Happy Feet ****

Why was I so reluctant to go watch this movie ? Let's see ? A whole bunch of black and white penguins in a white ice land world ? And the main theme seems to be one of them knows tap dancing ? Not exactly a crowd puller for me.. But then again, that's where animated movies always catch me off guard. More than a decade ago, I was similarly reluctant to go for an animated movie cause I thought the original fable was so boring, how could it be worth watching in cartoon format ? I hadn't reckoned on Robin Williams as the amazing genie in that lovely movie, ALADDIN.

Circa 2006 and the story repeats.

In Antarctica, the Emperor Penguins each find their soul mates via song. Mumble, thus, is a misfit as his lack of vocal skills does not make up for his amazing tap dancing moves. The elders, looking for an excuse to blame for the lack of fish, point an accusing wing at him. Rejected by his own, Mumble goes out to seek the truth. He will not be alone though, as he will soon join a group of Adelie penguins, led by Ramon. Their aim - to find the aliens responsible for the lack of fish in the vicinity. And maybe, just rid the elders of the fear of being different.

The first thing that will strike you - The graphics. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. There is no lesser word for it. I had earlier been critical of Ice Age 2's graphics and icy hill sequences. See this movie and you will realise why. The sheer beauty of the sequences at times will astound you. Another thing that kept nagging away at the back of my head - is this really a movie for kids ? I mean, there are so many tributes to songs of the 80s, 70s and even 60s, the theme shifts very suddenly towards the end from joy to anguish while making a very relevant point, no doubt.. and I doubt if kids really will get most of the jokes.. then again, it's today's kids, so who knows ??

The most important question - will you go out smiling ? You better believe it. Because between Ramon and co's antics, Guru LoveLace, Mumble's tap dancing and all the songs, you just can't help but feel good when you leave the theatre.

I wondered how a star cast of Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Robin Williams and Hugo Weaving could be roped in to play penguins. Now I know.