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Happy Feet

 
Movies:

Happy Feet

  • Director: George Miller
  • AMG Rating: starstar
  • Genre: Children's/Family
  • Movie Type: Family-Oriented Comedy, Adventure Comedy
  • Themes: Mothers and Sons, Talented Animals
  • Main Cast: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Magda Szubanski, Steve Irwin
  • Release Year: 2006
  • Country: AU/US/CA
  • Run Time: 108 minutes
  • MPAA Rating: PG

Plot

In the world of the emperor penguin, a simple song can mean the difference between a lifetime of happiness and an eternity of loneliness. When a penguin named Mumble is born without the ability to sing the romantic song that will attract his soul mate, he'll have to resort to some fancy footwork by tap dancing his way into the heart of the one he loves. Directed by Babe mastermind George Miller, Happy Feet tells the tale of one penguin's quest for love, and features an all-star cast of vocal talent that includes Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, and Brittany Murphy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Review

In 2005, March of the Penguins identified a real appetite among moviegoers for flightless waterfowl. (As movie characters, mind you, not menu items). The next year, Happy Feet drove that phenomenon over the top, grossing just shy of $200 million on its way to upsetting perennial favorite Pixar for the best animated feature Oscar. The victory was an upset not just because Pixar's Cars was better than expected, but also because Happy Feet isn't as good as the numbers suggest. George Miller's film does benefit from a delightful concept. According to Happy Feet, the mating ritual made famous by March is actually a matter of mutual serenade, with penguins finding their soul mates to the strains of modern pop music. But Happy Feet gets kind of stuck in this concept phase, never blossoming into an involving narrative. Mumble, voiced by Elijah Wood, is your standard outsider -- insert your favorite ugly duckling metaphor here. But his supposed deficiency is that he dances rather than sings -- a complementary skill, one would think, whose uniqueness should elevate him, rather than ostracizing him toward a mission of heroic redemption. This mission allows for some strong set pieces and breathtaking images of the Antarctic landscape and fauna, but it also brings audiences into contact with two super-annoying Robin Williams characters, both voiced as politically incorrect racial stereotypes. By the time it's finished, Mumble's journey has gone places that stretch even the minimal logic required for a kids movie. Perhaps that gets at the shortcomings of the entire film. While it's infectious enough to slot right in as a new classic for young children, and visually advanced enough to wow audiences of any age, it's also flawed enough that adults won't want to join in on their kids' inevitable repeat viewings. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

