Sunday, January 7, 2007

Happy Feet - the movie

Yet another animation film, this time the subject being penguins....And yet another brilliantly crafted and beautifully executed piece of work by George Miller in the genre of animated films....A real break from the ‘tear-jerking’ and ridiculously mushy movies of the likes of “Babul’ and ‘Vivaah’...


‘Happy Feet’ is actually a movie that captures every element of human emotion in its entirety.....Joy and celebrations, Sadness and longing, Romance and Flirting, Thrill and Suspense, Comedy and Action...you have it all......It even includes its share of spine chilling moments when you see little penguins getting trapped in the mouth of huge sharp-toothed whales....


The main character of the movie, ‘Mumble’ is turned an outcast by the rest of its community because of its inability to sing the way normal penguins are supposed to as also because of its weird tapping of feet that looks like a dance. Fortunately for Mumble, it finds good friends in a different community of penguins with the help of whom he gets to the bottom of a mystery surrounding the disappearance of all the fish in the sea (humans). The movie continues into how Mumble tries to stop the humans from fishing and in the process gets caught and is put in a zoo cage. The way the director has captured Mumble’s pain and agony while in the cage is bound to make you shed a tear or two for the hapless creature! Luckily, ‘Happy Feet’ is a happy movie and everything turns out perfect in the end. In the process, the movie also sends out a strong message to us humans...Not to mess up with the natural food chain existing on this earth.


The film is also a real treat to the eye.. The white icy mountains with the deep blue sea below look absolutely majestic. Sea creatures such as whales and the seals look so real and intimidating. Scenes where the penguins sing songs to woo the opposite sex during mating season and run around collecting pebbles to build their nests are hilariously cute.


All in all, a movie definitely worth watching if not for anything but for the mere visuals of cute little penguins running around caves of ice and tapping their feet to melodious tunes.