My husband and I had no original intention to watch this film. But having gone to Aberdeen for Christmas break, and seeing as we had lots of time to kill before our flight home at 19:55, viewing Happy Feet (2006) by George Miller, seemed a good way to pass the time. When the opening sequence dealt card names like Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman and Brittany Murphy, I thought we were in for a “full house”. But as the film progressed, I was more and more disappointed…and confused.
The film is set in Antarctica and follows the trials and tribulations of a very conservative colony of penguins. The community is very set in its ways and believes that one cannot be a true penguin if one does not have a unique “heart song”. When two of the colony’s greatest singers, Memphis and Norma Jean, produce an offspring, Mumble, who cannot sing, the colony’s world is turned upside down. Mumble does have a very unique gift though – he can tap dance. But seeing as his gift seems too strange to the community, he is condemned as an outsider and even blamed for the famine they now face. When Mambo is rescued from death by another group of penguins, the Adelie Amigos, he finds the acceptance he longs for. Together they endeavour to find the reason for the looming famine and ask the self-proclaimed wise one, Lovelace, for help. When a plastic ring carrier gets stuck around Lovelace’s neck and threaten his life, Mumble embarks on a heroic adventure to save him from asphyxiation and the rest of his community from famine.
Despite rave reviews about the film from the public and critics, I cannot understand why the film is so popular. I concede – the CGI is flawless and most impressive, but the story did not seem to have a definite, focused or well-thought-out plot line. The progression in what little plot there was, was slow and minimal. The quest of Mambo, Lovelace, Ramon, Lombardo and Nestor at the end seems very rushed. I applaud messages about conservation and environmental issues, but the hurried and fragmented inclusion of this at the end, seemed to me very insincere. It seemed to be included for the sake of being politically correct and I think it is this deliberate and clever inclusion which is the saving grace of the film in the eyes of the public and critics alike.
I think this film was made without much thought or a well-written script, and that the producers behind the film only had the incentive to use graphics to lure children and their parents to the cinema, which would result (as it indeed did) in a box-office success and huge profits in their pockets. Personally, I think the filmmakers were confused about who their target audience is. The stark white landscape does not really seem to hold the attention of the cinema-going children. The choice of songs sung by the penguins also seems unfitting to young children’s sensibilities and rather seems like a constant booty call which one sees on so many television music channels. At times I felt quite uncomfortable with the innuendo – especially with young impressionable children keen to learn songs by heart without understanding the content. I know I am very alone in my opinion, but I left the cinema quite disconcerted and did not really know what to make of the film. And honestly, I still don’t…
INFO
Genre: Animation / Comedy-Drama / Musical
Running time: 109 min
Country: Australia/USA
Language: English
Director: George Miller
Writing credits: George Miller
John Collee
George Miller
Judy Morris
Producers: Bill Miller
George Miller
Doug Mitchell
Music: John Powell
Distributed by: Paramount Vantage
Main Cast:
Mumble – Elijah Wood
Norma Jean – Nicole Kidman
Memphis – Hugh Jackman
Gloria – Brittany Murphy
Ramón – Robin Williams
Lovelace – Robin Williams
Noah the Elder – Hugo Weaving