Cast

Carlos Alazraqui - Nestor; E.G. Daily - Baby Mumble; Lombardo Boyar - Raul; Miriam Margolyes - Mrs. Astrakhan; Fat Joe - Seymour; Alyssa Shafer - Baby Gloria; Cesar Flores - Baby Seymour; Robin Williams - Lovelace; Jeff Garcia - Rinaldo; Danny Mann - Zoo Penguin; Mark Klastorin - Vinnie; Michael Cornacchia - Frankie; Johnny Sanchez III - Lombardo; Nicholas McKay - Nev; Tiriel Mora - Kev; Richard (Voice) Carter - Barry; Lee Perry - Zoo Penguin; Alan Shearman - Elder; Larry Moss - Elder; Peter Carroll - Elder; Olivia DeLaurentis; Chrissie Hynde - Michelle; Giselle Loren - Adelie Chica; Michelle Arthur - Adeli Chica; Denise Blasor - Adelie Chica; Roger Rose - Leopard Seal; Kelley Abbey - Motion Capture Principal; Savion Glover - Motion Capture Principal; Matt Lee - Motion Capture Principal; Leanne Cherny - Motion Capture Principal; Penny Martin - Motion Capture Principal; Kate Wormald - Motion Capture Principal; Caroline Kaspar - Motion Capture Principal; Wayne Scott Kermond - Motion Capture Principal; Renae Berry - Motion Capture Performer; Kane Bonke - Motion Capture Performer; Rohan Browne - Motion Capture Performer; Jason Coleman - Motion Capture Performer; Amy Delves - Motion Capture Performer; Shannon Greensill - Motion Capture Performer; Jaclyn Hanson - Motion Capture Performer; Keith Hawley - Motion Capture Performer; Shannon Holtzapffel - Motion Capture Performer; Michelle Hopper - Motion Capture Performer; Leah Howard - Motion Capture Performer; Camilla Jakimowicz - Motion Capture Performer; Simon Lind - Motion Capture Performer; Tracie Morley - Motion Capture Performer; Amy Petsalis - Motion Capture Performer; Troy Phillips - Motion Capture Performer; Chris Pickard - Motion Capture Performer; Danielle Playel - Motion Capture Performer; Dianne Rakebrandt - Motion Capture Performer; Jesse Rasmussen - Motion Capture Performer; Kristen Rogers - Motion Capture Performer; Troy Rowley - Motion Capture Performer; Adam Scown - Motion Capture Performer; Annie Semler - Motion Capture Performer; Ben Veitch - Motion Capture Performer; Nathan Wright - Motion Capture Performer; Charlotte Gillman - Live Action Cast; Warren Coleman - Live Action Cast; Richard Carter - Live Action Cast; Felix Williamson - Live Action Cast; Carly Andrews - Live Action Cast; Cassandra Swaby - Live Action Cast; Winston Cooper - Live Action Cast; Henry Nixon - Live Action Cast; Kelly Tracey - Live Action Cast; Yann Le Berre - Live Action Cast; Belinda Bromilow - Live Action Cast; Alan Zitner - Live Action Cast; Dasi Ruz - Live Action Cast; Helmut Bakaitis - Live Action Cast; Simon Westaway - Live Action Cast; Grant Albrecht; Logan Arens; Dee Bradley Baker - Maurice; Charles Bartlett; Shane Baumel; T.J. Beacom; Kwesi Boakye; A.J. Buckley; Erin Chambers; Rickey D'Shon Collins; Scott E. Cox; Django Craig; Nicholas DeLaurentis; Billy Williams; Rachel York; Efrain Figueroa; Diane Michelle; Mari Weiss; Arif S. Kinchen; Aldis Hodge; Khamani Griffin; Sonje Fortag; Jeff Fischer; Khadijah Haqq; Chris Edgerly; Christian Pikes; Spencer Lacey Ganus; Fisher Keene; Michael Krepack; Libby Lynch; Ryan Munck; Steve Pinto; Zoe Raye; Noreen Reardon; Eliana Reyes; Nicole Richmond; Aimee Roldan; Kyndell Rose; Alyssa Smith

