Happy Feet (or, Queezy Stomach)

It is difficult to say anything bad about a dancing penguin but I am going to try.

Happy Feet is cute, loveable and filled with super sweet saccharine-coated annoyance.

It's that age old story - a baby emperor penguin can't sing for shit but he can dance like a bastard. Seeing as the penguin world is completely blank and white (and orange) he is ostracised by the Skecksis penguin leaders and has to find a way to assert his worth by saving the entire emperor penguin population from the evils of over fishing. All through the power of dance.

It all sounds very nice, and it is. There are some very important messages tucked away waiting for you to be hit over the head with. Before the end of the film you will learn that it is important to trust in yourself, that dogmatic faith is short-sighted, that humans are oblivious to the plight of nature and that penguins are good dancers.

I'm being harsh, I know. It is just that Happy Feet feels a little slapped together. It knows what buttons to press then it jumps up and down on them with two feet. The animation is fantastic and the voices are reasonable (with the exception of the mewing Nicole Kidman). It is quite funny in parts and very endearing.

Happy Feet isn't a good film but you'll walk out smiling anyway. Everyone else is seeing it, you may as well go too.