C'Mon, Get Happy

Cross March of the Penguins with Moulin Rouge and you get Happy Feet, a movie that's not as good as either one, but still has its pleasures. The story of Mumbles, a penguin who doesn't fit in with the other penguins because he can't sing, and instead of waddling he tap dances. Like in Moulin Rouge, the characters burst out in song anachronistically — they sing everything from Queen's "Somebody to Love" to Frank Sinatra's "My Way," with a Beach Boys tune, a Prince song, and others thrown in for good measure — and for a while, this is kinda fun to watch. Eventually, though, Happy Feet turns from a cute little penguin movie to an environmental call for action and the last 10 minutes or so don't make much sense (all things considered). Still, even though the movie doesn't reach the zany heights that the trailer promised, it's hard to deny that Happy Feet isn't one of the coolest looking movies of the year. The snowy landscapes, the penguins dancing — it's all rendered in very life-like fashion, in bright colors and with plenty of sweeping wide shots so you can take it all in. I've been looking forward to this movie for quite some time, and while the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations, it was an enjoyable 90 minutes. So for that, I'll give Happy Feet a B.