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Happy Feet
Mumble
Voiced in English by: Elijah Wood (both films and first video game); Yuri Lowenthal (second video game); Elizabeth Daily (young, first film and video game)
Dubbed by: Clovis Cornillac (European French)
The main character of the film. Mumble is a young penguin who, unlike his peers, doesn't know how to sing and is an outcast because of that. However, he is also a very talented dancer.
- All of the Other Reindeer: He's treated like an outcast because he's unable to sing.
- Distinctive Appearances: He's an adult penguin who still has the plumage of a chick, as well as the only penguin with blue eyes.
- Distinguishing Mark: Apart from his Perpetual Molt, he's got a black patch on his throat in the shape of a bow tie. When he returns to Emperorland, he has normal plumage from the shoulders down so it's gone, but the second film reverts him back to his full-bodied fluffy appearance to bring it back.
- Dreadful Musician: Mumble is a terrible singer — Ramon even comments that he sounds like a dying animal when he shows the Amigos just how bad he is. This makes him an outcast in penguin society.
- Happily Married: With Gloria in the sequel.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: He was terrible at singing at first, as he "had no heartsong".
- Leitmotif: The film strongly associates him with "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder to the point where it may or may not be his heartsong.
- Meaningful Name: Mumble's name was not chosen by Memphis or Norma Jean, but Gloria. She called him this because while he was trying to exit his egg, he made small noises.
- Momma's Boy: Closer to his mother than his father.
- Nice Guy: Mumble is shown to be kind and friendly, as well as shy, but he can also be extremely brave when a situation calls for it.
- Non-Standard Character Design: His adult self is nothing like the other Emperors, instead resembling how he appeared in his youth.
- Official Couple: With Gloria at the end of the first movie.
- Papa Wolf: Twice he nearly risks falling to death to save Erik from the same fate.
- Perpetual Molt: Subverted. As an adult, he never finished his molting. He's the only adult to have this.
- Single-Target Sexuality: He's only had eyes for one penguin: Gloria.
- "Well Done, Dad!" Guy: In the sequel, Mumble worries about Erik not looking up to him.
Gloria
Voiced by: Brittany Murphy (first film and video game); P!nk (second film); Grey DeLisle (second video game); Alyssa Shafer (young, first film); Elizabeth Daily (young, first video game)
Mumble's love interest. Gloria is a penguin known for her beautiful singing voice that Mumble had a crush on since they were kids. Gloria is generally a friendly and patient with Mumble.
- Babies Ever After: She and Mumble have a son named Erik by the sequel.
- Berserk Button: Don't insult her singing.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Gloria isn't known to get upset, but she is kind of proud and got very mad when her singing was insulted.
- Character Signature Song: Her heart song is "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
- Dude Magnet: Became the most sought after female penguin when she grew older, large in part to being the best singer in her class
- Happily Married: With Mumble.
- Nice Girl: She's gentle, patient, and good with children.
- Official Couple: With Mumble at the end of the first movie.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Gloria was disappointed in Mumble's attempt to trick her, and just wants him to be himself.
Memphis
Voiced by: Hugh Jackman (both films), Christopher Corey Smith (first video game)
Mumble's father who accidentally dropped his egg. He doesn't approve of Mumble's love for dancing, but genuinely wants the best for him.
- Character Signature Song: His heart song is "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley.
- Demoted to Extra: Has a barely-noticeable one-line cameo in the sequel.
- Former Teen Rebel: He even states that he used to be someone who did what he liked.
- Heroic BSoD: By the time Mumble returns, Memphis has become so consumed with guilt over supporting Noah's decision to exile his son that he has isolated himself into a cave from the rest of the colony.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Didn't support his son, but came around.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He has two big ones in the first film.
- When he recklessly dropped Mumble's egg. He blames himself heavily for the way his son turned out, and becomes more devoted to the penguin belief.
- Realizing there was no hope of changing Mumble, he supported Noah's decision to exile his son. However, he is soon consumed with guilt so much, that he temporarily loses all feeling of music in him, completely shutting off from the rest of the colony in shame.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's Elvis Presley as a penguin. With emotional baggage.
- Parents as People: Memphis truly loves his son, but doesn't support his son's dancing, urging him to "repent" instead. Why does he do this? Because the winter incubation is not only an unforgiving period, but a devoutly religious one for the penguins, meant for singing praises to the "Great Guin" in the hopes that he'll bring them sunlight and a bountiful fishing season. Memphis, cold and desperately lonely, chose instead to lose himself in thoughts of Norma Jean, and got so into the memory of her song that he started dancing along and dropped Mumble's egg. His evangelicalism and hatred of anything that "ain't penguin" stem from a tragic combination of guilt and a sincere belief that going against the grain results in cosmic punishment.
