Happy Feet - Strong Messages

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2006)

I have just returned from watching Happy Feet and found it an exhilarating and moving experience. There has been a plethora of animated movies recently and few have really appealed to me, but Happy Feet should please even the least interested in "cute" animated creatures. A review by the Chicago Tribune suggested that the movie was not really suitable for children younger than 7 or 8 and I would certainly agree for the most part. There is one part where an attack by a Leopard Seal is maybe more than young eyes should witness! There are underlying messages in the movie and most would focus on the obvious one that even when you are different you can succeed. The other message that I particularly focused on was that "man" is depleting the food source of these adorable penguins. Having traveled to the Antarctic area I can certainly testify that huge factory ships are scooping up the squid that penguins rely on. I only hope that this message is received by those that might make a difference. The choreography is wonderful and my feet never stopped tapping the whole time. With the arrival of Mumbles "Latino" friends the films laughter factor raised by an enormous degree. One could almost describe Happy Feet as a "Musical" and certainly the songs flow fairly frequently, but they are well chosen and only add to the magic. I would recommend this movie to all ages but suggest that my comment in paragraph two be heeded by parents of young children. On a side note, I noticed that the scenes depicting the Whaling station are based on the disused whaling station of Grytviken on the island of South Georgia. The images of the church and disused buildings are clearly taken from that location.