User reviews

This movie set the bar at a new level for animation. This is a great companion piece to "March of the Penguins". (In fact, you should see "March of the Penguins" before seeing this one.) While the stock animated movie script still seems be 'cute-yet-quirky animals on quest', this one pulls it off better than most.

Arguably, the film makers tried to cram too many songs into the soundtrack. And the story didn't need to be as long as it was but the overall environmental message was good.

In the end, you'll look how the choices of our 'modern' lifestyles affect the rest of the world.

This movie is definitely worth the watch -- and a discussion with your kids afterward.

Animated comedies have become what Mike Tyson was to the boxing scene in the 1980's: a safe bet. This begs an upsurge in quality for the market and the otherwise forgettable family fluff films have begun to interweave deeper, more salient issues in their stories. Political messages about environmental problems was perhaps the last thing I expected to find rotating around in a happy, tappy romp like 'Happy Feet' but the fact is they are there, and they are superbly handled, as is much of the film.

Advertising the film as a propaganda vehicle would have been grossly unwise, which is why the simple template story rings true to most people. All that has been put forward in trailers and synopses is the lonely journey of the Emperor Penguin Mumble (Elijah Wood), who is an outcast owing to his poor singing voice and tapalicious feet. The rest of the tight-knit, conformist community all rely on special heartsongs to appeal to mates, and not being able to carry a tune is a fatal misstep for Mumble. When he finally finds friends in Ramon's (Robin Williams) foreign group of Adelie penguins, it becomes clear that there are more things threatening the penguin society on Antarctica – the most prominent of which being human overfishing.

One third into 'Happy Feet', I found myself drifting ever so slightly into indifference as the sprawling surge of R'n'B on the ice wore off. The emperor penguins all sing tunes you have heard before and it is not until Mumble encounters the eccentric party group of Adelies that Happy Feet receives a well-deserved kickstart and starts tapping into good fun. Thankfully, and admirably, it manages to avoid pratfalls, slapstick, pee- and fart jokes and instead the finely-tuned humour rests on the wealth of meticulous animation, juxtaposition, absurdist situations and snaptastic one-liners from Ramon's crew as they take Mumble in and introduce him to their kooky, fun-loving society and social guru, "Lovelace". This is seen in stark contrast from the emperor penguins' community on the humour side of the tapestry, and the funniest gag in the latter is Kidman returning from the long fishing journey and telling her baby Mumble lovingly that she "has got something for him", and proceeds to vomit into his mouth. Priceless.

Happy Feet is an ambitious animated comedy. It's ambitious in its scope; there are epic aerial shots of the vast icy glacier, even from outer spaces, it treats salient issues like the effects of overfishing, it takes well-deserved jabs at organized religion, in which the elder emperor penguins represent the archaic values and traditions that they mindlessly adhere to. It features a star-studded cast, it sees seamless intercutting of live action footage and stars (I spotted an uncredited Ewan McGregor cameo, look out), and it is dedicated to Steve Irwin. Certainly 'Happy Feet' carries all of its ambitions quite well, some becoming accolades like the effective punch at conformity in which all the penguins literally look identical except for the fuzzy, fluffy Mumble, while others fall flat thanks to its shortcoming cast.

It should only be so hard to provide voicework for an animated character, and Elijah Wood does it effortlessly as the fumbling, bumbling toddler-like misfit Mumble, who even looks like him with bright baby blue eyes. Nicole Kidman stars as Mumble's mother, with a ridiculously over-the-top voice, and she tips over into overacting at a few points. In the beginning we are given the well-condensed introductory story of how she met Mumble's father Memphis (Hugh Jackman) with a heartfelt heartsong, and she gets to reprise her romantic duet singing of Moulin Rouge opposite fellow Aussie. All of the aforementioned actors, as well as Robin Williams and Hugo Weaving, perform well in their respective supporting roles – all except the unforgivably redundant Brittany Murhpy as Mumble's perpetual love-interest (who is a bad singer to boot), a plain annoying and unlikeable character backed by an equally unlikable actress.

