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o-ster

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I simply loved it! It has beautiful music throughout, a great story, and a great lesson:
By being true to yourself, you can make a difference in the world!

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Posted aug 29, 2009 8:51 am pt

The_MOW

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In Antarctica, a colony of Emperor Penguins are living peacefully. A female penguin named "Norma Jean" (voiced by Nicole Kidman) finds a mate named "Memphis" (voiced by Hugh Jackman) by singing a "heartsong"...
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In Antarctica, a colony of Emperor Penguins are living peacefully. A female penguin named "Norma Jean" (voiced by Nicole Kidman) finds a mate named "Memphis" (voiced by Hugh Jackman) by singing a "heartsong" ("Kiss" by Prince), to which "Memphis" responds with his own "heartsong ("Heartbreak Hotel" by "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" Elvis Presley). The two hatch a child named "Mumbles" (voiced by EG Daily).


"Mumbles" is not your typical penguin, as he is unable to carry a "heartsong" if it had handles on it. He becomes an outcast, but a female named "Gloria" (voiced by Alyssa Shafer) becomes the only penguin who shows him a shred of respect. It is also obvious that "Mumbles" has feeling for the female penguin.


Years later, the fish population the penguins live off of is dying out. And "Mumbles" goes on an adventure to find out just exactly what is happening with their food.


But, what he finds not only affects his colony, but other species he comes across on his adventure and what he learns are "aliens" (humans).

The first thing I have to say is that the animation is pretty good. The characters move realistically, and they do get the smallest detail in the look of the character. The problem is that, thanks to the location the movie takes place, there is just too much white. You get a few shades of blue, some blacks and grays, and a little yellow and brown. But, there is just too much white, and the scenery is pretty boring.


Like I said, the characters are designed nicely. The actors enhance the characters with their performances. Fortunately, some actors were able to provide multiple voices for different characters. One that stands out is Robin Williams, who provides a voice for about three characters -- including the narrator, which is not in the movie that much.


For the majority of the movie, you get some popular tunes from the last 40 years. Many of the songs are used fairly well to set up scenes. Those who sing the songs do a pretty good job with the covers. However, Prince, who provides at least one original tune, should have been used to perform his hit "Kiss", which "Norma Jean" uses as her "heartsong". Unlike recent movies I've seen, the soundtrack is memorable thanks to the use of many well known songs. I would have liked to have seen a few more original songs to help advance the mood of movie.


And speaking of the movie's mood, it changes when the environmental message comes into light. This is when the movie completely falls apart. In my opinion, the movie makers completely forgot to develop characters and storylines that were presented earlier in the film. For example, instead of "Gloria" going with "Mumbles," she stays with the colony. They completely missed a chance to advance the blossoming romance between the two. Other characters, who are introduced as the environmental message begins to appear, have no chance of development at all.


Another thing that is wrong with this movie is that this really isn't for a young audience. You get some adult humor that should slip past children, and some larger species of Antarctic animals chasing and almost killing a main character.


As for my recommendation, I am somewhere between Yes and No. Prior to the enviornmental message, I would say yes, but only for a rainy day movie. After the environmental message appears, I can't recommend it.

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Posted aug 8, 2008 5:30 am pt

sheep233

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I find this a very boring movie and only a film for little kids and people who like animated films and penguins. Older people who don't like that kind of stuff probably won't like this.

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Posted jul 21, 2008 5:45 am pt

CartoonFreak95

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This movie was better than I thought it would be, definately one of the best movies in the 2000's along with alot of movies(eg Shrek).

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Posted jul 5, 2008 10:19 pm pt

MovieMan2

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Happy Feet is a toe-tapping, tap-dancing computer-animated penguin adventure from Animal Logic Ltd. and Warner Bros. Pictures. It follows the adventures of a little penguin called Mumble Happyfeet, unable to sing unlike the other penguins can,...
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Happy Feet is a toe-tapping, tap-dancing computer-animated penguin adventure from Animal Logic Ltd. and Warner Bros. Pictures. It follows the adventures of a little penguin called Mumble Happyfeet, unable to sing unlike the other penguins can, gets excluded from the pack. It's up to Mumble to save the fish and prove his potential.

On a visual and technical level, Happy Feet is amazing. The film, to look at, is a masterpeice, and both the icy enviornments of Antartica, and the sharp realistic look of the animals in the movie, both truly emulate a sense of reality to the movie, and emulates a true detailed portrait of the Antractia most of us may see in real life. The animation even knocks Pixar back into the shades. The animation is incredibly realistic, making penguins move like they do in real life, but yet have very sharp and human facial expressions that truly read the emotion of each character.

Happy Feet has forseeable depth that really has never been seen in a Disney catoon, or let alone, a cartoon. The movie conveys a truly deep message of the enviornemnt in the Antratica, and how precious that is, and how we are runining it by wasting our modern technology. It's a shame the message feels quite forced in this penguin flick. Happy Feet constantly shows sequences of Mumble Happyfeet talking about people and the fish, and their are many sequences that show Mumble being chased or captured by humans or their machines, they give the movie a very forced impression.

