Happy Feet, Sad Message (*may contain spoilers*)

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2006)

When I was asked to go see Happy Feet, I was not excited one bit. Seeing another cg children's film was not high on my things to do list. However, when I left the theater my opinion had changed quite a bit. This is truly one of the years best films.
To begin the film is in my opinion the best computer animated film ever made. Not as in the best flick, just the most visually amazing. Sorry to all of those Final Fantasy people out there who disagree. The move is extremely viceral which is hard to achieve with animation. At times it feels like a roller coaster ride.
That said underneath the beauty are some great voices. This has one of the finest voice acting cast that I can think of to date. Hugo Weaving and Robin Williams are the stand outs. Even with these great voices, the film manages to speak more loudly with the content of the story.
The film is truly in every way an expose on some of the darker sides of humans. The film begins with an interesting take on our herd mentality. I like the use of penguins instead of cattle. Through out the film we are given examples of how one must conform to societies standards or become an outcast. We are also given examples of society using religion and fear to rule the masses. Then there is an a sub plot on a dysfunctional family. Finally, the obvious attack on the way we treat the world we live in. The film does a great job, of showing the true cruelty that pollution can cause to the natural world. The scene at the ice station is truly phenomenal. I think that this is where the problem lies.
Without giving away the ending, it goes on too long. The film has a perfect chance to end on a more down note and force the audience to accept the truth of the film's message. This however wouldn't work extremely well in a film that is suppose to cater to the young and old. The main problem with the film is that it is a serious commentary on some serious problems in our world that pulls back at the crucial moments to not push away the younger audience members. This was a tough task I can imagine for the creators. However I applaud them for trying. It is admirable to try and get kids thinking instead of throwing gross out humor at them. This is a good film that could have been really great with a little more bite.