Owing to its mindblowing animation (which has been absolutely honed in the past few years) and treatment of salient issues, 'Happy Feet' could not have been made five or even four years ago. The former is translated into unspeakably beautiful sequences of underwater chases and ice slides while the latter manifests itself in apt environmental warnings. Although I was mostly entertained, there were a few too many purposely "aww" moments crammed in and certainly it does not quite dethrone the majestic 'Ice Age' (2002) as the best sub-zero comedy ever made. There, I've now said so little in so many words.

7 out of 10

Tap-dancing penguins could never have been pitched if the mega-hit doc Marching Penguins (2005) had not caught the imagination of every breathing human. Only this time around Happy Feet is not a doc but a high-class animation (from the director of the very humane Babe) and much more anthropomorphic than Marching Penguins because these are tap-dancing penguins.

Besides the themes of individualism and environmental destruction, Happy Feet's special effects take animation as close to 3-D as could be possible in a 2-D medium. One scene with frolicking penguins careening down a mountain has the sight and sound of rapid descent so authentic as to make me cringe at each turn for fear of flying off the snow into the sky. The colors are luminous and the long and helicopter-like shots stunning enough to make you feel you're watching IMAX.

Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) has no singing voice, so he can't sing a "heart-song," the signature croon of a male to attract a female for life. But as Nature frequently compensates, that boy can dance. A hard-to-accept-it dad (Hugh Jackman) laments, "It just ain't penguin." The adventures of this hippity-hop outcast bring him to a band of diminutive Latinos headed by a savvy Ramon (Robin Williams), who helps him to find his inner heart-song in his feet and eventually the source of fish depletion (the "aliens" are a familiar race of buccaneers—us).

Along the way Mumble finds soulful love with Gloria (Brittney Murphy), a young lady strong in song and belief in Mumble. Speaking of song, much of the score, while replete with pop standards from the likes of the Beach Boys and Sinatra, adapts several gospel tunes to accentuate the theme of a savior being rejected by his own kind.

Happy Feet is a happy film that features cutting-edge CG while it teaches young and old about tolerance and talent. This is the season for the tuxedo crowd—shaken and stirred.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie and don't regret having gone to see it. I feel like the animators, actors doing voices and Savion Glover (hope I spelled that right!) wasted some of their efforts on an inferior-quality script.

I admire the environmental theme, but felt like it was being shoved down our throats .. with no real solutions suggested, either. Some portions of the script were not explained well .. like how on earth Mumbles got back from the zoo to his family. Okay .. and why can't Mumble molt correctly, and why does his face look different from all of the other adult penguins? That's never explained, either.

I laughed and smiled my way through the first half of the movie, and it felt like the second half dragged on endlessly and made little sense. :-< I was expecting to love this movie a lot more than I did.

Other than the flippity-flappity of the lead lovable character it is the subtle references to the ignorant human intervention in nature's food cycle that elevates George Miller's Happy Feet into a superior film, way above the other similar films in its genre, ultimately making you tear up regardless of your eating/entertainment choices. TN.

The previews did not prepare me for this movie what so ever. I expected a cute animated cartoon about some dancing penguins instead I got some deep philosophical story line. Don't get me wrong, the movie was well made, there were some terrific scenes that you can tell that the designers put their heart and soul into, but the plot was a little out of whack. A kid watching this movie, would probably fall asleep; it started off really cute and funny-ish but then the writers went off on a completely irrelevant curb that made the movie super long and super pointless for any kid under 10. An adult may have found this movie insightful and thought provoking, but also a little confusing and overwhelming. It's a good movie but there were too many messages and meanings that were left undone and left me wanting more for a person that just wanted to see a cute animated cartoon about some dancing penguins.

I am 44 years old, and I am actually looking forward to this film's upcoming DVD release more than my children. As a victim of childhood taunts due to birth defects, I side with Mumble and his pain as the other young birds mock his differences. When Gloria's heart song Boogie Wonderland is finally answered by Mumble's feet song, the rest of his young Emperor sisters and brothers break into dance with him, embracing him, chanting his name in joyful unison--simply stirring. To anyone who has been ridiculed or spat upon, it is a moment of sheer triumph. I can't remember feeling this good about any other film in recent years. Beautifully animated and acted, this is a joy.

