Tappy Feet

Rating: 7/10 (12 December 2006)

To run the list of propaganda-related issues in the new flick "Happy Feet" would take as long as the movie itself, so allow me simply to say that the film is politically oriented towards the far left. Of course, this is to be expected on some degree; most hero-journeys have some liberal affiliation towards tolerance, understanding, and acceptance. Here, however, these messages are not a means to convey a moral but an interference into the otherwise charming tale.
So what's to like? Don't worry, a lot. As we have come to expect by the sudden upsurge in animation quality, the penguins and their environment are becoming more and more realistic, and here in particular the attention to detail shines. Some nice examples are long, mobile shots of penguins swimming, sliding, and falling around the icy Antarctic landscapes while completely ignoring the laws of physics. As long as we have an omniscient camera, these wild rides through computer imagery are a treat.
But there is a trick to it, which was meant to be a sly stylistic move but instead cheapens the film's climax, of all things: humans, who do make appearances, are shown in live action. At first, I believed them just to be a superb example of the already stellar CGI, but no, says IMDb.com, they are real people, and they don't belong here.
Thankfully, the live-action humans are not shown with the penguins, but in the segments most packed with the aforementioned propaganda. Here, the range of narration shifts away from the penguins, so rather than following the struggles of our protagonists, who are designed to appeal to children for their rebellious and individualistic natures, we get grown- ups in authority dealing with grown-up issues. This shift is so abrupt and unexpected that I fear some may be confused as to what happened to the penguins. Well, at least for that segment, they're gone.
I haven't discussed plot very much in this review, probably because it has all been done before. Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) dances instead of singing and thus deserves exile from the colony, as in "Footloose," finds acceptance with a gang of outsiders led by Robin Williams, as in "Robots," and must combat indifferent humans to save his family, bring unity to his community, and get the the girl, Gloria (Voice of Brittany Murphy, who does her own impressive singing), as in every Joseph Campbell story. Even the characters are familiar, at least to anyone who has seen "March of the Penguins." Thankfully, plot comparisons to the latter movie are limited.
Again, don't worry; "Happy Feet" borrows the best points from every movie mentioned in the previous paragraph and combines them into an okay family film. It may not be original, but it does shine for its adherence to its roots as a traditionally entertaining animated feature with a few adult-oriented jokes thrown in. My advice? Forget political affiliation or age-appropriation and see the film, if only to watch thousands of penguins doing the wave. Sweet.