Review: Happy Feet (2006)

Just came back from watching this; wow. There was so much off and weird, it leaves one to wonder how this can come from George Miller, the same director who made both Mad Max and Babe. The story is typical wish-fulfillment coming-of-age tripe about the outsider boy having a chance with the popular girl but having their relationship stressed by societal and emotional obstacles. However, Miller, directing for the first time in eight years, crams the plot with all sorts of message-y agenda-pushing plot points, sinking the movie's mood in the middle with (SPOILER) the abduction and imprisonment of the main character in a zoo, from which no amount of bizarre, haphazardly altruistic deus ex machina can save it. (END SPOILER)

Also, should you decide to plunk hard cash on this funky junk, consider as you watch that the emperor penguins, presumably representing "home" and thus mainstream America, show a heavy black culture influence (as demonstrated by the emperors' overwhelming knowledge of R&B and soul classics), but are societally "white," by which I mean conservative or stuffy (see their prioritization of singing and derision of dancing). Halfway through the movie, our intrepid hero stumbles upon another band of penguins, who are shorter, like to dance, speak with Latino accents, and travel in large, undifferentiated packs. Yes, Happy Feet is a thinly veiled allegory for our current immigration debate. If nothing else, it teaches the kids that Mexicans are good for comic relief.