Credit

Colin Gibson - Art Director, Simon Whiteley - Art Director, David Nelson - Supervising Art Director, James Thomas Finlay, Jr. - Animator, David Smith - Animator, Paulino Rodrigo Diaz - Animator, Simon Allen - Animator, Amanda Dague - Animator, Robert McIntosh - Animator, Patrick Tasse - Animator, James Kinnings - Animator, Paul Lee - Animator, Bill Campbell - Animator, Tom Del Campo - Animator, Kimberly Mann - Animator, Rebecca Ruether - Animator, Ryan Yee - Animator, Stephen Painter - Animator, David Drury Allen - Animator, Simon Clarke - Animator, Richard Dixon - Animator, Gianluca Fratellini - Animator, Wayne Howe - Animator, Vincent Lemaire - Animator, Craig McPherson - Animator, Jeremy Mesana - Animator, Benjamin Sanders - Animator, Gabor Soos - Animator, Anthony Sparapani - Animator, Irina Yebenes - Animator, Daniel Jeannette - Animation Director, Scott Swan - Animation Director, Matt Ferro - Associate Producer, Hael Kobayashi - Associate Producer, Philip Hearnshaw - Associate Producer, Michael Twigg - Associate Producer, Nikki Barrett - Casting, Kristy Carlson - Casting, Savion Glover - Choreography, Kelley Abbey - Choreography, Leanne Cherny - Choreography, Emanda Thomas - Coordinator, Lynda Williams - Conductor, David Stanhope - Conductor, Brett Weymark - Conductor, Victoria Sullivan - Continuity, P.J. Voeten - First Assistant Director, Colin Fletcher - First Assistant Director, Philip Hearnshaw - First Assistant Director, George Miller - Director, Margaret Sixel - Editor, Christian Gazal - Editor, Graham Burke - Executive Producer, Bruce Berman - Executive Producer, Dana Goldberg - Executive Producer, Zareh Nalbandian - Executive Producer, Edward Jones - Executive Producer, Fiona Chilton - Line Producer, Martin Wood - Line Producer, David S. Horsley - Lighting, Al Saimoto - Lighting, Christopher Rogers - Lighting, Mathieu Boucher - Lighting, Jon Meier - Lighting, Jude Adamson - Lighting, Jeffrey Arnold - Lighting, Ryan Gillis - Lighting, Brian Goldberg - Lighting, J.T. Lawrence - Lighting, Francisco Rodriguez - Lighting, Brock Stearn - Lighting, John Powell - Composer (Music Score), John Powell - Musical Arrangement, Christine Woodruff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Prince - Songwriter, Lesley Vanderwalt - Makeup, Mark Sexton - Production Designer, Andrew Lesnie - Cinematographer, Stuart Lowder - Production Manager, Bill Miller - Producer, George Miller - Producer, Doug Mitchell - Producer, Shawn Murphy - Recording, Katy Hoy - Research, Dr. Gary Miller - Sound Recordist, Judy Morris - Screenwriter, John Collee - Screenwriter, Warren Coleman - Screenwriter, George Miller - Screenwriter, Andrew Lesnie - Additional Cinematography, Fiona Cammack - Production Assistant, Sarah Sheerin - Production Assistant, Barnaby Robson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Deb Asch - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jon Heckman - Visual Effects Supervisor, Traci Horie - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jamee Houk - Visual Effects Supervisor, Tobin Jones - Visual Effects Supervisor, Rich McBride - Visual Effects Supervisor, Mike Schmitt - Visual Effects Supervisor, John Vegher - Visual Effects Supervisor, Enrique Vila - Visual Effects Supervisor, Todd Shifflett - Visual Effects Supervisor, Ryan Chan - Visual Effects Supervisor, Dan Cox - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jason Flemming - Visual Effects Supervisor, Carl Kaphan - Visual Effects Supervisor, August Meredith - Visual Effects Supervisor, Peter Oberdorfer - Visual Effects Supervisor, Toshiyasu Otsuka - Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Sambora - Visual Effects Supervisor, Andrew Buecker - Visual Effects Supervisor, Morgane Furio - Visual Effects Supervisor, Kevin Bell - Visual Effects Supervisor, Katharine "Kat" Evans - Visual Effects Supervisor, Tau Gerber - Visual Effects Supervisor, Greg Gladstone - Visual Effects Supervisor, Gisela Hermeling - Visual Effects Supervisor, Cameron Neilson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Eric Schweickert - Visual Effects Supervisor, Clint Thorne - Visual Effects Supervisor, Nowell Valeri - Visual Effects Supervisor, David Zbriger - Visual Effects Supervisor, Dagan Potter - Visual Effects Supervisor, Mickael Coedel - Visual Effects Supervisor, Zareh Nalbandian - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jason Porter - Visual Effects Supervisor, David Nelson - Visual Effects Supervisor, Kazunori Aruga - Visual Effects Supervisor, James Bambauer - Visual Effects Supervisor, Bailey Brent - Visual Effects Supervisor, Raquel Coelho - Visual Effects Supervisor, Kelli Q. Conley - Visual Effects Supervisor, Adam J. Ely - Visual Effects Supervisor, Greg Maguire - Visual Effects Supervisor, Michael Omagat - Visual Effects Supervisor, Richard Simon - Visual Effects Supervisor, Amber Wong - Visual Effects Supervisor, Frank Lipson - Sound Effects Editor, Ian Neilson - Sound Effects Editor, Rick Lisle - Sound Effects Editor, Nigel Christensen - Sound Effects Editor, Damian Candusso - Sound Effects Editor, Angus Robertson - Sound Effects Editor, Marc-Andre Samson - Matte Artist, Patricia Van't Hul - Matte Artist, Andrew Hayes - Technical Director, Ken Kurras - Technical Director, Michael Gaiser - Technical Director, Chris Edwards - Technical Director, Dave Nunez - Technical Director, Allessandro Nardini - Technical Director, Je-Ren Chen - Technical