The Sneaky Cheetah continues his quest to see every nominated film before the Academy Awards!
So, after knocking out Letters From Iwo Jima, Pan's Labyrinth and United 93, I badly needed to see something happy, something bright, something NOT F-ING DEPRESSING!
CUE THE DANCING PENGUINS!!!
Happy Feet
Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film
I snuck The Dominator out of daycare one evening to catch a matinee of Happy Feet. The animation is near Pixar quality. The panoramas of Antarctica are breathtaking, the Leopard seal and Killer Whale chases are frantic and heart stopping. But the story is truly bizarre. It seems penguin society is based on singing. And when one penguin can't sing, but instead tap dances like a mofo, he's branded and outcast and banished from the tribe. So he meets other more tolerant Penguins and wins the heart of the hottest, bestest singing girl penguin. But wait. There's more. Then begins an entire new plot when said dancing penguin goes on a quest to stop humans from over-fishing the penguin feeding spots . He attacks a huge fishing ship, somehow swims to America, gets put in an aquarium, communicates
to the humans through dance, and is returned to Antarctica with a transmitter on his back. Huh? This is a kids film? Well, Dominator liked it, but was bored at times. The mix of songs sung by the Penguins is quite clever (reminiscent of Moulon Rounge) and the voices are well cast, but something's just out of step for Happy Feet. It's the weakest of the Best Animated Film noms, and it's nomination probably should have gone to The Ant Bully, a much more enjoyable film. C
Happy Feet was directed by George Miller, Oscar nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay in 1996 for Babe. He also scored an original screenplay nomination in 1992 for Lorenzo's Oil.
So, after knocking out Letters From Iwo Jima, Pan's Labyrinth and United 93, I badly needed to see something happy, something bright, something NOT F-ING DEPRESSING!
CUE THE DANCING PENGUINS!!!
Happy Feet
Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film
I snuck The Dominator out of daycare one evening to catch a matinee of Happy Feet. The animation is near Pixar quality. The panoramas of Antarctica are breathtaking, the Leopard seal and Killer Whale chases are frantic and heart stopping. But the story is truly bizarre. It seems penguin society is based on singing. And when one penguin can't sing, but instead tap dances like a mofo, he's branded and outcast and banished from the tribe. So he meets other more tolerant Penguins and wins the heart of the hottest, bestest singing girl penguin. But wait. There's more. Then begins an entire new plot when said dancing penguin goes on a quest to stop humans from over-fishing the penguin feeding spots . He attacks a huge fishing ship, somehow swims to America, gets put in an aquarium, communicates
to the humans through dance, and is returned to Antarctica with a transmitter on his back. Huh? This is a kids film? Well, Dominator liked it, but was bored at times. The mix of songs sung by the Penguins is quite clever (reminiscent of Moulon Rounge) and the voices are well cast, but something's just out of step for Happy Feet. It's the weakest of the Best Animated Film noms, and it's nomination probably should have gone to The Ant Bully, a much more enjoyable film. C
Happy Feet was directed by George Miller, Oscar nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay in 1996 for Babe. He also scored an original screenplay nomination in 1992 for Lorenzo's Oil.
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