|
An amusing if occasionally film about penguins. These
aren't any ordinary penguins though as they happen to sing
popular songs from Queen's "Somebody to Love" to a Beatles
tune or two. Mumble (Elijah Wood) can't carry a tune and
since carrying a tune is essential to finding a mate he
may just be out of luck when it comes to love. He can, however,
tap dance. His parents (Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman)
are concerned and Mumble's love interest Gloria (Brittany
Murphy) seems to drift further away from his grasp as he
desperately tries to learn to carry a tune. ***
When Mumble is exiled because the elders blame him
for a food shortage (the real cause is over fishing by man
something that Mumble reveals to them), Mumble hooks up
with Adelie penguins who teach him that he can, indeed,
do something special with his dancing. These wacky penguins
with Latino accents (voiced by Robin Williams among others)
join Mumble on his odyssey to discover who or what is stealing
their food. ***
Directed by George Miller ("Babe: Pig in the City",
"Mad Max", "The Road Warrior" and "The Witches of Eastwick"),
"Happy Feet" is cute and entertaining if a bit cloying and
a bit too heavy handed in preaching its message. Nevertheless,
it's well made with some amazing CGI animation that calls
to mind Miller's outstanding camera work in his darker,
gorier films. --
- Image & Sound:
"Happy Feet" shows all the fancy footwork that one
would expect from a state-of-the-art digital transfer. Images
and colors are crisp with great fine detail. Audio is alive
with activity and presents the songs with robust powerful
sound. ---
|