Director, Jayandera Danappal - Technical Director, Diego Garzon - Technical Director, Miles Green - Technical Director, Alexis Hall - Technical Director, Graham Hopkins - Technical Director, Matthew Jones - Technical Director, Ivan La Rosa - Technical Director, May Leung - Technical Director, Kiem Chin Ong - Technical Director, Sebastien Quessy - Technical Director, Noah Taylor - Technical Director, Larry Townsend - Technical Director, Shaun Conway - Gaffer, David Nichols - Key Grip, David Peers - Layout, Tom Carlson - Music Editor, Simon Leadley - Music Editor, Tim Ryan - Music Editor, Alex Acuña - Musical Performer, Randy Crenshaw - Musical Performer, Kevin Dorsey - Musical Performer, Oren Waters - Musical Performer, Dan Navarro - Musical Performer, Paul Pesco - Musical Performer, Salvador Lozano - Musical Performer, Donny Gerrard - Musical Performer, George Doering - Musical Performer, Mike Fisher - Musical Performer, Art Velasco - Musical Performer, Dorian Holley - Musical Performer, Carmen Carter - Musical Performer, Tim Davis - Musical Performer, Alex Al - Musical Performer, Justo Almario - Musical Performer, Edie Lehmann Boddicker - Musical Performer, Monique Donnelly - Musical Performer, Cleto Escobedo - Musical Performer, Dan Fornaro - Musical Performer, Bob Joyce - Musical Performer, Harry Kim - Musical Performer, Doug Petty - Musical Performer, Oliver Powell - Musical Performer, Michael Ripoll - Musical Performer, David Stout - Musical Performer, Sydney Scoring Orchestra - Musical Performer, Martin Wood - Post Production Supervisor, Lucinda Glenn - Production Coordinator, Jennie Morse - Production Coordinator, Tracy Lenon - Production Coordinator, Samantha Steyns - Production Coordinator, Suzanne Evans-Booth - Production Coordinator, Misato Shinohara - Production Coordinator, Genevieve Boisvert - Production Coordinator, Niva Burke - Production Coordinator, Natasha Cali - Production Coordinator, Amanda Davison - Production Coordinator, Michael Early - Production Coordinator, Ingrid Johnston - Production Coordinator, Joanna Keogh - Production Coordinator, Karen Kriss - Production Coordinator, Linda Luong - Production Coordinator, Olivia Lyne - Production Coordinator, Jeannette Manifold - Production Coordinator, Deborah Phillips - Production Coordinator, Patrick Sarell - Production Coordinator, Craig Saunders - Production Coordinator, Kate Stenhouse - Production Coordinator, Jodie Weston - Production Coordinator, Kacy Durbridge - Production Supervisor, Georgie Uppington - Production Supervisor, Gregg Fitzgerald - Re-Recording Mixer, Phil Heywood - Re-Recording Mixer, Wayne Pashley - Re-Recording Mixer, Jessica Hunt - Script Supervisor, Ali Levitch - Second Assistant Director, Michael Holzl - Supervising Animator, Matt Logue - Supervising Animator, Wayne Pashley - Supervising Sound Editor, Gary Nolin - Visual Effects Producer, Stephanie Taylor - Visual Effects Producer, Brad Greenwood - Assistant Art Director, Leah Katz - Assistant Sound Editor, Scott Pasquill - Assistant Sound Editor, Nicholas Breslin - Dialogue Editor, Delia McCarthy - Dialogue Editor, Jenny Ward - Dialogue Editor, Rachel Higgins - First Assistant Accountant, Sharon Taylor - First Assistant Accountant, Alicia Gleeson - First Assistant Editor, Matthew Town - First Assistant Editor, John Simpson - Foley Artist, Katy Hoy - Personal Assistant, Katrina Peers - Personal Assistant, Sharon Williams - Personal Assistant, Johnny May - Production Accountant, Louise Book - Production Accountant, Susan Dutton - Production Accountant, Mark Thorley - Production Accountant, Christine Cheung - Second Assistant Editor, Animal Logic Film - Visual Effects, Colin Deane - Focus Puller, Jessica Hunt - Production Secretary, Ali Levitch - Production Secretary, David Burrows - Visual Effects Editor, Felicity Coonan - Graphic Design, Angela Pelizzari - Title Design, Deborah McNamara - Title Design, Toby Grime - Title Design, Julietta Boscolo - Assistant Editor, Andrew Corsi - Assistant Editor, Kento Watanabe - Assistant Editor, Simon Dye - Compositor, Thai Son Doan - Compositor, Krista Jordan - Compositor, Daniel Loui - Compositor, Elias Macute - Compositor, Carlos Monzon - Compositor, In Oh Ryu - Compositor, Freddie Vaziri - Compositor, Guerdon Trueblood - Compositor, Seanna McPherson - Lead Compositor, Pablo Holcer - Digital Effects Compositor, Nathalie Girard - Digital Effects Compositor, Shawn Monaghan - Digital Effects Compositor, David Sweeney - Digital Effects Compositor, Anita Bevelheimer - Digital Effects Compositor, Sophia Lo - Digital Effects Compositor, Laurel Smith - Painter (digital), Nicolas Bruchet - Painter (digital), Marc-Andre Samson - Painter (digital), Raine Anderson - Painter (digital), Belinda Allen - Painter (digital), Maria Bowen - Painter (digital), David Gurrea - Painter (digital), Eric Hamel - Painter (digital), Uzma Khalid - Painter (digital), Antonis Kotzias - Painter (digital), Nerys Lincoln - Painter (digital), Paul Mica - Painter (digital), Taylor Moll - Painter (digital), Yvonne Muinde - Painter (digital), Johan Nordenson - Painter (digital), Nicole Papax - Painter (digital), Martin Pellisier - Painter (digital), Richard Pritchard - Painter (digital), Yann Provencher - Painter (digital), Raine Reen - Painter (digital), Guillaume Ruegg - Painter (digital), Panya Souvanna - Painter (digital), Artur Vill - Painter (digital), Judy Morris - Co-Director, Warren Coleman - Co-Director

