28th December, 2006

DAVID ADAMS

Happy Feet (PG)

LETTING LOOSE: He may not have a "heart song" to sing but Mumble certainly has one to tap. "The ending sits a little incongruously with the rest of the film but all in all, this is a fun movie with a serious message which will leave you with a tune in your heart and a tap in your toe."

An animated film with Emperor penguins that sing and one by the name of Mumble that tap-dances? How’s that going to keep you interested for almost two hours?

They’re legitimate questions, but 20 minutes into Happy Feet, you’ll have forgotten all about them as you find yourself drawn into this delightful rites-of-passage tale of how the aforementioned Mumble (voiced by “hobbit” Elijah Wood) deals with his differences (unlike the other penguins he doesn’t have a heart song, but, oh, he can dance) and eventually, after suffering the ignominy of exile, finds his place in Antarctic society.

There’s plenty of laughter: Mumble's adventures lead him to range of oddball characters - including the Latino-sounding Adelie penguin gang leader Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams) and the Rockhopper penguin mystic Lovelace (also voiced by Robin Williams) as well as a predators including the nasty boss of the Skua bird gang (voiced by Anthony LaPaglia), a hungry Russian leopard seal intent on a meal and some ‘playful’ killer whales - and some spectacular race scenes through the frigid Antarctic environment.

Happy Feet also tackles a range of issues - from tolerance and celebrating difference to friendship, helping others and standing up for what you believe in. There’s also a strong environmental theme, particularly in the latter part of the film, and, while it’s efforts to raise public awareness of our shared Antarctic treasures should be applauded (although they have sparked controversy with some claiming the film contains “misleading messages”), it can come across as slightly heavy-handed.

Despite being directed by Australian George Miller (of Mad Max and, later, Babe fame), the range of Australian voices involved (as well as LaPaglia, Hugh Jackman is the voice of Mumble’s Elvis-like father, Memphis, Nicole Kidman plays his mother, Norma Jean, Hugo Weaving is the voice of the penguin patriarch, Noah the Elder, and Magda Szubanski that of the teacher, Miss Viola) and the fact that it was made in Sydney, the Antarctica presented here is a very Americanised one (Miller calls it an “international film”) - most of the characters seem to have been deliberately selected to create a cross-section of US society and, as far as I can tell, most of the music comes from there - but there is a token Australian appearance when Mumble and his friends meet a group of very ocker bull elephant seals (one of whom, Trev, is voiced by Steve Irwin, who recorded the part about a month before his death).

The ending sits a little incongruously with the rest of the film but all in all, this is a fun movie with a serious message which will leave you with a tune in your heart and a tap in your toe.

~ www2.warnerbros.com/happyfeet/