Nevertheless, the song choices throughout the film feel distinctly inappropriate for a movie so clearly marketed towards younger viewers. Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman), Mumble’s mother begins the movie with a breathy, seductive rendition of Prince’s “Kiss” and croons “I just need your body, baby / From dusk ‘til dawn.” Granted, the sexual undertones of the lyrics may go over the heads of a younger audience, especially when the tunes themselves are so catchy. Saturated with sexual content, semi-dystopian in nature, and downright chilling in its ability to dehumanize viewers, “Happy Feet” should have found its niche not in children’s cinema but in adult horror.įrom the start, “Happy Feet” makes the questionable decision to frame penguin mating through a surprisingly explicit process where two penguins sing mature pop songs to each other in order to find the most compatible musical, and thus life partner. There was something sinister, something not quite right about “Happy Feet.” It’s only after re-watching the film seven years later that I can see just how weird and unsettling this childhood favorite truly is. As Mumble grows up, he must save his colony from the mysterious “alien” force that threatens the penguins’ vital fish source: humans.Īfter my first encounter with the movie at 11 years old, I remember feeling inexplicably and fundamentally disturbed, a response not shared by my peers. For those unfamiliar with this childhood staple: “Happy Feet” follows the story of tap-dancing Emperor penguin Mumble (Elijah Wood), whose inability to sing like the rest of his colony prevents him from finding a mate. Yesterday, I watched a shapely female penguin tell me all the ways one could turn her on.ĭespite the strange sexual tension that pervades most of the movie, George Miller’s 2006 award-winning animated film remains a children’s winter classic garnering both critical and public acclaim upon release.
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