Happy Feet (2006)
Where to Watch
- George Miller originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing George Miller's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
Happy Feet is a 2006 Australian-American animated musical comedy directed by George Miller. The film follows Mumble, voiced by Elijah Wood, an Emperor penguin born with an inability to sing โ the way penguins find their soulmate in their colony โ but blessed with an extraordinary talent for tap dancing, a skill that his rigid, tradition-bound community considers freakish and possibly sinful. Rejected by the colony's elders who blame his dancing for a fish shortage, Mumble must prove that his gift has value while uncovering the true cause of the diminishing food supply โ human industrial fishing.
George Miller, best known for Mad Max, created a stunning visual world of Antarctic ice rendered with photorealistic detail, and the musical sequences seamlessly integrated contemporary pop songs performed by the penguin characters. Happy Feet won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and earned $384 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. The film's environmental message about overfishing and habitat destruction was delivered with more urgency and less didacticism than most ecologically-minded family films.
