Happy Feet? - Page 2

[nicole lisa]

Originally Posted by SpiralWoman

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.

For me it didn't show at all a deep respect for the penguin's world. In the beginning, yes, but not once it became about tap dancing. And I feel that even more since yesterday when DS asked to go to the Happy Feet website and found a link to the penguin cam at the Baltimore zoo. Again with the penguins are there to entertain us.

[Learnintolaugh]

This movie did not hold my 4 year old ds's attention much at all after the first 15 minutes or so. I can't say if I liked it or not because every time a major plot development happened I was out taking him to the restroom and we ended up leaving w/ 40 minutes to go because he didn't want to stay in the theater anymore (and then he screamed the whole way home because he wanted to watch the movie...ever notice there are some days you just can't win for trying?)

[MelanieMC]

Possible spoilers ahead...

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?

: I thought it was really sad that towards the end when they decided to stop taking the fish it was b/c of their "cuteness", not the want/need to save these animals.

Originally Posted by 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?

Yeah, I went to see it with my 16 year old sister and our little cousins, and I felt really uncomfortable when that happened.

I also want to say that there were a lot of adults in the movie without kids, which suprised me. It had a lot of "adult" themed jokes that I could tell most of the kids there didn't get.

[mamaley]

Thanks for the response, Spiralwoman

[minicooper]

We saw it.

I loved the music and the it's ok to be different message.

Hated the flu commercial that was right before the movie. Then got this in my email box and it made me even more mad - More EVident of Evil Marketing Geniuses at Work

Kaius wanted to go home - he's three. But he's not a huge movie watcher so... I wasn't surprised... this was the first full length movie he's been to in a long time.

Lots of great points from previous posters... I left the theatre depressed about the state of our world. I'm definitely getting the soundtrack - I'm hoping the soundtrack doesn't just have the originals of all the songs they rearranged like some soundtracks do.

[Shonahsmom]

I LOATHED it. Absolutely loathed it. The totally unnecessary sexuality, the female forms on the female penguins... just bleh! There were too many messages and they were too convoluted. The music was incredibly inappropriate... and mind that I am not strict with my dd about movies... we watch a lot of documentaries with serious subject matter and we've watched a lot of films with "mature subject matter" but why, why, why do they have to put such inappropriate stuff in to an animated movie that is marketed towards five year olds? And I echo all the other posters that were turned off at the message that the penguins only mattered once the became a source of entertainment.

[mata]

I felt this movie, although "entertaining" in the formula of today's typical standards, was pretty manipulative and I'm not sure I can get past that to give it a thumbs up. I wish I hadn't brought my three year old-way too intense for her-fortunately she fell asleep after the seal scene. My six year old loved the music, the dancing, and the catch phrases, naturally.

was kinda sorta cool to hear a mi manero, I must say though!

[stik]

My dd is a sensitive to situations involving prolonged peril, and we had to leave the theater. She's 5.

Treatment of sexuality, religion, and conservation aside, I thought the movie was really scary and I wouldn't recommend it.

[Flor]

Anyway, we had to leave early because ds was bored. I thought I just missed a bit, but apparently I missed a whole lot!!

Three things stood out to me:

1. Why was dancing considered such a freakish trait when they were all dancing all the time? Is there just something wierd about tap dancing? Swayings ok?

2. The seal was WWWAAAYYY to scary. Why??? There are little kids in there and I felt like I had taken my child to see Jurassic Park with a full screen of an enormous head, breathing hard, saliva dripping from its fangs! Ds says the movie was "EVIL."

3. Why did some of the penguins seem to be white and others were obviusly Mexican? The white group was uptight and judgemental and the Mexican penguins were kick back and ready to party? (I know penguins live in South America, but why didn't they all have South American accents, and to me, an ESL teacher, those were Mexican American/Chicano accents no South American).


Well, I didn't see the end. That's as far as I got.

[mata]

those were supposed to be Argentinean accents-not very good, were they?
I thought Robin Williams' voices were pretty annoying overall.

[Flor]

Didn't sound Argentinian at all! But shouldn't they ALL have Argentinian accents not just one group who acts different (ie. don't you think they were setting them up as different ethnic groups?). Weird.

[mata]

oh yeah-it was waaaay overambitious with all the statements it was making.

[carolhagan]

Okay.. we went and saw it last night.

I liked the movie. I felt that it did have a anti-religious type message in it, but I am okay with that. Personally, I don't think the humans saved the penguins just because they could dance. I think that the dancing made them realize the penguins were trying to tell them something, and helped out of kindness. They didn't show the humans coming back to see the penguins entertain them anymore.

Anyway, my kids both liked it. The seal part was a bit scarey, but not to much that my kids didn't like it. They both sat through the whole movie, and my three year old was singing the songs later.

The sexual "stuff" also didn't really bother me. But, I am pretty relaxed about that kinda stuff.

It wasn't the greatest kids movie I ever saw, but I don't think it was half bad either. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

[HelloKitty]

We saw this last week, wasn't impressed. It was OK but there were a few things that bothered me, much of which has been mentioned here. And the scary scenes really scared my 4 year old and almost 2 year old and seemed to come out of nowhere. What was the point of them? My four year old was bored too and stopped paying attention half way through.

[Unoppressed MAMA Q]

Originally Posted by mata

those were supposed to be Argentinean accents-not very good, were they?
I thought Robin Williams' voices were pretty annoying overall.

am i not the only person in the western world who doesn't love robin williams?

[mata]

Originally Posted by Unoppressed MAMA Q

am i not the only person in the western world who doesn't love robin williams?

no-I'd have to say I'm right there with you. I actually find many of his "dialects" to be offensive.