I saw this film on October 2nd, 2006 in Indianapolis. I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival's Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.

It's not easy being a young penguin when you can't sing and singing well is how you find your one true soul mate. The mating happens when young couples are attracted to each other's own rendition of their heart song. And to make matters even worse, the young penguin, Mumble, is a natural tap dancer, which is not appreciated by his parents or his teachers or the penguin colony. And to top it all off, there is a shortage of fish and no one knows why.

The unhappy young Mumble runs into 5 small Latino penguins from another penguin colony and the adventure takes off. The story line cuts back and forth between the fish shortage environmental mystery and Mumble's attempt to be attractive to Gloria, his love interest. Along the way he runs into penguin eating birds and penguin eating mammals and almost alien-like man made machines.

This is a musical comedy animation and the songs are classic rock and the dance routines are Broadway-theater clever and these songs and dances never stop throughout the film.

Mumble is a loser in the eyes of his peers, and feels a lot of pain. But he is also heroic and brave and optimistic and he never gives up. Those traits do not let him down. Mumble can pass on an important message to young people. It's your attitude that can carry you through successfully in life. It is not always about physical attributes and physical beauty.

Robin Williams voices Ramon, one of the small Latino penguins, and also Lovelace, the film-flam psychic of the Latino penguin colony. Robin Williams' two characters are over the top which is perfect for the normally over the top Robin Williams. This comedic element keeps the film from taking its adult themes too seriously.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.

In the never-ending quest to appease all the filmgoers by throttling them with the same beloved idea over and over again, we have Happy Feet, another movie involving penguins as main characters. Despite not being too hyped to see the film, I was intrigued by all of the praise it was getting. But after seeing it, I really beg to ask why.

The film begins much the same as the entirety of March of the Penguins, with the Emperor penguins mating rituals. Only these penguins can talk, and can make the audience actually understand their mating calls - singing. After a particularly interesting opening musical sequence, we meet Memphis (Hugh Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman). They fall in love, and they conceive a baby. After Norma Jean leaves to retrieve food, Memphis is left with the egg. Not so long after just barely saving the egg from a fatal accident, it hatches, and Mumble (Elizabeth Daily as a youngster, and Elijah Wood when older) is born. For some reason, Mumble has issues singing. But he does not have any problems dancing, which only brings trouble from the rest of the penguins, including his parents. The rest of the film chronicles Mumble's ups-and-downs, and how he confronts his "problem".

Despite its cuteness, I just thought the movie was way too silly for its own good. The singing and dancing was alright for the first little bit, but just did not work nearly as well as the film went on. It wants to be the focus of the film, but feels way too awkwardly placed in between intervals with the actual plot. Even worse is the fact that the plot randomly deviates about halfway through the film, and brings in points that barely any child would be able to understand. To me, it felt out of place in the film, and just felt like it was thrown in as an after thought to make the film even longer than it should have been. I knew the trailers really left a lot to the imagination (as does the actual concept for the film), but I am fairly certain they could have pulled off something much better than they did. I do not want to reveal just what it is that happens, but despite the good intentions with the message, it just does not work.

The voices are all fairly well done all around. Robin Williams is zany as always in his three roles, but of course, he pulls them off with such excellence that you can barely tell that he is voicing more than one (if any at all). Wood is great as Mumbles, and Brittany Murphy does an adequate job as the love interest Gloria. Kidman does alright for herself (if you can even tell its her voice), but I was really stunned by Jackman. His Elvis impersonation is gold, and he just rocks the screen anytime his character says anything. For such a busy actor, you really can tell his commitment to pictures like this, and it only helps to show the good things he has coming for him in the future.

