Happy Feet?

[mellie-bellie]

So it comes out tonite and we're thinking of going to see it this weekend. If anyone has seen it, can you share your thoughts on it? Thanks!

[messy mama]

It is incredible!!! I'm still a little emotional from it. There are two main messages throughout the movie. Wonderful messages!! There is a lot of laughter. And for me, a lot of crying. I'm even getting teary eyed just talking about it.

I'm not sure what else to say. I don't want to give anything away.

I recomend this movie to anyone and everyone. There are some scary scenes, that might frighten the littles. My almost 4 y/o didn't get too scared, but he is not really sensitive. My 8 y/o actually got scared, not enough to want to leave or anything. He just closed his eyes a couple of times.

If you have anymore questions, just ask. I'm not sure how much you want me to divulge.

[mellie-bellie]

thanks for replying!! yeah i read some reviews and it really struck me like something we gotta see...and besides that, my kids were over a cousin's house that has TV, which we don't, and they saw the preview and were so enthralled with it. now i can't wait to check it out

[Autumn Breeze]

yay I can't wait to see it!

[mellie-bellie]

okay, we just got back and oh my goddess, how amazing of a movie! i too was teary-eyed a few times, and other times had a BIG smile on my face. my 6yo was nervous and scared in some of the "scary" parts, though they weren't too bad and i explained what was happening so he wouldn't get upset. from many angles, whether it's my veganism, enviromentalism or my unconventionalism, this movie touched on so many points dear to me (though others may interpret them differently). anyways, this is a must see movie, and i can't wait to have it in our limited movie collection!

[PatchyMama]

I would really love to take DD to this,she loves penguins... I just dont know if the almost 2 year old would sit through it, LOL. Tho she adores penguins too, so maybe....

[mellie-bellie]

we lucked out. we went to the the 11am show and my 2yo nursed and fell asleep thru the whole thing!

[nicole lisa]

Can we add a spoiler tag to the title so we can discuss the movie? All in all it was WAY better than I was expecting but I did take serious issue with how the main theme of the movie was presented. I'll stop there in case mellie-bellie doesn't want the thread to go in that direction. If that's the case I'll start another thread. Let me know, mellie-bellie.

[minkajane]

DS and I saw it today. It was ok. There were some things I didn't appreciate - mainly the sexual references (like the fact that the girl penguins had boobs and half the songs talked about making love). There were also a couple of storylines that just kind of petered out (the sea lion) and some questions left unanswered (why did Mumble age more slowly than his peers?). All in all, though, a cute movie. DS danced a bit during the musical scenes and Robin Williams was hilarious. I liked the fact that there was a romantic interest for Mumble, but she wasn't the main focus of the film, he just wanted to help his people.

I would recommend parents watch the movie before taking their kids to see it.

[nicole lisa]

SPOILER ALERT



Just had to talk about this .

Did anyone else have a queasy feeling about the feel good environmental message? I mean, there's no talk at all about respect for the earth or penguins. The only reason humans get involved in preserving the fish is because the penguins are cute and tap dance. Not because they breathe or just are. I found myself getting weepy when the people at the zoo are so cheered and entertained because of Mumble's dancing. That part made me pretty sick. Same goes for all the students watching the penguins on tv etc.

It just seemed all too "let's preserve the fish and penguins because they (the penguins) are just so darn entertaining. Yay, dancing penguins!" What about the ugly elephant seals? Can't we get a shot of their community coming back to health with the return of the fish too? Can't we get a human talking about respect for all that breathes or maybe one of the elder penguins talking about it?

Maybe because my kid is 6 and we talk about these issues, but I trust my kid to understand more than what the movie was selling. The movie was PG and not G so I would guess most of the people taking their kids to the movie could accept a more in-depth or serious treatment of the issue. Otherwise why include it at all? Kids watching that movie will just be further encouraged to view the animal world as one through which people find entertainment. Not one to respect for it's own beauty and right to exist.

