Playful premise marred by some unnecessary content

Rating: 6/10 (19 November 2006)

Happy Feet starts out good natured and upbeat. The characters are very well defined, and likable. The storyline breezes along with lots of fun action at the outset, but the movie stumbles badly in the latter stages.
It's a typical story about a misfit, who, through good will, resourcefulness, and perseverance, endeavors to prove himself and win acceptance. In a community of a species of penguins who select mates through singing, the hero of the story, appropriately named Mumbles, has about as much singing talent as William Hung, although he dances like Fred Astaire. Unfortunately, dancing is verboten to these penguins. The food supply of fish is diminishing mysteriously, and our hero hears legends of aliens who may be responsible for the problem. He embarks on a mission to learn the truth, and encounters a variety of oddball characters and adventures on his quest.
The obligatory comic relief characters turn out to be a bunch of small penguins with East L.A. accents who are very funny and amiable; their leader is voiced by Robin Williams, who voices this and two other roles very well. Best strengths of the movie are the wide variety of music styles, and superior animation technique.
The results of what Mumbles learns involves some adult political issues that will go right over children's heads, and possibly bore them. Cheap shots are taken at various religious and political beliefs. The collision between the story's exaggerated and silly fun with a sudden diversion to overly stark matters is awkward and unnerving for the audience.
In summary, the first half of the film sticks to the kind of amusing fun you'd expect from the title, the latter part of the movie delves into serious matters that don't fit here. OK for a one time family viewing, but not on a level with similarly toned movies like Finding Nemo.