The real standout of the film however, are the CGI effects. These penguins look amazingly real, and their backgrounds look even better. Just looking at the penguins, you can barely tell whether they are digitally fabricated or if they are real. They walk and move like penguins, and they look pitch perfect in comparison with March. Mumble's body is particularly awestriking, as it shows off individual strands of fur in every shot. When he jumps in and out of water, it is very noticeable, and never falters once. It reminded me a lot of how excellent the original Toy Story film looked back in the '90s, and how things have improved even more since then. The snowy landscapes are also particularly good and realistic to boot. I was amazed by just how wonderful this film looked, and even more impressed by its realism. The other animals, from seals to whales, also look amazingly realistic. I felt like I was watching the real thing, not just an animated film.

If anything, the film fumbles when it attempts to mix in some live-action footage late in the game. It may look like it was digitally created at first, but soon after you can see how blatantly obvious it is that it is not. It just looks weird, and it takes away from the excellent work done throughout the rest of the film. Why the filmmakers would insist on ruining a perfectly well animated film, I am still unsure. But as it goes along with the random misplaced subplot, I really begin to wonder why it was thrown in at all.

To me, Happy Feet is a movie made with good intentions, but just does not end up fulfilling them. It ups the stakes too high for itself, and it just really builds up to nothing. I was disappointed heavily by it, and am still puzzled by just what the critics were thinking. Maybe I missed something? Or maybe I am just seeing through the shoddy job done on the film? Obviously it will go unknown, but just do note that there are far better animated films that have been released this year. Feet just feels subpar and inadequate in comparison to them.

6/10.

If you just thought this film was about dancing penguins, you're wrong. This film is a great family film that has complex messages. It is in musical form.

When it begins we learn what happened to Mumble, that makes him tap dance and not sing. His father is ashamed of him, but his mother is not. As he grows, he looks different from the other penguins. Later, he mets Spanish - like penguins that are a hight light to the film because they add to the humor. As the story goes on, we learn there are less fish and the water is filled with garbage. Because of us humans, penguins are in danger.

The characters are all great and the animation is wonderful and very detailed. It is funny and it even has messages. It teaches us to accept who we are. It also tells us that the environment is in danger, but in a fun and entertaining way. This film beats Monster House and Cars as the best animated film of the year.

To run the list of propaganda-related issues in the new flick "Happy Feet" would take as long as the movie itself, so allow me simply to say that the film is politically oriented towards the far left. Of course, this is to be expected on some degree; most hero-journeys have some liberal affiliation towards tolerance, understanding, and acceptance. Here, however, these messages are not a means to convey a moral but an interference into the otherwise charming tale.

So what's to like? Don't worry, a lot. As we have come to expect by the sudden upsurge in animation quality, the penguins and their environment are becoming more and more realistic, and here in particular the attention to detail shines. Some nice examples are long, mobile shots of penguins swimming, sliding, and falling around the icy Antarctic landscapes while completely ignoring the laws of physics. As long as we have an omniscient camera, these wild rides through computer imagery are a treat.

But there is a trick to it, which was meant to be a sly stylistic move but instead cheapens the film's climax, of all things: humans, who do make appearances, are shown in live action. At first, I believed them just to be a superb example of the already stellar CGI, but no, says IMDb.com, they are real people, and they don't belong here.

Thankfully, the live-action humans are not shown with the penguins, but in the segments most packed with the aforementioned propaganda. Here, the range of narration shifts away from the penguins, so rather than following the struggles of our protagonists, who are designed to appeal to children for their rebellious and individualistic natures, we get grown- ups in authority dealing with grown-up issues. This shift is so abrupt and unexpected that I fear some may be confused as to what happened to the penguins. Well, at least for that segment, they're gone.

I haven't discussed plot very much in this review, probably because it has all been done before. Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) dances instead of singing and thus deserves exile from the colony, as in "Footloose," finds acceptance with a gang of outsiders led by Robin Williams, as in "Robots," and must combat indifferent humans to save his family, bring unity to his community, and get the the girl, Gloria (Voice of Brittany Murphy, who does her own impressive singing), as in every Joseph Campbell story. Even the characters are familiar, at least to anyone who has seen "March of the Penguins." Thankfully, plot comparisons to the latter movie are limited.

