Happy Feet: Critic Reviews

A moderately adorable, musically wacky, ecologically activist CG family comedy from George Miller.

Even in a story about singing-and-dancing fat and feather, the director George Miller cant help but go dark and deep.

Offers a sucrose-enriched upgrade to the documentary March of the Penguins.

The dazzling animation, catchy songs and Broadway-worthy dance numbers give the film even broader appeal.

Director George Miller imbues every sequence with extraordinary fluidity and visual invention.

Happy Feet is one of the most visually ravishing CGI films yet rendered.

Even the wee ones may start to notice something's amiss when the movie's theme goes from "be yourself" to 'we must regulate the overfishing of the Antarctic oceans.' No, for real.

If you fell in love with the wingless heroes of last year's documentary hit March of the Penguins, prepare to surrender completely to George Miller's computer-animated musical/adventure Happy Feet.

Happy Feet is the kind of musical comedy that might have swept the world if MGM had been based in Antarctica instead of Culver City.

The animation dazzles. The baby birds are fluffy darlings. The script has its moments, the dance bits are a blast.

Writer and director George Miller, the artistic force behind the beloved Babe and the Babe: Pig in the City movies, brings a concern for penguins that recalls the devotion shown by March of the Penguins.

When Happy Feet isn't being pretty darn fun, it's just plain pretty.

You should see Happy Feet -- not only because it's stupendous, but also because it features the best dancing you'll see on the screen this year.

Overall, this is an enjoyable ride, despite the occasional preaching.

In a genre that relies on too many forgettable wisecracking critters who talk like out-of-work sitcom story editors, Miller's eco-musical goes its own way, defying the usual formulas.

This curious ecological parable was directed by George Miller (Babe: Pig in the City), who still has an eye and a sense of humor but on this particular outing can't get the script he wrote with three others to make much sense.

Happy Feet offers dazzling cinematic family fun, and a mad medley of tunes (songs made famous by the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Earth, Wind & Fire, Queen, and Stevie Wonder, among others).

Happy Feet is cooler than a penguin's toenails, taking what appears to be a routine animated musical comedy into rewarding, unexpected places.

Here's all you really need to know about Happy Feet: Singing penguins! Dancing penguins! Funny penguins! We're killing them! Smile for the holidays!

Tap-dancing and R&B-singing emperor penguins make Happy Feet a fun, animated family movie, complete with adorable penguin chicks and a breathtaking icy landscape.

Was I enchanted, entertained or even diverted for its 108-minute running time? Not really.

George Miller's long-in-the-works dive into full-blown computer animation drapes a relatively conventional story, about a young penguin's struggles over being 'different,' in striking visuals, invigorating songs and lively characterizations.

George Miller's Happy Feet may be the 10th animated film this year with talking critters -- but, trust me, you're probably going to want to see the best feature-length cartoon since The Incredibles, no matter what your age.

Robin Williams saves Happy Feet.

Imagine March of the Penguins with a pop soundtrack. Or maybe An Inconvenient Truth with Al Gore doing his best Donald O'Connor impression. It's quite the mash-up, as intended, and it's cooler than a South Pole skinny dip.