...Ugh

Rating: 2/10 (8 December 2006)

No, this probably wasn't the worst film of 2006, but I'm quite sure that it claims the prize for "worst animated film" of the year. Of course, I still haven't seen BARNYARD or THE ANT BULLY. Granted, if I can say that FLUSHED AWAY and CARS were the two best cartoon films to hit theaters this year, that's saying something about the diminishing quality of animation these days. But I digress.
There's no point in summarizing HAPPY FEET, as I'm sure you already know what's it's about. What you probably don't know, as most of the big time film critics haven't mentioned, is that this film is pretty boring and bland. Make no mistake, director George Miller wants his audience to know that he is more an artist than a filmmaker, and the first 15 minutes of HAPPY FEET will draw you in with some beautiful scenes and intriguing musical sequences. Unfortunately, the quality of pic loses momentum when it becomes evident that no real plot is being established. This film is just an endless string of characters, song-and-dance numbers, chase scenes, etc. While the computer animation is above average, there is much left to be desired in that there is virtually no variation in color, just different degrees of blacks and whites.
I'm not really sure who the target audience of this film is, but I can safely say that it is not little children, as there were some intense and frightening scenes involving a leopard seal and two killer whales. It's important to note that the point of said scenes remains unclear, as they were simply temporary conflicts with no real purpose to the "story". I'm also unsure what the message of this film was. There were blatant racial overtones as well as those concerning religion, conformity, and environmental conservation. Um, a little too much for a film about a tap-dancing penguin, don't you think? If you're looking for quality film-making, look elsewhere. If you're looking for mindless matinée entertainment, I also advise you to look elsewhere. However, if you're hoping to find an hour and forty minutes of visually and emotionally unstimulated and incoherent scenes involving lots of indistinguishable penguins, HAPPY FEET may be for you.