Again, don't worry; "Happy Feet" borrows the best points from every movie mentioned in the previous paragraph and combines them into an okay family film. It may not be original, but it does shine for its adherence to its roots as a traditionally entertaining animated feature with a few adult-oriented jokes thrown in. My advice? Forget political affiliation or age-appropriation and see the film, if only to watch thousands of penguins doing the wave. Sweet.

I recently got to watch this movie. I've been counting down to see it for about 80 days or so, I was extremely excited for it, so I came into the movie with high expectations. Did the movie reach my expectations? No. Almost? No not really.

First of all I would like to say I loved the cuteness of this movie. The way the penguins went along with their jokes and looks was adorable. That is the part of the movie I loved and just because of it I will go see it a few more times. Also the animation was beautiful except for in a few spots I could tell they didn't give it their best to make it look as great as they could, but no ones perfect are they?

But now what I didn't like about this movie. The plot was kind of bad. I'm assuming what the producer was trying to do is put as many big names into the movie to try and make us forget about the plot. But if you do pay attention to it, it's not the greatest, it's actually a disappointment.

Next I don't know why but I didn't really like their choices in music. Like in the trailers I thought I would have loved it, I thought it would have been amazing but it also disappointed me. Some of the songs are kind of rusty and not performed as well as I was expecting.

Overall this movie really didn't live up to my expectations for it, but there were some parts I really did enjoy about this movie so I will see it maybe....2 or 3 more times.

2006 has turned out to be the year for digital animation. From talking cars to suburban turned forest animals it seems like we've almost seen it all…or so we thought. The fresh and upbeat penguin-filled musical 'Happy Feet' is the thirteenth digitally animated film to be released this year. And as expected, people are eating it up. Some have gone as far to say it's the year's best. There was better this year, but 'Happy Feet' is okay.

In 'Happy Feet' we are given front row seats to the birth and growth of a penguin by the name of Mumble who is voiced by Elijah Wood. He's different from all the other penguins. In a world where finding your "heartsong" is crucial, poor Mumble isn't able to keep a tune at all. Interestingly enough though, he can dance up a storm. Unfortunately this is frowned upon and ends up causing him great distress. Eventually the elder penguin Noah, who is voiced by Hugo Weaving, accuses Mumble of bringing on the famine that is currently afflicting the penguins. Mumble attempts to explain that he believes "aliens" are the real cause. Noah doesn't take him seriously at all and banishes him, claiming that once he is gone, the famine will end. Mumbles then promises that he will return, and when he does he will bring proof that the alleged "aliens" are to blame. He then embarks on his journey where along the way he makes some new friends and learns the world outside his own is much different than he could have ever thought possible.

Visually, 'Happy Feet' is amazing. Almost every landscape down to the smallest icicle look so very real. Even the penguins themselves are highly detailed, but obviously aren't real. Aside from that and the direction from Greg Miller, everything presented in 'Happy Feet' is just okay. Nothing in it evokes a wholehearted wow. The plot itself takes what seems forever to be revealed. There's a forty five minute wait before anything about a famine is even mentioned. Watching the film is a lot like riding a roller coaster. No, I don't mean its a thrill ride. The way the story is set up, it goes up and down. Each time it begins to drag, something comes along to get it going again. And when the ending finally comes, it appears forced. The whole addition of an environmental issue still has me wondering. I guess because without it there would be nothing for Mumble to do on his journey of discovery.

The main issue I have with 'Happy Feet' though revolves around the music. Yes, I know it's a musical, but he music seemed to really exceed the film itself. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not. The reason being is because the films suggests that there actually is a real story behind it all. Either way, it doesn't really matter because it's the singing and dancing that will have people returning to see it all again. So despite having some assuredly bad qualities 'Happy Feet' does indeed have its moments. It does what it was supposed to, and that's entertain.

Finally saw this on Sunday when it previewed in the UK (out on full release Friday). The cinema was packed with kids ranging from babies to teenagers. Our group had kids from 3-15 in it as well as the parents. We all absolutely loved it; what I thought was so good was that the kids in the party all reacted according to their ages. The little ones just thought the penguins were cute and the chase scenes etc were thrilling. But the older ones thought the film had a deeper message and really enjoyed it.

