Happy Feet (U)

From the man who brought us that delightful talking pig, Babe, here is an endearing story about a "hippity-hop" tap dancing penguin - Happy Feet.

Soon after Memphis's (Jackman) Heart-Song courtship of Norma Jean (Kidman), the couple's egg crakes open giving life to Mumble (Wood). Mumble, unlike all other emperor penguins, lacks a Heart-Song and thus he can not enchant a mate to his call. However, he does have the innate skills of a tap dancing genius and, as his father puts it, "it just ain't penguin". Much to Mumbles misfortune he is rejected by the tribe and used as a scape-goat for the fish famine and is cast out into the wilderness to defend for himself. This is where he meets the Amigos, lead by Ramon (Williams) and the semi-profit/fake idol Lovelace (again Williams). These are a different breed of Penguin. Armed now with a new sense of purpose Mumble goes on to solve the mystery of the food shortages and ultimately reinstates his identity with the emperor penguin tribe.

Usually I am adverse to such cute and cuddly tripe. Just anther excuse for an audience to be amazed at the wonder of digital animation - what creature and/or inanimate object will they think of next to glorify in this digital art? However, I begrudge it to say, I found Happy Feet adorable. You will find yourself in awe at the epic surroundings of the Antarctica in which these lovable penguins play out their dilemma, a setting which would inspire the most romantic of poet. You do get the feeling that Miller wanted to explore all possible avenues of imaginative thought of penguins living in such hospitable, yet beautiful surroundings. Miller utilises these surrounding to execute fun action sequences. At times I found these sequences to be hypnotic as these penguins march in their hordes or shoot through the ocean like a Red Arrow plane high on speed. What made these Penguins so adorable was the meticulous detail on the part of the digital animators. The fur on baby Mumble, each individual penguin's eye and, what kept me laughing all the way, their cute wobble as they move, each individualised and leaving their own trace in the snow. Did Miller strap a load of motion capture ping-pong balls to herds of unsuspecting empror penguins? Maybe so, because technically Miller and the computer wizards really do deliver. The set-pieces are executed vividly and the camera movements sweeps through action sequences that take the viewer from a magnificent close-up (say of a Seal's evil eyes and sharp teeth) to spinning through the air with Mumble. Though at times the 360 degree camera movement was used one time too many, making me want to find the nearest in-flight sick-bag. And I am surprised that was the only thing that made me nauseous given the cute and cuddly nature of of the film.

However, for all its technical amazement Happy Feet is still a film with a story to tell. The narrative takes time to move and Miller lingers too long in conveying back-story and the conclusion doesn't cover all the gaps as not all subplots have been successfully woven together. This is no doubt due to the many grand themes Miller evidently wished to incorporate into his film. Such themes of race, the family unit, identity and, above all, the environment. How can you deal with such a wide range and package them for a pre-teen audience? You do get the impression Miller is ultimately trying to suggest that the future of the planet is in the hands of the children. This idea is constantly but forward through out the film and then reinforced when the final shot has Mumble, our hero and the kids favourite, addressing the audience (the children) with a Superman like wink. But, for all that, Miller has been very brave in his themes, even if it is at the cost of the narrative at times.

This film is courageous with a big heart. Where it lacks in depth it makes up for in its dynamic visuals and action.

Go and see it, you will enjoy.