Happy Feet English Movie
The opening scene transports you to Antarctica, an expanse of ice and glaciers. And amidst this unending white land, live the Emperor Penguins, numbering thousands, their black colour a stark contrast to the landscape around.
The story dwells on a penguin couple Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) and Memphis (Hugh Jackman) who meet and make love over a heart song, as is the practice among these flightless birds. And you learn that while the female bird lays the eggs, she entrusts it to the father to incubate the egg, while she goes out fishing.
So when Norma returns with her catch, her son Mumble has hatched and is there to receive her. But Mumble is different from his kind. He just cannot sing like the others, though he can tap his feet and dance, a trait that sets him apart from the beginning.
His mother no doubt finds it cute, but not his father who says, "It just ain't penguin." He wonders if it could be due to a lapse on his part when he accidentally dropped the egg during incubation.
Mumble grows up earnestly trying to fit in with his peers, but in vain. Only Gloria, the best singer among them loves him. But he is unable to woo her with a song. However a group of Latino penguins or Adelia Amigos is impressed with his jigs. They think it is ‘cool.'
With the fish population in the ocean dwindling, the Emperor penguins are at a fix. They are unable to understand the reason for it.
Mumble claims to know that it is the ‘aliens' (the humans) responsible for it, but the leader of the penguins Noah (Hugo Weaving) thinks otherwise. He feels it is due to the un-penguin like mannerisms of Mumble. Mumble is asked to leave the flock while his parents and Gloria watch helplessly.
Mumble sets out on a journey to unravel the truth of the dwindling fish. Accompanied by the Amigos the plot gets adventurous until he finds himself in a zoo.
Not one to give up Mumble tries to communicate with humans through his tap dance. A little girl notices him and soon he becomes the star attraction there. Crowds flock to watch his jig and gradually the question is asked, "Is the bird trying to convey something?"
An underlying message on ecological concern surfaces for humanity. Watch ‘Happy Feet' to know more.
Well crafted and thoughtful, the film will appeal to children and adults. The visual extravaganza is a delight to watch and the dialogues are laced with humor. You can't help chuckling often as you listen to the birds speak in human fashion.
Some scenes linger in the mind, like the time Mumble and his group of Amigos trek over the frozen ocean in the midst of a blizzard, or the scene where Mumble struggles to hatch out of his egg. And when he meets his mother for the first time, she regurgitates to feed him with a fish while his father remarks, "How I love her do that." There are other scenes too. And with children for company, ‘Happy Feet' is worth a watch.
Technically, ‘Happy feet' is one of the best animation films ever made and has made more money than ‘Casino Royale' worldwide.