I would normally be fairly bored at a kids' film and have just gone to take the kids - but all the adults were fascinated the whole time. We all agreed that it was easily the best animated movie of the year. I would recommend it for any age of kid. The audience in general obviously loved it judging by the laughter but by the enthralled silence at the dramatic parts.

Most families obviously consist of children of different ages - so it is not easy to find a film that appeals to teenagers as well as 3 year olds. This one did - an had the adults enthralled as well. I am not surprised that it beat Casino Royale at the Box Office in US 2 week ends running.

The green message was great - I think it is really important that children should be aware of not littering etc, respecting the planet, from a young age. Having said that, I'm not sure the kids really got that message but it might have had some effect on the older ones.

Have read some stuff on here saying kids should not be taught liberal values or not be made aware of them. Liberal values like tolerance and fairness etc. The film didn't promote those values more than a lot of kids' movies but even if it had I can't imagine why anyone would be worried about that so I'm not going to give it serious consideration.

The film I went to see was basically a really exciting adventure story with excellent acting - you really felt for Mumble - he wasn't just a stock character. I thought Elijah Wood did an excellent job in that role. Quite a few people on the internet are asking - why use such famous actors for Happy Feet - why not have an unknown voice cast? Obviously having a very big name cast of A listers costs far more and so reduces the profits - at least that might appear to be the case. Here is one reply I found - "some of the famous actors out there are famous (and expensive) for a reason- they're good at what they do. Elijah Wood really is pretty amazing at playing a sympathetic lead; Nicole Kidman has a fantastic singing voice to go along with a sweet stage presence...." The visual effects were really breath-taking, probably the best animation I've ever seen. But the film also had an intriguing story with some depth - it wasn't just a bland cutesy film.

I strongly recommend it for children, especially when you think of all the predictable rubbish that Hollywood often serves up for family films.

Up-date - I am very pleased that it won the Oscar for Best Animated; I thought that it was clearly the best animated film of the year - and also I was pleased to see the Academy award originality and depth as opposed to a pleasant but rather bland, mix-as-before Pixar product.

Happy Feet starts out good natured and upbeat. The characters are very well defined, and likable. The storyline breezes along with lots of fun action at the outset, but the movie stumbles badly in the latter stages.

It's a typical story about a misfit, who, through good will, resourcefulness, and perseverance, endeavors to prove himself and win acceptance. In a community of a species of penguins who select mates through singing, the hero of the story, appropriately named Mumbles, has about as much singing talent as William Hung, although he dances like Fred Astaire. Unfortunately, dancing is verboten to these penguins. The food supply of fish is diminishing mysteriously, and our hero hears legends of aliens who may be responsible for the problem. He embarks on a mission to learn the truth, and encounters a variety of oddball characters and adventures on his quest.

The obligatory comic relief characters turn out to be a bunch of small penguins with East L.A. accents who are very funny and amiable; their leader is voiced by Robin Williams, who voices this and two other roles very well. Best strengths of the movie are the wide variety of music styles, and superior animation technique.

The results of what Mumbles learns involves some adult political issues that will go right over children's heads, and possibly bore them. Cheap shots are taken at various religious and political beliefs. The collision between the story's exaggerated and silly fun with a sudden diversion to overly stark matters is awkward and unnerving for the audience.

In summary, the first half of the film sticks to the kind of amusing fun you'd expect from the title, the latter part of the movie delves into serious matters that don't fit here. OK for a one time family viewing, but not on a level with similarly toned movies like Finding Nemo.

George Miller, the director of the Mad Max films, directed this film. What a sharp contrast these films have. This film has a crazy star-studded cast. Go ahead and scroll up and see all the big-name actors they got to voice in this movie. The motion capture technology they used for the film was revolutionary for the time. Not all of it holds up as looking real, but it all still looks good.

Although the technology and context of the film may be impressive, the actual story is far from it. Mumble is a penguin who likes to dance. The other penguins don't like to dance, they only like to sing. Seems odd to have those two very similar hobbies create such a sharp divide. It would be like a group of people who like to eat potato chips, but they despise the people who like to eat chips with dip. But due largely to Mumble's dancing, he is seen as an outcast to the rest of the penguins. Then the same "just be yourself" message shines through and everyone learns to accept him for who he is.

