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Happy Feet (2006) DVD Review
Happy Feet (2006) DVD Credits:
Happy Feet (2006) Directed by:
George Miller
Happy Feet (2006) Written by:
Warren Coleman, John Collee, George Miller, Judy Morris
Happy Feet (2006) Cast:
Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski, Miriam Mirgoyles
Happy Feet (2006) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Happy Feet (2006) DVD Release Date:
26th March 2007
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Happy Feet (2006) Synopsis:

"Happy Feet" is set deep in Antarctica. Into the land of Emperor Penguins, where each needs a heart song to attract a soul mate, a penguin is born who cannot sing. Our hero Mumble, son of Memphis and Norma Jean, is the worst singer in the world...however, as it happens, he is a brilliant tap dancer!

Happy Feet (2006) DVD Review:

There is always fallout from an unexpected success, and it isn’t always as positive as the initial experience may have been. March of the Penguins was a surprise hit during a dry summer when no films seemed to be doing as well as predicted. Perhaps it was the endearing tale of what the species of penguins goes through each year, or the gorgeous images of the harsh terrain which was enjoyable to all ages, but whatever the reason March of the Penguins brought about a phenomenon. It started mildly with Farce of the Penguins, Bob Saget’s humorous film which paired comedian voices over real footage of the Emperor penguins, and the next natural transition was into animation with Happy Feet. Happy Feet, although somewhat too reliant on computer advances in animation, is actually a remarkably original film for being fueled by a trend in pop culture.

One of the most original elements added to the film, the snippets of pop songs in the soundtrack, isn’t all that original, especially considering Nicole Kidman is one first voices heard singing these compilation covers which instantly feels like an animated Moulin Rouge. The singing is what all of the Emperor penguins do to try and find a mate, and Happy Feet immediately reminded me of another animated film in which an animal doesn’t fit in, because Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) dances instead of singing when he hatches from the shell. This sends all of the penguins into an uproar because apparently just as cats don’t dance, neither do penguins. Mumble is ashamed and unable to woo the penguin he loves (voiced by Brittany Murphy), and is ashamed of his ability to dance.

It isn’t until meeting a group of Rockhopper penguins (most memorably voiced by Robin Williams who should consider only doing voiceover as long as he wants to remain this successful) that Mumble realizes he shouldn’t be ashamed. When he is blamed for the shortage of fish he sets out to prove them wrong. What he finds is that humans are the ones stealing the fish from the penguins, at which point the film switches into environmental message mode and never really recovers completely. It has a great message, but it is also somewhat distracting from the initial storyline of a penguin who just doesn’t fit in.

The adult penguins can tend to look a little strange with the computer animation used, which may be why the cover chose to use a photo of a younger Mumble and the Rockhopper penguins, even though they don’t meet in the film until Mumble is much larger. As queer as some of the character animation is, the scenery is breathtaking and remarkable. The mountaintops, snow, and ocean could be compared to photos of the real scenery and it would be difficult to distinguish between the two.

The DVD special features include two completely new animated sequences; Mumble Meets a Blue Whale and A Happy Feet Moment. There is also a great inclusion of a classic cartoon that is fitting for this film and two music videos. There is also a dance lesson video which teaches kids to dance like a penguin, making for nearly all children-fitting special features.

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Happy Feet (2006) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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