快乐的大脚评论.docx

快乐的大脚评论.docx

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快乐的大脚评论

BringinDaHoofersonIce

NewYorkTimes

ThefeetinthetitleofGeorgeMiller’snewfilmshuffleandstompwithglorioussyncopation,butitwouldbeastretchtocallthemhappy.Smallandwebbedandclawed,theappendagesbelongtoananimatedemperorpenguinnamedMumble（ElijahWood）who,throughthewizardryofcomputeranimation,getshisterpsichoreanmovesfromthebrillianttap-dancerSavionGlover.LikeMr.GloverandEleanorPowell,Mumblewasborntodance.There’sasonginhisheartifnotinhisdiaphragm,but,strangely,alotofhistippitytappitinghastheurgentpulseofanSOS.

MuchlikeMr.Miller’sexcellent“Babe:

PigintheCity”andhisdystopian“MadMax”trilogy,“HappyFeet”presentsavisionoftheworldseenthroughaglassdarkly.Oneofthemostunderratedfilmsofthe1990s,“PigintheCity”wasaterriblecommercialdisappointment,ananimal-farmnoirthathewedcloserinapocalyptictoneandfeeltothe“MadMax”filmsthantoitssunnier,much-belovedpredecessor,“Babe.”“HappyFeet”isMr.Miller’sfirstfilmineightlongyears,andwhilecompromisedbytheupliftandaffirmationthatmainstreamanimationregurgitateslikeamommypenguin,italsoshowsaremarkablepersistenceofvision.Eveninastoryaboutsinging-and-dancingfatandfeather,Mr.Millercan’thelpbutgodarkanddeep.

Ittakeshimawhiletogetthere.First,hemustunleashRobinWilliams,whogiveswacky,attimesuneasyvoicetoseveralcharacters,includingthatofacharmingAdéliepenguinnamedRamon,whosoundsmoreEastLosAngelesthanAnywhereAntarctica.Havingbeenshunnedbytheotheremperorpenguinsbecausehecan’tsing,Mumblejoinsaflockofsmaller,stubbierAdéliepenguinswho,whennotcollectingpebbles,dostand-up.Mr.Williams,whothesedaysisbetterheardthanseen,alsopoursonthemolassesasanRockhopperpenguincalledLovelace,whosoundsalotlikethesingerBarryWhite,whichmeanshe’soneofthefewso-calledblackvoicesinaworldthatsoundsotherwisewhiteasdeepwinter.

Thatdoesn’tmeanthatMr.Williamsisn’tfunny,onlythatit’sdiscomfitingthatsomanychildren’sfilmsdependonvoicesthatarefunnyonlybecausetheyexploitethnicandracialstereotypes.Becausepenguinslookprettymuchalike,mostoftheprincipalsdeliverdistinctivevocalperformances.NicoleKidmanrecyclesherbaby-breathyMarilynMonroeshtickforMumble’smother,NormaJean,whileHugoWeavingsticksaScottishburrinhisthroattoplayanelderpenguinnamedNoah.ForMumble’sfather,Memphis,HughJackmanthrowshisvoiceintothedeep-fryerandcomesupwithsomethingthat’salittlebitcountry,alittlebitrock’n’roll.Everyonesoundsprettywhiteexceptwhenthey’relip-synching（beak-synching?

）thefunkandR&Bstandardsonthefilm’splaylist.

“HappyFeet”isfarfromtheonlyanimatedfilmtoleanonstereotypeforitscomedy:

“OvertheHedge”and“Cars”dothesame,amongmanyotheranimatedfeatures,asdoes,ofcourse,“Borat.”IbringthisuponlybecauseMr.Millerbringsanunusualdepthoffeelingtohisworkaswellasadistinctmoralworldview.“HappyFeet”isafamiliarstoryaboutaweeoutsiderforcedtostruggleagainsttheusualoddsandmisguidedadultstodiscoverhisinnerpenguin.Yettuckedinsidethisnominallyfeel-goodjukeboxmusicalwithitscrooningandswooningcrittersisapiercinglysadstoryaboutthedevastationbeingvisitedonthenaturalworld.Thetappingwehear,asitturnsout,isdrillingholesinourhearts.

Forthemostpart,thescreenplay—writtenbyMr.Miller,WarrenColeman,JohnColleeandJudyMorris—tracesafamiliararc.NotlongafterhehappensupontheflockofAdéliepenguins,Mumblediscoversthataliencreatures（guesswho?

）arescoopingallthefishoutoftheocean.Determinedtorightthiswrong,heandthreeotherssetoffonavoyagethatincludessweepingimagesofmountainsthatrecallMr.Wood’shigh-altitudetrekkingin“TheLordoftheRings”andbringsthetravelersfacetofacewithelephantsealswithastonishingphotorealistictusklikeprotuberances.Whatmakesthesealsespeciallybeautifulisn’tthealmosttactiledetailoftheircrinklesandgrooves;it’sthat,unlikeMumbleandhisvaguelyanthropomorphizedface,theylookinsistentlyandgloriouslylikeanimals.

Beautyannouncesitselfquietlyin“HappyFeet,”whetherinthediscreetlyshiftingshadesofwhitethatseemtoturnthesnowintoaliving,breathingorganism,orinthearticulatedlinesofpenguinchicksthatmakeeachballofdownyfluffaveryspecificballofdownyfluff.AllthisbeautymakesiteasytounderstandwhyMumblemightwanttotaphisfeetwithjoy.ItalsoexplainswhyMr.Miller,afterdoinganextremelycredibleapproximationofthewonderfulworldofWaltDisney,plungeshishaplessherointoanightmareworthyofSamuelFuller’s“ShockCorridor.”Aspoliticallypointedasitisdisturbing,itisaviewofhellasseenthroughtheeyesandearsofcreatureswefoolishly,tragicallycalldumb.

