A Joyful Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2007)

George Miller's Happy Feet is an exuberant, beautifully animated film and, by a wide margin, the best CG film ever made. The photo-realistic characters and Antarctic landscapes provide the backdrop for a story of brilliant originality. The film's plot is somewhat based in reality - but with a surreal twist. The movie is a spectacular jukebox musical in which Emperor penguins serenade each other with songs from some of the royalty of music (Queen, Prince, "The King" Elvis Presley) in order to find a mate. One penguin, Mumble, cannot sing but expresses himself through tap-dancing. For this abnormality, he is ostracized by his fellows, blamed for the misfortune of famine and eventually banished from his home. He then goes on a perilous quest to find answers that are not otherwise forthcoming.
In addition to the music and spectacle, the greatness of Happy Feet is found in its ideas. Miller (producer of Babe) has made another great film for children (though certainly not only for children) because he knows that the great children's stories do not merely pander to and occupy them but attempt to convey something about the nature of the world, something that is not necessarily pleasant. The themes of Happy Feet are as timeless as they are important. Tolerance and respect for those different from you, compassion, respect for the environment and for the dignity of all its inhabitants; these are not political issues but ones of the greatest moral importance and essential to the survival of the human spirit. In a world that sometimes seems to be becoming increasing intolerant, in a world that may be standing on the precipice of environmental disaster if something is not done, I find a great deal of hope in this story. These animated penguins, who show more humanity than most human actors do on celluloid, may just have what it takes to bring out the basic goodness in the people who see them, to "appeal to our better nature," if you will.
On another level, I see Happy Feet as a great parable about the generation gap, with Mumble and his friends as the children of the world. Their differences and uniqueness frighten their elders, who may be falsely pious or else just set in their ways. Yet Mumble does not hold a grudge against them. In the end, Mumble not only makes the world better than it was when it was given to him, but actively draws those same elders into this new world, redeeming them and allowing them to help in its creation. All with the power of song and dance!
Overall, Happy Feet is a joyous spectacle for the eyes and ears. It was so good that I had to see it a second time in the theater, something I had never done before. It even makes tap-dancing seem incredibly cool. This is a film that cannot be ignored and will not be forgotten.