Similar Movies

The Pebble and the Penguin; Finding Nemo; Antz; Ice Age; Shark Tale; The Land Before Time; A Bug's Life; Surf's Up
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Wikipedia: Happy Feet
Top
Karen Mineth Glean

Promotional poster
Directed by George Miller
co-director:
Warren Coleman
Judy Morris
Produced by Bill Miller
George Miller
Doug Mitchell
Written by Warren Coleman
John Collee
George Miller
Judy Morris
Starring Elijah Wood
Robin Williams
Brittany Murphy
Hugh Jackman
Nicole Kidman
Hugo Weaving
Music by John Powell
Gia Farrell
Cinematography David Peers
Editing by Christian Gazal
Margaret Sixel
Studio Kennedy-Miller Productions
Animal Logic Films
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Village Roadshow Pictures
American Television
American Broadcast Company
Release date(s) United States
November 17, 2006
Australia
December 26, 2006
Running time 108 minutes
Country United States
Australia
Language English
Budget $100 million
Gross revenue $384.3 million

Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated comedy-drama film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released in North America on November 17, 2006. It is the first animated feature film produced by Kennedy Miller in association with visual effects/design company Animal Logic.

Though primarily an animated film, Happy Feet does incorporate live action humans in certain scenes. The film was simultaneously released in both conventional theatres and in IMAX 2D format.[1] The studio had hinted that a future IMAX 3D release was a possibility. Unfortunately, that was not possible because Warner Bros., the film’s production company, was on too tight of a budget to release Happy Feet in IMAX digital 3D. Their previous release of The Ant Bully in IMAX digital 3D had cost the company a big amount of money, so they did not have too much to spare for Happy Feet. [2] Happy Feet won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature.

The film was dedicated in memory of Nick Enright, Michael Jonson, Robby McNeilly Green, and Steve Irwin.

Contents

Plot

Set in an Antarctic emperor penguin colony, the film established that every penguin must make a unique song called a "heartsong" to attract a mate. If the female likes the male and his song, and if it fits with the female's and helps complete it, the two penguins mate. This is based in fact, since emperor couples court each other and recognize one another by their unique calls. One penguin named Norma Jean (voiced by Nicole Kidman) sings the song "Kiss", whereupon a male penguin named Memphis (voiced by Hugh Jackman) sings "Heartbreak Hotel". Norma Jean chooses him as her mate. They couple and Norma Jean lays an egg. The egg is left in Memphis's care while Norma Jean and the other females leave to fish for several weeks. While the males are struggling through the harsh winter, Memphis drops the egg, briefly exposing it to the freezing Antarctic temperatures. The resulting chick - the film's protagonist, Mumble (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) - has blue eyes, ever-lasting down feathers, a late hatch and a terrible singing voice. However, Mumble has a talent that none of the other penguins had ever seen before: tap dancing.

This ability, however, is frowned upon by the colony's elders, who do not tolerate deviance of any kind. As a result, Mumble is ostracized throughout his childhood, with only his mother and his best friend Gloria (voiced by Alyssa Shafer) to turn to for compassion. One day Mumble wanders into a secluded area, where he is free to be himself and dance. But Mumble is interrupted when the Boss Skua (voiced by Anthony LaPaglia) and his posse Dino (voiced by Danny Mann), Frankie (voiced by Michael Cornacchia), and Vinnie (voiced by Mark Klastorin) fly down and plan to consume the dancing baby penguin. Mumble stalls by asking the leader of the pack about a yellow band that is attached to his right ankle. The Boss Skua tells Mumble that he had gotten abducted by "aliens"; the result leaving him with the mysterious yellow band. The "aliens" the Skuas bird speaks of are actually human beings. Mumble narrowly escapes the hungry birds by falling into a small crevice. Mumble grows into an adult (voiced by Elijah Wood), still half-covered in fluffy down.

