Penguins have been all the rage since The March of the Penguins, and now we have them in computer-animated form.
But despite George Miller's best efforts as director, they don't do half the extraordinary things that the real-life birds managed. (Except, perhaps, gaze at the Aurora Borealis deep in Antarctica.)
Happy Feet often looks good but has a weak storyline that seems to go on for ever.
Mumble (Elijah Wood), who can dance but not sing the required Heartsong, is banished from his home and goes on the kind of adventures that lead him towards the disastrous old Hollywood idea that you only have to be true to yourself to succeed.
He meets pretty Gloria (Brittany Murphy) who struggles with his hippity-hoppity ways, Ramon, a hippie himself, and Lovelace, a penguin guru (both played by Robin Williams). His parents are voiced by Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.
There are some rather poor songs that are augmented by standards from such luminaries as Prince, Chrissie Hynde, k.d. lang and Yolanda Adams. There is also a tepid theme about the environment and the way us humans are decimating the fish stocks.
But none of this is really convincing, and the movie is at least 20 minutes too long for the young kids who may be its best clients.
Happy Feet
Cert: U
