When my brother suggested we watch the new film 'Happy Feet' I inwardly groaned - I'm getting tired of anthropomorphic CGI films with their cute identical characters. I'm surprised to say though that I really enjoyed this film - it wasn't what I expected. The reviews put me off, a film about singing, dancing penguins? Please!
However, it was different enough, and the humour sophisticated enough, to keep me quite enthralled all the way through. OK, so the basic premise that the penguins are only considered worth saving because one of them can tap-dance, and the simplistic 'feel-good' ending are a bit of a let-down. BUT, there is a anti-cult sub-text that, given my history, I found quite interesting. The hero of the story is born 'different' in that he can dance, but not sing. As long as he hides his difference everyone tolerates him. But as soon as he starts to celebrate his difference the 'Elders' are called in and they recommend he is shunned, banished. Even his father can't bring himself to support his own son in the face of the cult's demands and beliefs.
The scene where 'Dave' is told by his own father that he was born 'wrong' and not 'penguiny' and there was something fundementally unacceptable about him, even though 'Dave' was quite happy and just wanted to dance was quite stomach-churning, as I imagined many 'bible-belters' in the real world saying the same thing to their 'gay' children.
Anyway, I just wanted to say I quite enjoyed it (except the bit where the seal suddenly shot out the sea, it made me spill my coke!)
Anyone else seen it?