SPOILERS warning. DO not read any more if you don't want to know!
A young penguin, Mumble, is born "different" from the others. The visible issue to the kids is that he dances, while all other Emperor Penguins sing. The less visible issue is that this is a little freethinker. He hates being different, but is not willing to deny himself just to fit in.
There is a penguin religion, the great penguin in the sky controls everything from weather to the food (fish) supply. And the fish are not around anymore. The Great Penguin must be angry at them. The old penguins (who act like a cross between an old priest and the annoying old man who lives in the apartment upstairs) are concerned about this child who is "different" and predict that he will be the downfall of the entire colony.
Mumble can't sing, so he can't take part in Penguin School, and feels very left out. He was also hatched late and is late maturing. When all of the other young penguins are ready to graduate and go off to the feeding grounds by themselves, he is denied the ceremony. He follows them anyway and ends up separated from the group.
Somewhere in here (I forget when) Mumble gets a clue that there is a real-world source for the fish shortage. Something is happening to them, but what, he has no clue.
Then he meets a group of smaller penguins. They lead him to their colony and he discovers *gasp* that not all penguins do as his colony does! They actually collect rocks instead of sing! This confuses the poor young penguin.
This new penguin colony has a religious leader who can answer any question. Think Holy Roller (a strong physical resemblance to Rev. Al Sharpton) with six pack rings stuck around his neck (a gift from the gods, he says, and the source of his powers). He answers everyone's questions (basic stuff) until he gets to our young freethinker, who quickly figures out that the nonsense that this penguin is spouting is not an answer and calls him on it. Which gets Mumble kicked out.
So, Mumble returns to his colony with a plan. His initial plan fails, but he manages to get all of the penguins dancing and wins the heart of his girl. However, the priestly penguins are horrified, certain that this upstart will bring the wrath of the Great Penguin down on their heads. It doesn't help when Mumble starts trying to use reason to explain that the fish are disappearing due to an earthly problem, not a godly one.
So, Mumble is exiled from his colony and the real adventure (and environmental message) begins.
I won't tell you any more, the story is pretty decent. The kids might or might not see the whole freethinker v religion theme, but it's worth it to have a movie that has a theme where reason and investigation (science) triumph over superstitious beliefs.
There are also strong environmental themes in Happy Feet, mostly int he second half of the film. Occasionally we're hit over the head with it, but it doesn't detract much from the storyline.
Some scenes it's hard to believe it's animation, it looks real. The Orcas are especially convincing. Some scenes are very intense, possibly too scary for a young child. I would recommend that children younger than 6, or sensitive 8 year olds, might not handle parts of this film well. It is rated PG, not G, for a reason. There is also a distubing section of the film where a penguin is visibly and graphically slowly choking to death.
If you are a freethinking person/parent who accepts responsibility for the damage humans do to the Earth, this is a great film for you and your kids. YOU will love the music, the kids will enjoy the movie. If you're religious or aren't convinced that the world has massive human induced problems, you might want to skip this one.
A young penguin, Mumble, is born "different" from the others. The visible issue to the kids is that he dances, while all other Emperor Penguins sing. The less visible issue is that this is a little freethinker. He hates being different, but is not willing to deny himself just to fit in.
There is a penguin religion, the great penguin in the sky controls everything from weather to the food (fish) supply. And the fish are not around anymore. The Great Penguin must be angry at them. The old penguins (who act like a cross between an old priest and the annoying old man who lives in the apartment upstairs) are concerned about this child who is "different" and predict that he will be the downfall of the entire colony.
Mumble can't sing, so he can't take part in Penguin School, and feels very left out. He was also hatched late and is late maturing. When all of the other young penguins are ready to graduate and go off to the feeding grounds by themselves, he is denied the ceremony. He follows them anyway and ends up separated from the group.
Somewhere in here (I forget when) Mumble gets a clue that there is a real-world source for the fish shortage. Something is happening to them, but what, he has no clue.
Then he meets a group of smaller penguins. They lead him to their colony and he discovers *gasp* that not all penguins do as his colony does! They actually collect rocks instead of sing! This confuses the poor young penguin.
This new penguin colony has a religious leader who can answer any question. Think Holy Roller (a strong physical resemblance to Rev. Al Sharpton) with six pack rings stuck around his neck (a gift from the gods, he says, and the source of his powers). He answers everyone's questions (basic stuff) until he gets to our young freethinker, who quickly figures out that the nonsense that this penguin is spouting is not an answer and calls him on it. Which gets Mumble kicked out.
So, Mumble returns to his colony with a plan. His initial plan fails, but he manages to get all of the penguins dancing and wins the heart of his girl. However, the priestly penguins are horrified, certain that this upstart will bring the wrath of the Great Penguin down on their heads. It doesn't help when Mumble starts trying to use reason to explain that the fish are disappearing due to an earthly problem, not a godly one.
So, Mumble is exiled from his colony and the real adventure (and environmental message) begins.
I won't tell you any more, the story is pretty decent. The kids might or might not see the whole freethinker v religion theme, but it's worth it to have a movie that has a theme where reason and investigation (science) triumph over superstitious beliefs.
There are also strong environmental themes in Happy Feet, mostly int he second half of the film. Occasionally we're hit over the head with it, but it doesn't detract much from the storyline.
Some scenes it's hard to believe it's animation, it looks real. The Orcas are especially convincing. Some scenes are very intense, possibly too scary for a young child. I would recommend that children younger than 6, or sensitive 8 year olds, might not handle parts of this film well. It is rated PG, not G, for a reason. There is also a distubing section of the film where a penguin is visibly and graphically slowly choking to death.
If you are a freethinking person/parent who accepts responsibility for the damage humans do to the Earth, this is a great film for you and your kids. YOU will love the music, the kids will enjoy the movie. If you're religious or aren't convinced that the world has massive human induced problems, you might want to skip this one.