"Happy Feet," which arrived in theaters on Nov. 17, is not the average kid's movie. The proper formula is there: an all-star cast, adorable animated characters, clever lines, a love story and a moral. What one does not expect to see is a little penguin with a political agenda.
The movie begins with the love story of Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), two emperor penguins who meet in the traditional penguin way - through their "heart songs," which are declarations of love. The two lovebirds soon become parents to a little penguin named Mumble (Elijah Wood). Though he is just as cute as the others, there is one thing wrong with little Mumble - he can't sing a note. Instead, he tap-dances.
Mumble's incessantly happy feet become quite a problem as he grows. A misfit, Mumble ends up far away from home, where he meets up with a crew of Latino adelie penguins who call themselves "The Amigos." Led by Ramon (Robin Williams), the gang resolves to help Mumble be accepted by his peers and win his true love, an emperor penguin named Gloria (Brittany Murphy).
In hopes of winning the affection of Gloria and the approval of the rest of the penguins, Mumble sets out on a daring adventure to find out who has been polluting the Emperorland. Mumble's journey takes him to many dangerous and exciting places as he swims across the ocean, going where no penguin has ever dared to venture before.
Al Gore and other environmentalists would be proud of Mumble and his determination to save Emperorland. Through the joy of song and dance, "Happy Feet" brings the perils facing the antarctic lands to the foreground of viewers' minds. Mumble's method of solving this epidemic of environmental destruction could of course only work in an animated film, but it's nice to pretend.
The 3D animation in the film makes that pretending very easy. It is so realistic that at times the characters do not even look like cartoons. The vast icy landscapes are impressively done, and the penguins are cute. Ridiculously, unbelievably cute.
"Happy Feet" has a little something for everyone, from thrilling action sequences for the kids to clever jokes and renditions of classic oldies for the adults. It also boasts a soundtrack with everyone from The Beach Boys and Chicago to Prince and Queen, and anyone with a heart will melt when they take a first look at baby Mumble popping out of his egg.
The love story is predictable, but the rest of the plot is not. Although at times it seems uneven, with action lagging in the middle of the film and overflowing in the end, the twists are unexpected. Hollywood can't seem to go wrong when there are penguins involved, especially fuzzy ones that tap dance.
