D to mimic something real to perfection. I don’t know how to say… it just don’t feel right. But yeah… from the trailer itself, I never actually expect this movie to me so musical. Not that I hate musical… just… I never expect it to be lots of singing. Sounded a little like animated Moulin Rouge.
Let’s get it started, the movie started with a breath taking opening. It starts by showing how Memphis (Hugh Jackman) get together with Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman). Norma was one cool chick which was adore by many since she can sing really well. Obviously she have a some sorta love mark on her chest to differentiate her from the rest.
Well, as an Emperor Penguin, singing is a born with it thing. That’s how you find your partner and that is what it’s all about for them. The day has came when Memphis is left behind to hatch the egg while Norma goes hunting for food. While trying to get close together with other penguins to keep warm, Memphis accidently dropped the egg (which apparently was a bad thing).
When everyone’s egg hatched, Memphis starts to worry. The cute little Gloria (Brittany Murphy) came along with his dad to try console Memphis when suddenly Mumble (Elijah Wood) starts hatching. He was gifted with this special feet that just tap and tap and tap since the day he was born.
His life soon turn miserable when he finds out that he can’t sing. His natural tap dancing ability was not appreciated by his community. He soon felt more and more separated from the rest of the colony. To make matters worst, he has fallen for Gloria who happens to be the best student in the singing class.
Being labelled as a jinx, Mumble constantly got blamed when he tries to tap dance. One day, he was being attacked by a sea lion. While in the middle of the chase, he saw some mysterious things. His adventure soon begins when he landed himself at another penguin colony.
There, he met this 5 other Latino penguins lead by Ramon (Robin Williams) who appreciate his dance moves. He quickly got close to them as they all share the common dance interest. Being upset after being blamed to cause the fish shortage, Mumble is all set to find out the truth. Ramon suggested Mumble to ask Lovelace (Robin Williams). Lovelace is said to be one of the “knot it all” penguin in the colony.
They are all set to go find out what happen to the fishes and unleash more mystery. Going through thick and thin, they finally arrive at this “alien” place. There is where Mumble finally found out what happen to the fishes.
He just swim and swim and swim towards the big ship that took the fishes. He landed himself at a shore and was soon sent to the zoo. There, he felt weird and different as things around him that looks so real turns out to be just painted walls. He starts hallucinating when he misses his family.
Sad little Mumble was quickly delighted when a little girl appreciate his dance moves. His ability to tap dance spread around very fast. He was then tagged and sent back to where he belongs. When he got back, everyone still think of him as a trouble maker and wanted to throw him out of the colony for good. To make matters worst, he have this weird thing stuck to his back.
He tried to tell the others what he has been through and the “alien” (referring to humans) is coming to save them, everyone just laughed at him.
Well nevertheless, you would have know how it ended. I must say it was funny especially with Ramon and Lovelace. Yeah, all thanks to Robin Williams. The Latino speech was somehow, some part not clear and hard to catch up with.. but well… that’s Latino.
But I was quickly disappointed with the ending. I think it just got too serious for the “Happy Feet” title and to make matters worst, the stop fishing thing.. the protest… okay!! I don’t know towards the end I thought it gotten a little draggy, boring and just not happy any more.
To make matters worst, it makes as if they saved the penguins because they can tap dance. What happen if they didn’t do the tap dancing thing towards the end? It does mean humans will never have the protest thing and continue to fish.. steal all their fish?
Now come to think of it.. it’s not as if we are going to stop eating fish.