Mumble's class is graduating, and although Mumble has not graduated, he joins them on their first unaccompanied trip into the ocean. His class ends their day by partying on an iceberg. Mumble constantly interrupts the singing party and is forced to enjoy the party on a small, separate iceberg. Mumble dozes off and wakes to find himself alone; his class gone. A hungry leopard seal (voiced by Roger Rose) chases him off the small iceberg, and the penguin finds himself far from his home and within the carefree colony of adelie penguins. These adelie penguins are small in stature, but fiercely loyal to those they call friends. He quickly befriends a small group of bachelors who form a club of sorts called the Amigos: the leader, Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams), the brothers Raul (voiced by Lombardo Boyar) and Nestor (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui), and twin brothers Rinaldo (voiced by Jeffrey Garcia) and Lombardo (voiced by Johnny A. Sanchez). The Amigos quickly embrace Mumble's dance moves and assimilate him into their misfit group.

Mumble's joy at finding acceptance is cut short when he accidentally starts an avalanche with the Amigos and causes a hidden human excavator to tumble out from a glacier. Mumble catches a glimpse of this mysterious machine and is intrigued. Driven by curiosity, he sets out to find the "aliens" responsible for the machine.

In Mumble's old home, it is mating season, and Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy) is the center of attention. Although she is surrounded by a large horde of suitors including Seymour (voiced by Fat Joe), none of them or their heartsongs interest her whatsoever. At this point, Ramon stands behind a newly-arrived Mumble and sings a Spanish version of "My Way". Gloria however isn't fooled, for she knows Mumble can't sing. She notices Ramon behind Mumble and shoves him away to reveal the little penguin. Goria becomes angry and turns her back on Mumble. Mumble tries to explain himself, saying that the front was the best he can offer. But it's no use, Mumble clearly has no heartsong, and Gloria continues towards the other males visibly distraught at Mumbles apparent fate to live life alone. As a last resort, Mumble tries to persuade her to sing along to his tapping rhythm. Gloria is reluctant at first but, because of her own latent affectionate feelings for him, she complies. She finds to her joy that Mumble's rhythm fits with her melody just as a heartsong would. As Mumble's beat speeds up, Gloria finds the chorus to her heartsong, and realizes it's "Boogie Wonderland", a dance song. Overcome with happiness that they can now be mates, the pair begin dancing, along with the other penguins.

Noah the elder (voiced by Hugo Weaving), sees the lack of fish as punishment from the Great 'Guin, their god, for Mumble's dancing. Mumble tries to explain about the mysterious "aliens" he had heard about and that they are the cause of the scarceness of fish, but the only two penguins that believe him are his mother and Gloria. Noah exiles Mumble from the colony as a result of his strange ways and theories. Before Mumble leaves, he vows that he will find the real cause of the famine. He travels across vast territories with the Amigos and Lovelace (voiced by Robin Williams), a self-worshiping rockhopper. Gloria tries to help him but Mumble, out of fear for her safety, does whatever it takes to get rid of her - namely, insulting her singing talents.

The group treks onward, traveling under harsh conditions. During their journey, they meet a group of elephant seals named Nev (voiced by Nicholas McKay), Kev (voiced by Tiriel Mora), Trev (voiced by Steve Irwin), and Barry (voiced by Richard Carter) who warn them of "Annihilators", who are presumably the same "aliens" Mumble seeks. After narrowly escaping from two killer whales, the penguins finally come face to face with a legion of huge commercial trawlers, all laden with fish caught around the Antarctic coast. Mumble follows after them, leaving his friends behind to bear testament to his legacy.

After swimming and being tossed around by sea currents, Mumble ends up in a penguin exhibit at a marine park (closely resembling the Penguin Encounter at SeaWorld). He fervently tries to communicate with the "aliens" that surround him. When his pleas fail, Mumble nearly succumbs to madness after three months of confinement in the sterile glass prison. When a child taps on the glass wall one day, Mumble is woken from his stupor and dances in response, whereupon the child appears to run away. He becomes disappointed until she comes back with her mother. Soon, a large crowd gathers around the exhibit, taking pictures and telling their friends of this marvel. He is released back into the wild, now with more adult feathers and a tracking device strapped to his back. He leads the humans home to his native colony. The other penguins are skeptical at first, but when Gloria notices the beeping tracking device, they realized that this was absolute proof that the “aliens” truly did exist. They were also aware that they were all wrong to judge Mumble on his theories and his dancing than actually listen to his reason. Now convinced, the penguins (along with the once-stubborn elders) once again dance alongside Mumble in hopes of getting the humans' attention.

