2008 Woodie Awards
Happy Feet continues to dance at box office
Kelly Austin '08
Issue date: 12/1/06 Section: Entertainment
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In the Emperor penguin village in Antarctica, a heartsong is the way to find true love. But what do you do when your singing sounds like a donkey swallowed a whistle?
Dance!
One penguin defies the odds and embraces his inner Fred Astaire while the other penguins sing songs of Elvis, Prince, and Grandmaster Flash. In the village, singing defines personality; but for Mumble, dancing defines his.
Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, an Emperor penguin (voiced by Elijah Wood), who was born different from the rest of his peers. Singing identifies significance in the nation but Mumble is the worst singer in the world. Instead, Mumble was born with "happy feet" and can tap dance like a star.
Mumble's mother, Norma Jean (voiced by Nicole Kidman) thinks his dancing is cute but his father, Memphis (voiced by Hugh Jackman) says; "It just ain't penguin." His best friend, Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy), who is also the best singer in the village, tries to understand his eccentricities but seemingly to no avail. Eventually Mumble's hip moves prove too bizarre and Noah the Elder (voiced by Hugo Weaving) casts him out of the village.
Outside of the village Mumble meets the Adelie Amigos, a group of Latino penguins, lead by Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams). The group is a happy-go-lucky bunch who thinks Mumble's dancing is cool and the perfect way to impress the chicas. Mumble meets the Adelie guru, Lovelace (also voiced by Robin Williams) and together with the Amigos embark on a sometimes perilous journey to end the famine in the Emperor Land. Even though he was exiled, Mumble saves his village and learns to be his true self, even if it is different.
Happy Feet is an animated, comedic film for the whole family. It journeys past Antarctica and into other worlds full of entertainment, danger, idiosyncrasies, and of course, love. The Adelie Amigos provide most of the comedic relief with their wise cracks and foolish behavior. The penguins' mannerisms are a commodity of their own. The waddling is cute and the Adelies' long sweeping flaps of their flippers are comical. Mumble and Norma Jean are the most distinguishable penguins in the nation; they are the only ones who never doubt the power of dancing. Mumble never loses all of his baby fur and his mother has a unique small black mark on the white part of her chest. Memphis imitates Elvis with a striking resemblance. He tells his son he will triumph with his singing because triumph begins with "try" and ends with an Elvis "umph." Penguins are very fast learners and eventually welcome Mumble's dance moves and miraculously tap dance just as well as him.
There is a definite message about pollution in the movie, as portrayed by the guru Lovelace, who spends most of the movie with a six-pack plastic ring "bestowed" around his neck. The depletion of fish for the penguins to eat is also a focus of the film. On his way to stop the aliens (humans) from taking all the fish from his home land, Mumble meets leopard and elephant seals, orca whales, and harsh waters.
The animation for Happy Feet is ground-breaking. The film comes close to making the penguins look realistic, compared to past animated films. The other animals in the film are also extremely close in relation to real seals and whales. The movie is star-studded and also features multiple musical artists. Happy Feet debuted Nov. 17 and it is likely that toe-tapping will occur for weeks following the initial viewing of the film. It is heart-warming and the perfect beginning to this holiday season.
Dance!
One penguin defies the odds and embraces his inner Fred Astaire while the other penguins sing songs of Elvis, Prince, and Grandmaster Flash. In the village, singing defines personality; but for Mumble, dancing defines his.
Happy Feet is the story of Mumble, an Emperor penguin (voiced by Elijah Wood), who was born different from the rest of his peers. Singing identifies significance in the nation but Mumble is the worst singer in the world. Instead, Mumble was born with "happy feet" and can tap dance like a star.
Mumble's mother, Norma Jean (voiced by Nicole Kidman) thinks his dancing is cute but his father, Memphis (voiced by Hugh Jackman) says; "It just ain't penguin." His best friend, Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy), who is also the best singer in the village, tries to understand his eccentricities but seemingly to no avail. Eventually Mumble's hip moves prove too bizarre and Noah the Elder (voiced by Hugo Weaving) casts him out of the village.
Outside of the village Mumble meets the Adelie Amigos, a group of Latino penguins, lead by Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams). The group is a happy-go-lucky bunch who thinks Mumble's dancing is cool and the perfect way to impress the chicas. Mumble meets the Adelie guru, Lovelace (also voiced by Robin Williams) and together with the Amigos embark on a sometimes perilous journey to end the famine in the Emperor Land. Even though he was exiled, Mumble saves his village and learns to be his true self, even if it is different.
Happy Feet is an animated, comedic film for the whole family. It journeys past Antarctica and into other worlds full of entertainment, danger, idiosyncrasies, and of course, love. The Adelie Amigos provide most of the comedic relief with their wise cracks and foolish behavior. The penguins' mannerisms are a commodity of their own. The waddling is cute and the Adelies' long sweeping flaps of their flippers are comical. Mumble and Norma Jean are the most distinguishable penguins in the nation; they are the only ones who never doubt the power of dancing. Mumble never loses all of his baby fur and his mother has a unique small black mark on the white part of her chest. Memphis imitates Elvis with a striking resemblance. He tells his son he will triumph with his singing because triumph begins with "try" and ends with an Elvis "umph." Penguins are very fast learners and eventually welcome Mumble's dance moves and miraculously tap dance just as well as him.
There is a definite message about pollution in the movie, as portrayed by the guru Lovelace, who spends most of the movie with a six-pack plastic ring "bestowed" around his neck. The depletion of fish for the penguins to eat is also a focus of the film. On his way to stop the aliens (humans) from taking all the fish from his home land, Mumble meets leopard and elephant seals, orca whales, and harsh waters.
The animation for Happy Feet is ground-breaking. The film comes close to making the penguins look realistic, compared to past animated films. The other animals in the film are also extremely close in relation to real seals and whales. The movie is star-studded and also features multiple musical artists. Happy Feet debuted Nov. 17 and it is likely that toe-tapping will occur for weeks following the initial viewing of the film. It is heart-warming and the perfect beginning to this holiday season.
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