I wish there were a word worse than "abysmal" that wasn't obscene

Rating: 1/10 (11 December 2006)

Happy Feet had a strong message, which was, "Gee, what powerful rendering engines the filmmakers had." At the point the camera panned back to show North America, then the whole Earth, with a somber, percussive soundtrack, I leaned over to a friend and whispered, "The End." I realize that over-analyzing a film for children is a certain path to inanity, but you'd think the filmmakers could have done some analysis of how to avoid some of the sheer awfulness thrust upon an unsuspecting audience.
My 11-year-old son, a longtime fan of Spongebob Squarepants, told me that this film was, "really bad." And he liked Barnyard.
Just so it's clear, I believe strongly in biodiversity, conservation of natural resources, recycling, etc., so the political and moral message of the movie would have resonated with me if it hadn't been for the blatant penguinization of Elijah Wood, the sad, weird stereotype penguin ethnicities, and the jarring introduction of humans into the penguin world. Plus, Robin Williams has sort of declined since Dead Poets Society.
This isn't a movie to see. If a friend offers to show it to you for free with popcorn, feign illness.