Despite the movie's egologically obsessed storyline, Happy Feet boasts a whole new techinical level on how to make animation look and feel truly realistic.

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Posted mar 30, 2008 8:23 pm pt

theeman2000

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This movie was very cute, and had one of the best-arranged musical scores I've ever seen in an animated film. The soundtrack is a must-listen. I believed the story had a good beginning, but in my opinion, became became politically controversial...
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This movie was very cute, and had one of the best-arranged musical scores I've ever seen in an animated film. The soundtrack is a must-listen. I believed the story had a good beginning, but in my opinion, became became politically controversial in the middle and end. It was disappointing, because what I saw the the development of a movie from a great animated film to a political statement.

nevertheless, the movie has its cute moments, and the non-political message about acceptance is very well conveyed.

3 1/2 stars.

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Posted feb 27, 2008 2:52 pm pt

bgres077

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This movie was another cute movie made for kids that is enjoyable for people of all ages.

Happy Feet was both funny, sad, and cute, and pretty much guarantees you will enjoy it because the penguins are so cute! People of all ages...
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This movie was another cute movie made for kids that is enjoyable for people of all ages.

Happy Feet was both funny, sad, and cute, and pretty much guarantees you will enjoy it because the penguins are so cute! People of all ages will love this movie, and I recommend it to all.

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Posted dec 21, 2007 11:40 pm pt

Raptole

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Good movie! I like it! ^_^

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Posted oct 21, 2007 6:17 pm pt

TheSwordDancer

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I liked this better then most of my friends and family. I’ll admit, the story is lacking, but I found the musical score and dance sequences to be most enjoyable. Other then that, not the best animated film I’ve seen.

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Posted oct 13, 2007 6:59 am pt

Reaganfan

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One of the worst animation I ever watch! I can't tell which chacter is wich and it was also boring. This movie is not worth watching. I give this lousy film a 1/2 star.

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Posted oct 11, 2007 2:10 am pt

• [+] New York Daily News
  
  100
  In the year of the animated movie, this one soars above them all.

  by Jack Mathews | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Post
  
  100
  Happy Feet is not only the year's best animated movie, it's one of the year's best movies, period. Go.

  by Lou Lumenick | Read Full Review »
• [+] New York Magazine
  
  100
  You should see Happy Feet--not only because it's stupendous, but also because it features the best dancing you'll see on the screen this year.

  by David Edelstein | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Onion (A.V. Club)
  
  91
  It's a gorgeously rendered marvel that pulls out all the stops to wow its viewers, but in spite of its crowd-pleasing ploys, it holds onto its integrity with a smart and surprisingly deep story.

  by Tasha Robinson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Washington Post
  
  90
  What's truly surprising about Happy Feet is not its giddily brilliant entertainment, its intimate knowledge of the culture or its toe-tapping music. It's how commonplace these qualities have become in computer-animated movies... Happy Feet may be just one of the crowd, but what a great crowd it is.

  by Desson Thomson | Read Full Review »
• [+] Charlotte Observer
  
  88
  An animated film that challenges preconceptions about the genre and foregoes the usual romance/adventure structure.

  by Lawrence Toppman | Read Full Review »
• [+] Miami Herald
  
  88
  In a year rich with animation options, Happy Feet stands head and shoulders above its competition.

  by Peter Debruge | Read Full Review »
• [+] Portland Oregonian
  
  83
  Miller's global harmonizing never feels preachy -- he's too busy cramming Happy Feet with enough entertainment for three movies.

  by M. E. Russell | Read Full Review »
• [+] Los Angeles Times
  
  80
  No film with as many elements as Happy Feet is successful with all of them, and the romantic-emotional elements of this story feel overly familiar. But the music and dancing are fresh and new, and this strong an ecological message has not been seen since Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke."

  by Kenneth Turan | Read Full Review »
• [+] The Hollywood Reporter
  
  80
  This animated all-penguin musical is terrific fun.

  by Kirk Honeycutt | Read Full Review »
• [+] Variety
  
  80
  One of the very best directed animated films on record. Not surprisingly from the force behind the "Babe" movies, the attention to detail is phenomenal, the humor ample.

  by Todd McCarthy | Read Full Review »
• [+] LA Weekly
  
  80
  Antarctica is a beautiful blue paradise, and the final set piece, in which penguins and humans tap their way to a unity of green-minded spirit, is a small masterpiece of conciliatory wackiness.

  by Ella Taylor | Read Full Review »
• [+] Austin Chronicle
  
  78
  The constant singing and dancing throughout is charmingly presented, and the CGI recreations of Antarctica are stunning.

  by Marjorie Baumgarten | Read Full Review »
• [+] Chicago Tribune
  
  75
  A lot of director George Miller's film is gorgeous and exciting. Its craftsmanship and ambition put it a continent ahead of nearly every other animated feature of the last couple of years.

  by Michael Phillips | Read Full Review »
• [+] ReelViews
  
  75
  Happy Feet ends on an upbeat note with singing and dancing, but the weaknesses that precede it deflate the euphoria.

  by James Berardinelli | Read Full Review »