Great imaginative feature from George Miller

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2007)

This is a great animated feature from George Miller, and displays the same energy and imagination as in his 2 BABE movies. I had read some comments about the 'environmentalist angle' and suitability for younger children, and completely disagree with these comments. My 5 year old daughter chose this movie over CHARLOTTE'S WEB, and I'm glad she did (and I'm glad I took her anyways despite the comments.) Wonderful story, first and foremost centered on Mumbles the dancing penguin (never thought I'd write that.) There's a pretty obvious story about following your heart, but it's done really well and doesn't feel by-the-numbers at all. Some have derided the environmentalist subplot, but I really don't agree. This is not about electric cars, global warming, or deforestation, it's about a dancing penguin that lives among singing penguins. It's a local story about what is happening to the penguin herd, and how the protagonist sets off to try to set things right after being unfairly blamed for the problem.
The resolution of the story struck me as being very whimsical as in the BABE movies (I mean that in a good way.) With all the hoopla about environmental issues, I think there is a tendency to bring outside baggage into the movie. Pro-environmentalists might see the movie as not providing any 'answers' or not being strong enough, whereas as others might ironically see the movie as being overtly pro-environmental. I guess this is understandable, but I personally loved the story.
What is more impressive than just the plot, is how everything is presented in the movie. George Miller and the other writers have taken many of the natural behaviors of the Emperor penguins (their breeding song, migratory behavior, caring for eggs) and dramatized them for the story. Yes, they are of course anthropomorphizing the penguins, but it is done in a particularly creative and inspired way that minimizes the Disney cuteness factor. There's a feeling of the harshness of the elements that is lacking in otherwise pretty good movies like BROTHER BEAR.
Some people have commented on the suitability of the movie for younger children. There is nothing overtly sexual at all in the movie. The movie shows penguins singing their 'heartsongs' to try to attract a mate. I can perhaps see how some scenes might be construed as 'sexist', but the scenes worked for me because, well, that's what Emperor penguins do. And ultimately the movie's main message on this is about finding your soul-mate by finding your kindred heartsong. Anything else is really just played for laughs.
Finally, the animation is absolutely top notch. Some scenes are very close to photo-realistic. More importantly, the art direction is great throughout. I loved the wide shots showing the entire penguin herd. And of course, great dance numbers. Music plays a large role in this movie, and they do a great job of characterizing the penguins that are otherwise not very physically expressive- the penguins are drawn pretty realistically, so they don't have too much in the way of facial expressions.
Speaking of characterization, the voice characterizations are great as well (as was also the case in BABE PIG IN THE CITY). Very effective and entertaining, without getting too overly cute (Robin Williams is borderline but is otherwise very funny.)