I don’t know where you live, but here in my neck of the woods, it has rained every day this week. Nothing but dreary, wet, complete blah for an entire week. If I had only two words to sum up the last seven days, I think they would be “damp ennui.”
That’s bad news for me (and probably my kids), but great news for the cinema: I can think of nothing that would make me more ready for this weekend’s opening of Happy Feet. Everyone knows that dancing penguins are good for what ails you.
(Why, I’m sure that’s all the nice people at Roche were trying to say. But let’s not talk about that right now.)
You might know that Happy Feet’s director, George Miller, also brought us the Babe movies. But did you know that he’s also responsible for the Mad Max movies? He’s an diverse guy, to say the least. You can read more about him, and the movie itself, in this Newsarama interview.
Look; I’m a sucker for musicals, and I’m a sucker for computer animation. Basically, Happy Feet had me at hello. Lucky for me, the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive so far, so when I shell out the money to take the kids this weekend, I’m confident I won’t be disappointed. Just look:
It’s official. The cutest thing on the planet is penguins singing “Boogie Wonderland.” Especially if one of them is tap-dancing. This movie is a straight shot of sunshine. I defy anyone to watch it without smiling.
Or how about this reviewer’s conclusion:
Happy Feet is not only one of the finest animated films in decades, but also an amazing achievement in film storytelling. Rating: 10/10!
Do be advised, though, that several reviews mention a serious undercurrent to the story, tap-dancing and soulful tunes aside. Yes, this is a Movie With A Serious Message:
And even the wee ones may start to notice something’s amiss when the movie’s theme goes from “be yourself” to “we must regulate the overfishing of the Antarctic oceans.” No, for real.
That does give me slight pause, but I think we can handle it. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see how you put together flightless waterfowl rocking the dance floor and scary ecological warnings?
Pass the popcorn, and enjoy your weekend!