Fradam

After much bated breath I witnessed Happy Feet, and came out quite excited by the prospect that I could be the next tap dog/penguin. This film definitely lived up to the amount of hype that I had been exposed to, and may well have extended it.

Being part of the animated generation, I witnessed CGI take off with Woody and Buzz, Shrek and Fiona, and now into this dancing musical about emperor penguins. Yet, in all this animation wizardry, we only learnt so much:

- Ogres are like parfait and onions
- The mouth of a pelican is a safe place if you’re worried about seagulls

How many of these movies not only gave us a laugh, but also taught us something real about the world? Something really real. The media, being a method by which we procure information, is always in a powerful position: it can show us the truth or hide it. Certainly music stars exercise their power, and try to change the world from the stage. But what about a movie? Does a kids film have any social or moral obligation? If not before, they do now. To be fair, Ice Age 2 made inferences towards the problem of global warming, but it would easily be missed by many.

Happy Feet is eager to educate its viewers upon the plight of a species that depends upon fish to survive, and what happens when we as humans interfere in the natural balance of the world… and does so in a way that an 8 year old can understand it. I almost felt like that as the penguins tried to communicate to humans in an interpretative dance, that the film makers were speaking to us as the penguins; hoping, praying, wish that somehow, we’d understand and pick up on it. I suppose the people watching the film will be the decision makers of the next generation; which is a reasonably good sign for the cause.

I hope that this at least sends the signal to other animated film makers, that you can do a great fun movie, full of singing and dancing, and still send a serious message home too. What is the phrase? With great power, comes great responsibility, and with great responsibility, comes great amounts of chocalata!