Happy Feet - Good for Kids, Snoozer for Adults

Going to watch Happy Feet at the IMAX theater in San Francisco got me giddy before the show. Recent animation movies I've seen, such as The Incredibles or Over the Hedge, have been entertaining and humorous. I had high hopes for Happy Feet. Not only was I about to watch a bunch of cartoon penguins dance, but I was going to watch it in a theater designed for the best viewing possible - with a steep seating structure that curved toward the enormous screen. Amazing sound system.

I was in for a surprise. The movie started out pretty hokey. Right from the beginning it's a little bit show-tuney for my taste. And unlike other animations whose backdrops are filled with color and detail - the setting of a cartooned Antarctica isn't exactly animational eye-candy. Oh well, I was sure there was more to come. The story starts out as a nice kid-friendly portrayal of the recent hit-documentary, March of the Penguins, with it's mating season, passing off of the singular egg to the father penguin as the mother leaves to find food in the great waters. This, I thought, was a good way to include kids that might have been too young and uninterested to sit through the documentary.

It was a nice idea to bring the same warmth and intrigue of science and emperor penguin ecology to children - through, yes, song and dance! The story offered many positive messages for children - 'it's okay to be different', 'it's important to care for our environment', 'everybody has their own special qualities and voice'. But to keep the adults interested, I'm afraid it fizzled out too soon. I found myself wishing the end would come when it was about 3/4 of the way finished. When I watched The Incredibles, I didn't want it to end. Happy Feet just didn't deliver much in the way of mature humor, other than a few over-sexed characters that played up their Latino accents and whipped out recognizable tunes throughout the flick.

Rap songs, 50's tunes, lyrics from Queen, so many tunes that I wanted them to stop singing for a moment and finish the damn plot. But sure, in the end, when the little penguin with no real singing voice reunites his penguin brethren for some showstopping tap dancing (the bird's got skills!) it was kind of cute. But cute can only keep one's attention for so long. My advice to you, dear reader, is to wait for the rental.