I could go on (and on ). But that'd be boring. Did anyone else feel annoyed or disappointed in the treatment of the conservation theme?

[messy mama]

Originally Posted by nicole lisa

SPOILER ALERT



Just had to talk about this .

Did anyone else have a queasy feeling about the feel good environmental message? I mean, there's no talk at all about respect for the earth or penguins. The only reason humans get involved in preserving the fish is because the penguins are cute and tap dance. Not because they breathe or just are. I found myself getting weepy when the people at the zoo are so cheered and entertained because of Mumble's dancing. That part made me pretty sick. Same goes for all the students watching the penguins on tv etc.

It just seemed all too "let's preserve the fish and penguins because they (the penguins) are just so darn entertaining. Yay, dancing penguins!" What about the ugly elephant seals? Can't we get a shot of their community coming back to health with the return of the fish too? Can't we get a human talking about respect for all that breathes or maybe one of the elder penguins talking about it?

Maybe because my kid is 6 and we talk about these issues, but I trust my kid to understand more than what the movie was selling. The movie was PG and not G so I would guess most of the people taking their kids to the movie could accept a more in-depth or serious treatment of the issue. Otherwise why include it at all? Kids watching that movie will just be further encouraged to view the animal world as one through which people find entertainment. Not one to respect for it's own beauty and right to exist.

I could go on (and on ). But that'd be boring. Did anyone else feel annoyed or disappointed in the treatment of the conservation theme?

OMG!!!! I just had a huge post typed out and my stupid PC lost it!!!!

I'll try to reformulate my thoughts. :

I just wanted to agree w/ you. But then I think about the general population and wonder if they have to soften the message to appeal to a broader audience. I think there are relatively few people that actually care deeply about such issues.

I did feel very uncomfortable w/ the entertaining humans aspect. So did my DS. That was the point when my tears turned into actual sobs. I kept wondering where they were going w/ the whole thing. I was starting to get angry. But, maybe that is what the movie makers were going for.

I certainly don't look to animated features as my sole source of knowlege on environmental issues. Although, I'm sure there are those that do. I will use it as a stepping stone. Like you, this is something I already talk to my boys about. So this movie, along w/ research I think can be helpful.

[mamaley]

I don't want to read the spoilers above, but would this movie be ok for a 3 year old who is pretty sensitive? My 6 yo wants to see it and I'd take both of them.

[MamaBug]

Originally Posted by nicole lisa

Did anyone else feel annoyed or disappointed in the treatment of the conservation theme?

Yes and that is one of the reasons I didn't really like the movie, I also did like the sexual undertones, my kids were too little. I will say this there were ALOT of adults only in this movie. We saw it Saturday and it was PACKED which surprised me because it was a beautiful day out. I thought it was cute, but it did make me sad and I didn't like the way alot of things were handled.

[carolhagan]

Trying to ignore the spoilers. I can't wait to see the movie. As soon as dh gets home (okay, not as SOON as) from his deployment we are going to see it.

[fluffernutter]

It was a lot better than I expected. I didn't care for all the sexual references though. ESPECIALLY the part when they popped out of the water and were 'falling' on each other. Waaay to sexual. Even if the littles don't 'get it', why does it even need to be there? kwim?

[Sativarain1]

I want to take the boys to see this film, wish movie tix weren't soo expensive!

[TiredX2]

Loved it.

Warning :: Spoiler Ahead! Highlight to read message!

---

Anyone else surprised by the strong anti-Religion message?

---

[Nankay]

Boring and preachy.

It went from a theme of "Be your own 'person" Do your own thing. Be You"

to save the environment with a little nod against religious zealotry. whaaa????

Ok..I did get 'verklempt' when I heard Steve Irwin's voice (elephant seal) and saw the dedication at the end.

[SpiralWoman]

Just saying in advance, where did the "spoiler" function go? Am I overlooking it? Please skip this post if you do not want to know the movie's plot. If you haven't seen it, this isn't gonna make any sense anyway!

Originally Posted by nicole lisa

SPOILER ALERT



Just had to talk about this .

