After the major disappointment of such hit and miss flicks as ‘The Departed’ and ‘Babel’,
my third try was most definitely a charm with ‘Happy Feet’. Flaunting a bombastic soundtrack, larger than life characters and a poignant, feel-good storyline, this Academy Award winner for ‘Animated Feature Film’ has certainly scored a home run with its recipe for success.
The title refers to the lead character Mambo
(Elijah Wood) who, unlike the rest of the Emperor penguins who are all in tune with their ‘heart song’, is born with Happy Feet, a condition considered most un-penguin like. Hard enough as it is to be different, Mambo is further pressured by society and his father Memphis (Hugh Jackman) to shirk his foot tapping ways and try to find his Heart Song. This however proves to be an uncanny feat as Mambo, or Mumble as he is derisively called, is completely tone deaf.
Mambo’s only allies are his mother Norma Jean
(Nicole Kidman) and his childhood friend Gloria (Brittany Murphy) whose attention is vied for by many a penguin. Shunned by his peers for his lack of vocal abilities, Mambo is drawn to the company of a boisterous group of adélie penguins who introduce him to the self-proclaimed Godfather of infinite knowledge and wisdom, Mr. Lovelace (Robin Williams).
Before long, elders within the community blame Mambo for the sudden shortage of fish in Antarctica, claiming his Happy Feet have incurred the wrath of the great god Guin. Mambo is determined to prove that the shortage of fish is largely the fault of ‘aliens’ with their strange
machines. In a bid to investigate the situation, Mambo follows a trawler, only to be dragged across the globe and land himself in a penguin exhibit. While here, Mambo soon settles into the mindless drudgery that most encaged animals prescribe to as cabin fever sets in. It is however the innocent knocking on the glass of a little girl that reignites the soul in Mambos Happy Feet. Soon Mambo is dancing his feet off, managing to capture the attention of the entire zoo.
Fascinated by his skill, the ‘aliens’ put a tracking device on Mambo and return him to his natural habitat. On his return home Mambo convinces the other penguins to dance for the aliens, in the hope that they will stop depriving them of their fish supply. After much cajoling, Mambo finally manages to get the entire colony, including the cynical elders, to tap their feet to the Mambo tune. The penguins soon dance their way into the heart of the nation, with a law soon being passed to stop trolling in the
vicinity of ‘the dancing penguins’.
This musical has been sensationally pieced together,
throwing a number of classics into the mix, with songs being performed by Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy and Robin Williams themselves. The catchy beats and lovable characters aside however, Happy Feet is sure to strike a chord with millions of people across the ages. Mambo teaches us a valuable
lesson that it is indeed okay to be different and that often we can use these differences constructively to overcome great odds. In a society where everyone strives to follow the herd, trying desperately to fit in, Mambo is poignant evidence that it is in our unique differences and quirks that lay the true
essence of our spirit.