Penguins, an all-star cast and a lighthearted tale of loving yourself. What could be more appealing to the general public? Not much.
Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman and Brittany Murphy stack the cast of the new animated adventure, "Happy Feet," which dances into theatres on Nov. 17. The Eagle recently caught a 16-minute preview, and things are looking good for the film.
"Happy Feet" tells the story of a penguin named Mumble (Elijah Wood) who finds himself outcast from all the other penguin children because he can't sing a "heart song," the mating call of penguins. What he lacks in vocal talent however, he more than makes up for with his fast-tapping feet.
Unfortunately the other penguins don't appreciate Mumble's special talent, and so our little friend is forced to waddle far, far away to another community of penguins. Mumble's new friends, led by Ramon (Robin Williams), teach him that it's OK to be his own penguin person, and that his crush, Gloria (Brittany Murphy), will love him for who he is inside, even if he can't sing.
While the movie's stars are notable for their acting achievements, the vocal talent in "Happy Feet" is surprising. Throughout the movie, viewers are bombarded with musical sequences of somewhat obnoxious but undeniably catchy pop songs. One particularly hilarious performance is Robin Williams' rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" - in Spanish. As the film's tagline reads, "Warning: May Cause Toe-Tapping."
This toe-tapping has yet to occur, but one could not deny the looks of glee on people's faces when they saw the live penguins at the preview. Two penguins from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore visited the press event. The children at the preview crowded around to watch the penguins bite the zoo workers, beat their wings and poop all over the floor.
Representatives from Warner Bros. were present to not only promote the movie but also the soundtrack. The soundtrack features songs from artists such as the Beach Boys, Patti LaBelle, Pink and Fantasia of "American Idol" fame. Also in the spotlight was choreographer and dancer Savion Glover, whose actual tap dancing was used to animate Mumble's dance scenes.
Just like blockbusters "Shrek" and "Madagascar," "Happy Feet" follows the formula for a successful children's animated movie: adorable characters, cheesy jokes and the occasional mature innuendo, a sequence of dangerous adventure and a happy ending.
"Happy Feet" looks like it will be a great movie to bring a little brother or sister to, but it should also appeal to college students who aren't afraid to accept themselves as the dorks they are.