At about an hour 20 minutes into this hour 48-minute movie, a big reveal happens that completely changes the focus of the movie. I remember when this first came out, this shift really upset a lot of people. I mean, looking back the fact that it was leading there should have been obvious. But given the flow and focus of the narrative, the change seems to come out of nowhere.

I think the movie is now remembered more as the dancing penguin movie. But at the time, it was seen as a bait and switch for audience members.

A lot of the movie feels like filler, especially when you look back and think about what the movie was trying to teach. The jukebox musical style doesn't work for me in this film. The ending feels like it is a parody of these types of stories, but it is doing it 100% sincere. The voice acting is fine, but it is clear that the casting was interested first in getting a big name, and second on who would fit the role.

In the end, this movie does not make me very happy.

Happy Feet, directed by the man who gave us both Babe: Pig in the City and Mad Max, is just the kind of feel-good animated film that works on a few different levels; it'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and it'll inevitably, unquestionably, make you tap your toes or bounce your leg, right there in the theater. It's charming and exquisitely detailed, and it succeeds where it really counts: It makes you really feel for the lovable lead penguin, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood).

Mumble is an unfortunate penguin, you see, because was born with no singing ability, and in his penguin tribe one attracts a mate through the use of song. The poor flightless bird can only look on helplessly as his fellow hatchlings croon their little hearts out. Amazingly, though, Mumble can tap dance, a big no-no in the penguin community. Soon, with no heart song to guide him, Mumble isn't permitted to graduate from school, to the chagrin of his Elvis-like dad (Hugh Jackman) and his songbird-like mom (Nicole Kidman).

Mumble heart belongs to the best singer in his age group, Gloria (Brittany Murphy), but without the gift of song he can't hope to woo her. Worse, with the penguins' food supply running out, some of the other birds begin to blame Mumble's foot-tapping, that somehow he is angering the great god Guin. The sad-sack penguin is then drummed out of the penguin corps, shunned for his lack of song and strength of feet, and he runs into another penguin colony, one that uses pebbles to woo their females instead of song, and makes new friends - a Latino-sounding quartet that's high on life, full of zest and pizazz and charisma, everything that Mumble's old group isn't.

Then Mumble hears from some predator birds of mysterious "aliens" who probe and attach tags to their victims. Mumble thinks these aliens might have something to do with the lack of fishies for everyone to munch on, so he and his new pals head off on a Quest to find these aliens and ask them to stop stealing all the fish.

Some of the scenes are beautifully imagined, including attacks by sea lions (quite harrowing, actually, until its denouement), vultures, and killer whales, not to mention every time Mumble and/or his posse leap off a cliff and slide down the side like avian sleds. Or through ice tunnels. Or through the water itself, shooting like streaming jetliners with mile-long contrails. Gorgeous animation.

At its heart, the movie is about how it's okay to Be Different. It's about how older folks sometimes hold prejudices that are as illogical as they are insulting, and how they'll often pass along those prejudices to their children, sometimes through direct actions and sometimes by dint of their inaction when wrongs are being perpetuated.

Robin Williams takes on four roles in this movie: the Narrator (where he's excellent and not at all hammy), Ramon and Cletus (two of the feisty new penguins), and Lovelace, a self-professed penguin guru to whom penguins go to have their problems solved. On the one hand, Williams is delightful doing what he does best, improvising rapid-fire comic patter to get laughs; on the other hand, he's Robin Williams, and although there are differences between his voice characterizations, they all bear a strong resemblance to one another. As with most animated films, the movie is well-cast; Jackman is particular has an appealing Southern drawl (ironically, he and Kidman are Aussies playing penguins with southern accents).

In the wake of the phenomenal, surprise success of March of the Penguins, Happy Feet makes your heart soar from start to finish. It'll be very difficult not to shed a tear at the mistreatment of Mumble by his peers and his elders, and it'll be near impossible to thoroughly enjoy this dazzling animated offering.