I'm back albeit part time!! Almost settled in completely, so finally able to come back to write and ...
I'm back albeit part time!! Almost settled in completely, so finally able to come back to write and read - and have loads to read!!! Thanks for the r/r/c's much appreciated and will be returned!!!!
Member since:02.10.2005
Reviews:124
Members who trust:66
My oldest daughter just turned 5 at the start of the month and has been going on at me to get this DVD since she first saw it on the shelves in the Naafi. I resisted as I had read a few not-so-great reviews about the film and, being the canny scot that I am, did not want to part with a wad of cash and then have it wasted if the kids hated it. Well, I gave in! The oldest went to a party on Sunday, and the little one who is 2 and a half was distraught because she could not go and when we took her to the shop this was the only thing that would stop the tears (I know I gave in, especially when I realised that Hugh Jackman was one of the voices!). It cost somewhere in the region of £14.99, but I am guessing as I paid for this in Euros, so the price is my estimation based on the exchange rate on the day we got it. I have checked online and you can buy it for around £11.98 on Amazon, but my advice is shop around and try to get the best deal. We are limited here as we can only get films like this in the Naafi but I have been known to buy online and just get it delivered - less hassle!
***The DVD***
Memphis (Jackman) and Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) are Emperor penguins living in a colony. They are a colony of singing penguins and this is how they find their mate, by singing their "heartsong" and this is how Memphis and Norma Jean came to be a couple. And in due time along comes their egg. Norma Jean goes off for the fishing and leaves Memphis in charge of looking after the egg until she returns.
And then it is time for the baby penguins to come out of their shells. We meet Gloria (Brittany Murphy) and then out comes Mumble
(Elijah Wood) but he comes out different. He tap dances! Time comes for him and Gloria to go to school to learn about their heartsong, but poor Mumble cannot sing at all - but he can dance. But dancing is not the done thing in Emperor Land, it is not very penguin-like.
A fish shortage happens and Mumble's dancing is blamed - and so he is exiled by the elders of the colony. He goes off in search of the "aliens" that are stealing the fish in the hope of solving the mystery and returning the fish to Emperor Land. Along the way, he meets the Adelie Amigos, another group of penguins who are led by the infinitely funny Robin Williams and the Rocking guru Lovelace, also voiced by Williams. Lovelace is the James Brown of the penguin world!
You will have to watch the DVD to find the answer to the questions as to whether Mumble finds his heartsong, or if he finds the aliens! I cannot go into too much detail here as it would really spoil the film!
***My Opinion***
In the words of Robin Williams, the film is "March of the Penguins meets Riverdance" and I have to agree. There are a lot of songs from the 80's and this is real reminisence for us parents but the kids like it too! I have to say that I was wary of watching this but in the end I really enjoyed it. I would not say that I loved the film, but it was an enjoyable watch.
The kids, however, absolutely LOVED it and my youngest is now obsessed with Mumble and trying to dance like him, which is quite a sight to see! My kids seem to have the attention span of a flea but as soon as this DVD went on, they sat down and watched the whole film without moving so it certainly got their attention.
Yes, Hugh Jackman sings which is great, but then so does Nicole Kidman (a bit of a let-down) and Brittany Murphy (much better than Kidman). I found Elijah Wood to be perfect as Mumble, he was quite believable. But for me the true star of the film has to be Robin Williams, the king of voices in my opinion. he plays Ramon (the amigos) and Lovelace and switches between the Cuban Ramon to the James Brown style Lovelace with ease and all the time, he is as funny as ever - he really is a king of comedy. Some of the lines in the film are more aimed at parents but in general it really was a great family film.
The animations are really well thought out and the dancing is fantastic! It truly was amazing to watch and realise just how much technology has advanced in animation. I also liked the dual message that it sends out to the younger viewers. It tells them that it is okay to be different from others, but also that we should be looking after the environment to prevent more animals becoming extinct or only alive in zoos. To me that was the underlying message of the film, not just the entertainment.
I have to say that my youngest has watched it again yesterday and sat for the whole time and did not move while the film was on so it is one that can be watched again by the kids. I don't know if I could sit through it again - maybe in a couple of months when I have almost forgotten about the film but not so soon after watching it for the first time. But it's more of a kids film anyway.
***DVD Info***
Region - 2 (PAL)
Run Time - 104 minutes (approximately)
Classification - U (suitable for everyone)
Languages and Subtitles - English only
Cast - Hugh Jackmand, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Steve Irwin (see if you can spot him!).
***DVD Extras***
There are quite a few extra features in this film.
* Two fully animated additional sequences - these are scenes that were not included in the movie but have been kept in the DVD as little extras. Mumble meets a blue whale is a scene that originally had Steve Irwin cast as an albatross and this has been included on the DVD as a kind of tribute to the man himself. A Happy Feet moment - hilarious - a kind of world cup meets penguin moment - that's about all I can say without giving the game away!
* Take a private dance lesson with Savion Glover where you'll dance like a penguin, stomp to the beat - this is an extra where Savion Glover (the dancer behind Mumble's feet) explains about dance and shows how mumble dances. A bit tricky and advanced for younger kids like mine but they still had a go, whereas I was useless and my two left feet just got tangled up.
* Creating the Tap - an insight into how the dancing was achieved. This was actually quite interesting and we all sat and watched this with interest. It really shows just how much technology has advanced in the last few years.
* Behind the scenes of Happy Feet - just as the title suggests this is a behind the scenes featurette which includes little snippets of the cast and how the film was made. For me it was worth it to see Hugh Jackman but there are a few funny parts in there as well.
* Music Video "Somebody To Love" by Brittany Murphy - this was a featurette showing the music video of Murphy's best song in the whole film - again quite interesting but I'm not a great fan so it didn't really grasp my attention but the kids loved it and they were dancing around the living room to it.
You can also insert this DVD into the DVD-ROM on the computer for lots of other features. I won't go into these as I haven't done it myself yet but once I do, I will update the review. I would assume that these are more aimed at the kids than the adults, as I have noticed with other animation films - printouts and the like for the kids to colour and do puzzles.
I heartily recommend this for kids and adults alike. If you like a good laugh and are partial to a good animated film that you can watch with kids, then this is a great film. Not only is is funny and entertaining, it is quite educational for the kids. My oldest now knows that penguins live on the ice and that they need fish to eat and stay healthy - all from watching a film. If you get a chance to watch this, please do - you may just be like me and have a blooming good laugh, and maybe a singalong with some of the old songs!
(and the rating of 5 stars came from the kids!)
Thanks for reading. Di xx
Pictures of Happy Feet (HD-DVD)
DVD cover
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