Happy Feet
In what is considered the best animated film of 2006, this is a feature that features talking animals, which in this case is exclusively penguins, like you have never seen before. Back in 2011, I've given my review of the sequel, which didn't exactly meet up to its expectations to be a wonderous film like its predecessor. But enough about that. In the very first Warner Bros Pictures Animation that features an array of birds, the second and third being Owls of Ga'Hoole and Storks respectively, will this movie make our feet happy? Or is it as underwhelming as the sequel? Let's find out.
The Story: The story here is actually kind of complex and to tell you the truth, that is what makes it so engaging. Allow me to explain. From the trailers, it seems like it will be one of those generic, "There's this one guy that's different from the others and he is ridiculed for it and goes on a journey to learn the joys of being oneself," cliches. However, the movie completly catches us off-guard where Mumble's journey eventually takes him to find the source of his tribe's food shortage and to stop the aliens, which is actually us humans. What really makes the film different from any other is that it shifts from tone-to-tone, like where it's a musical, a drama, a romance, and a fantasy filled with exposition. The film's story may be quite confusing, but if you let it sink in, you'll find that it is one of the best in an animated film.
The Animation: The animation here is quite a sight to behold. When you take a mental picture of an animated movie about Penguins in Antarctica, you might think this. (Shows a picture of the Antarctica scene from Dreamworks' Madagascar; complete with Private saying, 'Well this sucks'.) But unlike that, the animators here knew exactly what they were doing. Starting off on the background animation, it is really impressive down to every attention to detail, whether it be the scenes in the snowy land, where a countless number of Penguins are either walking or dancing and especially in scenes involving real-looking water. As for the character animation, it really shows just how well the animators are able to make Emperor Penguins, with the exception of Mumble's design, Rockhopper Penguins, Adelie Penguins, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, and even the Skuas. They all look like they're from the real world and are actually anthropomorphic. The reason I say that is because at the film's end, it shows a bunch of live-action humans. Yeah, I dare say that this is the film that has an animated enviorment in the live-action world. Finally, there are the dancing scenes and let me tell you, it really shows just how humanoid these Penguins are as they dance in forms of sync and Mumble's 'happy feet' seems to be the most interesting due to it's fast-paced movements. Needless to say, the animation here is as wonderous as the day is wide.
The Characters: It will probably take me a while to describe these guys since some of them have their own forms of development, for instance, the main character, Mumble. He starts off as the guy who is different from his fellow penguins due to the fact that he can't sing, but is an avid tap-dancer. After being seperated from his herd, he would undergo a sense of determination to both be accepted for who he is and to find out why there is a fish shortage in his group. As for the Adelie Penguins, well as I said in my Happy Feet Two review, they are my favorite characters of this movie. Sure, they can be seen as simple comic reliefs, but they show that they're much more than that when they welcome Mumble to their home after he is seperated from his and also accept his tap-dancing talent. Ramone has to be my favorite of the bunch due to his charisma, witty one-liners, and Robin Willams' performance. You also have Mumble's dad Memphis, who you rather feel bitter to as throughout the majority of the film, he feels embarrassed by Mumble's tap-dancing and caves into peer pressure against his son. Granted, at the film's end, it shows that he deeply regrets it and learns to accept Mumble for who he is, but you can't help but want to nominate him for Worst Father of the Year. The same can be said for Noah the Elder and his fellow elder penguins, as they are so stubborn about the penguin way, that they see Mumble as a freak and it really shows that they are villains you just love-to-hate. As for other characters like Mumble's mother Norman Jean, his love-interest Gloria, and Lovelace the Rockhopper with six-rings piut around his neck, they're more likable than Noah and Memphis and the scenes they have with Mumble really show what kind of relationship they're building with the main character. The characters here are a mixed-bag, for lack of better word, mixed. Some are characters you find enjoyable and others you just want to punch in the gut. Oh, and before I forget, I just want to say that the voice acting is just beautiful as the cast capture the emotion of the characters and the songs they sing are as beautiful as watching the sun rise.
I'll never udnerstand why this film had such a lackluster sequel instead of letting it be it's own thing. Happy Feet is an enjoyable and heartwarming animated film with some great musical numbers by the chaarcters and the ones who voiced them and some very impressive animation. I'll admit, this story is not wthout flaws, but they're not as big as the flaws of the sequel. I must implore you guys to go and watch this movie for you would end up pretty satisfied with the results. And that is why I am giving this movie the ANiMat Seal of Approval.
Story: 9/10
Animation: 10/10
Characters: 7/10
Score: 9/10