Great CGI - Mediocre Story

Rating: 6/10 (7 November 2006)

The CGI was some of the best I've ever seen. The natural beauty of Antarctica and the animal life there was truly spectacular. At times it was hard to tell that this was not live-action photography. For this reason alone, Happy Feet is worth seeing.
Unfortunately, this is about the only reason for an adult to see the film. The story and characters are tepid; even Robin Williams can only muster occasional excitement with his two wacky characters. Once again, a big budget animation feature falls flat with celebrity voices instead of professional voice talent. The story, such as it is, doesn't really start to take off until the second half of the movie. The first half is seemingly endless vignettes of exposition and set up. The dancing sequences, particularly the one featured in the year-old teaser trailer, liven things up but don't move the plot along. I was annoyed at the inconsistent juxtaposition of musical styles; one moment it was hip hop, the next blues, the next rock, with few, if any, lasting through an entire song. One of the story problems I had was a lack of a consistent villain. Mumbles is attacked early in the film by a vicious seal. I kept expecting this scary bad guy to reappear to get his comeuppance, but he just disappears. There was not even a hint of what turned out to be the real antagonists until halfway through the film. Finally, I felt the ecological disaster moralizing was just too preachy. Maybe you have to be that blatant for children, but as an adult I felt like the film was talking down to me.
Happy Feet tries to be a nature film, a musical, a love story, and a sitcom, but fails to effectively deliver any of those. I really came away thinking that Happy Feet was little more than a glorified Afternoon Special. It makes me appreciate all the more how films like Shrek and Flushed Away can successfully combine action, romance, comedy, and drama on levels that both children and adults can enjoy.