Soon, a research team arrives and films the penguins dancing, and the humans begin to dance along with the rhythm. They bring this footage back to the human world. Different governments debate what to make of this footage and a worldwide debate ensues. They soon realize that they are overfishing the Antarctic waters, and conclude that perhaps the penguins were trying to communicate that to them. Antarctic fishing is banned, and the fish population recovers. At this, the Emperor Penguins and the Amigos dance and celebrate their triumph. A dancing baby penguin seen at the end is implied to be the child of Mumble and Gloria.

In the credits, the characters reunite to dance for the final number "Song of the Heart."

Characters

Production

The animation in Happy Feet invested heavily in motion capture technology, with the dance scenes acted out by human dancers. The tap-dancing for Mumble in particular was provided by Savion Glover who was also co-choreographer for the dance sequences.[3] The dancers went through "Penguin School" to learn how to move like a penguin, and also wore head apparatus to mimic a penguin's beak.[4] To do so, Animal Logic had to work with IBM, or International Business Machines Corporation, to build a server farm that had the ability to increase the percentage of its processing potential. This included the need for an enormous group of computing power for the movie Happy Feet. The server farm had to use IBM BladeCenter framework and BladeCenter HS20 blade servers, each had to use two Intel Xeon processors. IBM HS20 blade servers are extremely dense separate computer units. Intel Server processors improve the effectiveness of a computer. They also range the computing settings to make the most of the server use and the workload. All the technology used was complicated, but it made some tasks easier. Rendering took up 17 million CPU hours over a nine month period. [5] Happy Feet was partially inspired by earlier documentaries such as the BBC's Life in the Freezer.[6]

The film took four years to make. Ben Gunsberger, Lighting Supervisor and VFX Department Supervisor, says this was partly because they needed to build new infrastructure and tools.[7]

Music

Happy Feet is a jukebox musical, taking previously recorded songs and working them into the film's soundtrack to fit with the mood of the scene or character. Two soundtrack albums were released for the film; one containing songs from and inspired by the film, and another featuring John Powell's instrumental score. They were released on October 31, 2006 and December 19, 2006, respectively.

Awards

Won

Academy Awards

60th British Academy Film Awards

  • Best Animated Feature Film

Golden Globes

American Film Institute Awards 2006

  • Honored as one of the Top Ten Best Films of the Year

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

  • Best Animation

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

  • Best Animated Film

Golden Trailer Awards[8]

  • Best Music

Heartland Awards

  • The Truly Moving Picture Award

Kids' Choice Awards

  • Favorite Animated Movie

British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Children's Awards

  • Best Feature Film

Nominations

Golden Globe Award

  • Best Animated Feature

Annie Awards

  • Best Animated Feature
  • Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production

Satellite Awards

  • Nominated for Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

Top ten lists

The film appeared on numerous critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2006, including AFI's Annual list, which is listed above.[9][10] AFI's jury said:

"HAPPY FEET is a one-of-a-kind motion picture experience. George Miller continues to paint outside the lines of traditional filmmaking, and his genius expands upon the animated art form to illuminate a world where penguins embrace dance and differences to survive and thrive. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as the environment, religion and the chasm between generations enrich this sweet and subtle tale - one that is fun and funny, brilliant and beautiful, groundbreaking and global in its message."

Home media release

Happy Feet was released on March 27, 2007[11] in the United States in three formats; DVD (in separate widescreen and pan and scan editions), Blu-ray Disc, and an HD DVD/DVD combo disc.[12]

Among the DVD's special features is a scene that was cut from the film where Mumble meets a blue whale and an albatross. The albatross was Steve Irwin's first voice role in the film before he voiced the elephant seal in the final cut. The scene was finished and included on the DVD in memory of Steve Irwin. This scene is done in Steve's classic documentary style, with the albatross telling the viewer all about the other characters in the scene, and the impact people are having on their environment.