“HappyFeet”isratedPG（Parentalguidancesuggested）.Thereareafewscenesofperilthatmightfrightenyoungchildren,butit’stheadultswhowillprobablyneedthehankies.

HAPPYFEET

Openstodaynationwide.

DirectedbyGeorgeMiller;writtenbyMr.Miller,JohnCollee,JudyMorrisandWarrenColeman;musicbyJohnPowell;choreographybySavionGloverandKelleyAbbey;productiondesigner,MarkSexton;producedbyGeorgeMiller,DougMitchellandBillMiller;releasedbyWarnerBrothersPictures.Runningtime:

100minutes.

WITHTHEVOICESOF:

ElijahWood（Mumble）,RobinWilliams（Ramon/LovelacetheGuru）,BrittanyMurphy（Gloria）,HughJackman（Memphis）,NicoleKidman（NormaJean）,HugoWeaving（NoahtheElder）,AnthonyLaPaglia（AlphaSkua）,MiriamMargolyes（Mrs.Astrakhan）,MagdaSzubanski（MissViola）,CarlosAlazraqui（Nestor）,JohnnySanchezIII（Lombardo）andJeffGarcia（Rinaldo）.

Correction:

Nov.28,2006

AfilmreviewinWeekendonNov.17about“HappyFeet”referredincorrectlytothecharacterLovelace.HeisaRockhopperpenguin,notanAdélie.

HappyFeetReview-TheHollywoodReporter（2006）

BottomLine:

Tunefulandsoulfulinequalmeasure,thisanimatedall-penguinmusicalisterrificfun. 

TheHollywoodReporter

13November2006

KirkHoneycutt

"HappyFeet"isanoddbird.It'saCG-animatedfilmwitha"Dumbo"-esquestoryaboutanemperorpenguinthatunlikeotherpenguinscan'tsingworthalickbut,boy,canhetapdance.Rightfromthestart,though,youareawarethattheAustraliandirectorGeorgeMillerandhistalentedartistsareaimingforsomethingmorethanacharmingchildren'scartoon.Inthebarren,hostileAntarcticwildernesswherethesehardyyetsomewhatcomicalbirdsmaketheirhome,Millerisunafraidtogoforwhatcanonlybedescribedasaneo-biblicalepic.Inhisdepictionofaplagueandapilgrimage,aGod-likepenguinappearinginthesky,theportrayalofthestory'sheroasaprophetrejectedbyhisownkindandeventhegospelorientationofseveralsongs,Millerboldlyreachesforspiritualthemes.

Happily,itallworks.Millerandhisco-writersJudyMorrisandWarrenColemanpluginenoughactionsequences--wherepenguinstumbledowntowersoficeandfranticallyescapepredatorsandfleeavalanches--toentertainyoungerviewers.Themanymusicalnumbersarebrilliantlychoreographedandorchestratedthroughsomeofthebestmotioncaptureeveremployedinacartoon.Andthefilmoftenastonishesyouwiththethree-dimensionalityofitsfrozenlandscapes.Withsmartmarketing,WarnerBros.Pictureshasasolidentertainmentthatshouldsweepacrossmanydemographics.Nordoesithurtthatlastyear's"MarchofthePenguins"educatedsomanymoviegoerstotheextraordinaryworldofempirepenguins.

Mumble（ElijahWood）isacheerfulpenguindespitehis"handicap."Buthisdad,Memphis（HughJackman）,worries,evenashehidesthesecretofhisson'sstrangenessfromhismom,NormaJean（NicoleKidman）:

Memphisaccidentallydroppedtheeggfromitsnestwithinthefoldsofhisfeatheryfleshduringawinterstorm.SowhenMumbleishatched,hecannotperformhis"heartsong,"theidentifyingcroonpeculiartoeverypenguintoattractamate.Instead,hiswebbedfeetbreakoutintotapdancing.Momisdelighted,butDadinsists,"Itjustain'tpenguin."

Singinglessonsendinfailure,butMumble's"hippity-hoppity"waysstillattracthischildhoodfriend,Gloria（BrittanyMurphy）.Then,inhisramblingadventures,MumblerunsintoagroupofLatinopenguins,theAdelieAmigos,whoconvincehimthathisdancingisactuallycool.

AdroughtinthefishsupplycausesNoah（HugoWeaving）tointerpretthisasdivineretributionforMumble'sun-penguinways.WhenMumblerefusestochangethoseways--hehasanunshakablesenseofwhoheis--heisforcedfromtheflockandgoesonapilgrimagewiththeAmigos,ledbyRamonandLovelacetheGuru（bothcharactersvoicedbyRobinWilliams,whoalsonarratesthemovie）tofindthe"aliens"（i.e.humans）whoseoverfishinghasinterruptedthefoodsupply.

Millerhasmadeanumberofwisechoicesinhowtoconveyhisbiblical/penguintale.Theanimals'heartsongmightsoundlikenoisetohumanears,buttoapenguinit'smusic.Sowhynotturn"HappyFeet"intoaquasi-musicalfeaturingclassicpopsongsfromdiscoandQueentoSinatra,PrinceandtheBeatles?

Forthetapdancing,whynotgotoavirtuoso,SavionGlover,to"play"Mumbletodazzlingeffectthroughmotioncapture?

ChoreographerKelleyAbbeyworkswithotherdancersingroupssothatthescreenfillsupwiththousandsofdancingpenguins,seeminglywiththeirowndistinctivestyles.

ResearchexpeditionsbycameracrewstoAntarcticaresultinahighlyrealisti