Honorable...

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2007)

The last time Matias and I randomly voted for who we thought would win the Academy Awards, he chose "Cars" in the Best Animated Feature category; I chose "Happy Feet". The funny thing is that I hadn't even seen it but, coming from Pixar, "Cars" was a disappointment. Now I've seen "Happy Feet" and it's not great, but it is so much better than "Cars".
I've got to say, though; there's something about penguins. Either they're really cute or they're beautifully simple, but for some reason the public has developed an affection for penguins. "Happy Feet" shows penguins living in their own icy world, speaking their own language ('penguin') and, as not seen in other animated films, actually unaware of the existence of human beings and speaking of them, as 'aliens'.
It's probably these and other things that seem truly new (the movie looks gorgeous and the sea and the sky look 'live action') what differences "Happy Feet" from the other animated movies. I mean, when have you seen a penguin dancing like Mumble? Mumble is the film's main character who, unlike all of his friends, can't sing. Singing is the only way he could find his true love, but Mumble dances; and this may not give him love, but it will take him far.
Yes, like in a classic animated film, our hero meets some friends along the way; he wins them over with his contagious dancing ways. I remember the hero in "Cars", who was pursuing a selfish dream and then realized that life was full of loveMumble knows it from the beginning and his crusade is utterly giving and noble; ironically turning everyone against him.
The screenplay is a bag of fun, written by people who know about friendship (John Collee, "Master and Commander") and by George Miller and his co-directors. Director Miller has produced and written movies like "Babe", so it would be fair to say he knows the field. But this script is non-stop one-liners and non-stop jokes; and most of the time they work.
The music is another main element that plays more importantly than in your usual animated movie. "Happy Feet" could also be a musical with fresh and original songs and very intelligent versions of old and new classics from every type of genre (we get Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Mambo), courtesy of the masterful John Powell (the fantastic "The Road to El Dorado" and "Antz", among others), always backed by some nicely choreographed tap-dancing.
However, the highest point of "Happy Feet" is its message. I won't say what the message is, but even when it is simple and not completely explored, it has the best intentions and, more importantly, shows that we can say something even in animated films. Honorable work!