Video games

A video game based on the film was developed by A2M and published by Midway Games. It has the same main cast as the film. It was released for the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, GBA, NDS, and Wii.[13]

Artificial Life, Inc. has also developed a Happy Feet mobile game for the Japan market.[14]

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number one in the United States on its first weekend of release (November 17-November 19) grossing $41.6 million and beating Casino Royale for the top spot.[15] It remained number one for the Thanksgiving weekend, making $51.6 million over the five-day period. In total, the film was the top grosser for three weeks, a 2006 box office feat matched only by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. As of June 8, 2008, Happy Feet has grossed $198.0 million in the U.S. and $186.3 million overseas, making about $384.3 million dollars worldwide. The film has been released in about 35 international territories at the close of 2006.[16][17][18]

The production budget was $100 million.[19]

Critical reviews

Happy Feet has received better than average reviews from film critics, and received a 74% "fresh" approval in the Rotten Tomatoes movie review aggregate site, with an 82% percent from the Top Critics.[20]

Analysis

The film has also garnered, since its release, quite a bit of analysis and dissection from various places. Film critic Yar Habnegnal has written an essay, published in Forum on Contemporary Art and Society, that examines the themes of encroachment presented throughout the film, as well as various other subtexts and themes.[21]

Sequel

A follow-up to the film is currently in production at Dr. D Studios.[22] The estimated release date is November 18, 2011.[23]

Environmental message

As things progress there is increasing emphasis on environmental problems in the Antarctic.

The film's denouement shows a group of researchers taking video of the colony of dancing emperor penguins, and the footage is broadcast globally. After many heated arguments this publicity generates considerable pressure to stop commercial overfishing of the Antarctic.

According to the director, George Miller, the environmental message was not a major part of the original script, but "In Australia, we're very, very aware of the ozone hole," he said, "and Antarctica is literally the canary in the coal mine for this stuff. So it sort of had to go in that direction." This influence led to a film with a more environmental tone. Miller said, "You can't tell a story about Antarctica and the penguins without giving that dimension."[24]

References

  1. ^ "Happy Feet: The IMAX Experience". IMAX. http://www.imax.com/ImaxWeb/filmDetail.do?type=comingSoon&movieID=code__.__30. Retrieved 2007-03-15. 
  2. ^ "Happy Feet Won't Debut in IMAX 3-D". VFXWorld. http://www.vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=3631a5a1&atype=news&id=17882. Retrieved 2007-03-15. 
  3. ^ Savion Glover.. Happy Feet. [DVD]. Warner Brothers. 
  4. ^ Kelley Abbey.. Happy Feet. [DVD]. Warner Brothers. 
  5. ^ "Animal Logic gets 400,000 Happy Feet dancing digitally with IBM® BladeCenter® technology". IBM Australia. http://www-07.ibm.com/systems/includes/content/i/pdf/GL_8747_Animal_Logic_03.pdf. Retrieved 9/11/09. 
  6. ^ "Penguin suits up for a cinema hit". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20753501-2702,00.html. Retrieved 2008-03-28. 
  7. ^ UNSWorld (2007) Bring on the dancing penguins in UNSWorld, Issue 6, May 2007, pp. 14-15
  8. ^ Golden Trailer Awards
  9. ^ "Film Critic Top Ten List, 2006 Critics' Picks". http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2006/toptens.shtml. 
  10. ^ "The Critics". http://www.moviecitynews.com/awards/2007/top_tens/critics_01.html. 
  11. ^ Happy Feet (2006) - Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
  12. ^ Happy Feet to Dance on Blu-ray, HD DVD This March | High-Def Digest
  13. ^ Happy Feet
  14. ^ Parthajit; "Happy Feet Goes Mobile"; Softpedia; April 24, 2007
  15. ^ Weekend Box Office Results for November 17–19, 2006
  16. ^ Happy Feet (2006) - Weekend Box Office Results
  17. ^ IMDb Charts
  18. ^ Weekend Box Office Results for February 1–3, 2008
  19. ^ Happy Feet (2006)
  20. ^ Happy Feet - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
  21. ^ Yar Habnegnal on Happy Feet
  22. ^ About Dr. D Studios
  23. ^ Sky News: Happy Feet sequel in the works[dead link]
  24. ^ Kelly, Kate (2006-11-17). "The New Animated Film Happy Feet Doesn't Dance Around Serious Issues". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116373257478225933-QS7Oc7yiEQI503rfJ2N42OUiVH8_20071119.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top. Retrieved 2007-03-15. 

External links

Awards
Preceded by
New award
BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
2006
Succeeded by
Ratatouille

 
 

 

Copyrights:

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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Happy Feet" Read more

 

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