Did anyone else have a queasy feeling about the feel good environmental message? I mean, there's no talk at all about respect for the earth or penguins. The only reason humans get involved in preserving the fish is because the penguins are cute and tap dance. Not because they breathe or just are. I found myself getting weepy when the people at the zoo are so cheered and entertained because of Mumble's dancing. That part made me pretty sick. Same goes for all the students watching the penguins on tv etc.

It just seemed all too "let's preserve the fish and penguins because they (the penguins) are just so darn entertaining. Yay, dancing penguins!" What about the ugly elephant seals? Can't we get a shot of their community coming back to health with the return of the fish too? Can't we get a human talking about respect for all that breathes or maybe one of the elder penguins talking about it?

Maybe because my kid is 6 and we talk about these issues, but I trust my kid to understand more than what the movie was selling. The movie was PG and not G so I would guess most of the people taking their kids to the movie could accept a more in-depth or serious treatment of the issue. Otherwise why include it at all? Kids watching that movie will just be further encouraged to view the animal world as one through which people find entertainment. Not one to respect for it's own beauty and right to exist.

I could go on (and on ). But that'd be boring. Did anyone else feel annoyed or disappointed in the treatment of the conservation theme?

Just saw it today, so glad folks are talking about it!

To me one of the BIG themes of the movie was communication. How do beings express themselves? How does one (be it penguins or people or aliens) recieve communication? I thought it was brilliant that Mumble's individual "flaw" was also the penguin's salvation. For me, it didn't matter the exact motive behind "saving" the penguins, because they were cute & dancing. Somehow, that is what got the attention needed. Somehow that is what spanned the divide between 2 species & awakened a deep knowing of and respect for the penguin's world. In addition, the movie is quite stark & unafraid of showing the destructiveness of humanity & in this it also shined a light on where much of our destructive arises from, our shallowness. I felt the story was stark enough in it's uglyness to present a critique of this, not a complicity.

I do have to say that thru 2/3 of the movie I was terrified of what was going to happen next. My ds is 3 going on 30 and really gets alot of stuff. The sexual innuendo bothered me not at all, I think the romping was joyous & I would rather see & expose DS to playful loving cavorting than sarcasm or sexism anyday. But, the stark realities of the "aliens" had me so worried about what terrible thing would happen & how DS would feel when he realized the aliens were us people. (He was truly expecting aliens like in the movie Chicken Little.) Of course, I am feeling particularly culpable as a human being/American these days, so that probably played into my concerns. My husband & I both cried tears of relief when somehow there was a redemptive happy ending. The time Mumbles spent in the zoo was truly disturbing. And I was dreading some human induced cataclysm when Mumbles was reintroduced with the tracking device on.

I will concur with those that felt a strong political critique. The emperor penguins share a strong spirituality/mysticism that leads them thru the harshness of their environment that I thought was quite beautifully rendered early in the story. The heavy streak of religious fundamentalism that evolves into as a challenge in the story seems quite an analogue of our current political situation, but may not be to everyone's tastes. Especially as the conflict between orthodoxy & personal guilt plays out within Memphis, I thought it was quite alot to cram into one movie & may be a bit too reaching.

Would love to hear more ideas about the movie, especially what themes to discuss with the kiddos going forward. It's an interesting time when live in when a "children's movie" carries such thoughtful messages & social critiques!
Carry on, Maria

[SpiralWoman]

Originally Posted by mamaley

I don't want to read the spoilers above, but would this movie be ok for a 3 year old who is pretty sensitive? My 6 yo wants to see it and I'd take both of them.

Without giving away plot points, I think it was almost too much for my 3 yr old ds & he watches alot of movies. We saw it at 2 in the afternoon, and he was still wired up talking about it at a very late bedtime. I was sort of planning to see it again with other family members while we are out of town next week, but have decided against it. We need to let it cool down & talk more about it. It is pretty heavy to be honest. Hope that doesn't bum you out! ~Maria