Norma Jean
Voiced by: Nicole Kidman (both films), Cathy Cavadini (first video game)
Mumble's mother. Unlike Memphis, Norma Jean is much more accepting of Mumble's love for dancing.
- Character Signature Song: Her heart song is "Kiss" by Prince.
- Demoted to Extra: Has a barely-noticeable one-line cameo in the sequel.
- Good Parents: Very supportive of Mumble and his uniqueness, even when no one else is.
- Nice Girl: She is much more accepting of Mumble's quirks than Memphis.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: What Memphis is to Elvis, she is to Marilyn Monroe. She even has a beauty mark, although it’s on her chest.
The Adelie Amigos
Ramon voiced by: Robin Williams (both films); Dan Castellaneta (first video game); Carlos Alazraqui (second video game)
Nestor voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui (both films, first video game); Dan Navarro (singing voice, first film)
Raul voiced by: Lombardo Boyar (both films, first video game)
Rinaldo voiced by: Jeff Garcia (both films, first video game)
Lombardo voiced by: Johnny Sanchez III (both films, first video game)
A group of five tiny adelie penguins and the comic relief of the movie. They quickly befriend Mumble and are known for failing to attract any chicas.Nestor voiced by: Carlos Alazraqui (both films, first video game); Dan Navarro (singing voice, first film)
Raul voiced by: Lombardo Boyar (both films, first video game)
Rinaldo voiced by: Jeff Garcia (both films, first video game)
Lombardo voiced by: Johnny Sanchez III (both films, first video game)
- All There in the Manual: Their names and how to tell them apart. The only one besides Ramon whose name is said out loud is Raul, which is heard in Raul's opening line in the Adelie Rap, "Yo soy Raul".
- Ascended Extra: In the first film, Ramon was the first among equals, only really standing out among the group because he was voiced by Robin Williams. In the sequel, he's a main character.
- Casanova Wannabe: All five of them, especially Ramon. Through Ramon actually does find a girl who loves him back in second movie.
- Demoted to Extra: In the sequel, the other four besides Ramon only make scattered appearances.
- Distinctive Appearances: Each of them has a unique head crest. Ramon is the most obvious, with the reddish blond; Nestor has the pointy cardinal-like crest, Raul has a white dot on the back of his neck in lieu of a crest, Rinaldo has a flat-top, and Lombardo's is wispy and curly.
- Greek Chorus: They don't talk to the audience, but most of their screen time is spent commenting on the action rather than contributing, and rather than having any motivation of their own, they just enthusiastically support Mumble on his quest.
- I Want My Mommy!: Ramon screams this a few times when he is put in a situation that is scary for him.
- Latin Lover: All of them are Mexican-coded penguins who love attracting attention from female penguins.
- Nice Guys: Bunch of cheerful, easy-going penguins who quickly befriend Mumble and try to help him, through Ramon tends to be little egotistical.
- The Nicknamer: Each of them has a different nickname for Mumble.
- Tuft of Head Fur: More like tuft of head feathers, but Ramon, Lombardo, Nestor, and Rinaldo to an extent have prominent and stylized feathers on their head to distinguish them from the majority of the Adelie penguins.
Lovelace
Voiced by: Robin Williams (both films), Fred Tatasciore (first video game)
A fortune teller rockhopper who ends up going on an adventure with Mumble and Amigos after they find out that he is being chocked by the plastic rings on his neck.
- The Casanova: He is surrounded by bunch of women who really seem to like him in his first appearance. It kind of fades away later on.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: An egotistical jerk who nonetheless becomes grateful towards Mumble when he saves him and in the second movie, he develops a genuine friendship with Sven.
- Narrator All Along: Narrates the film for quite some time before his proper introduction.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's a caricature of Barry White.
- Token Minority: He is the only rockhopper penguin to appear in both movies.
Noah
Voiced by: Hugo Weaving (both films), Christopher Corey Smith (first video game)
A leader of the Elders who disapproves of Mumble's dancing and exiles him for it.
- Anti-Villain: Although he is disapproving of Mumble's dancing, he exiled him out of concern for the colony. Even during the confrontation leading to Mumble's exile, he tries to guide Mumble towards repenting instead of being exiled, for the sake of Mumble's father's "suffering heart". It's clear enough that even with his personal issues with Mumble's "foreign friends", having to cast out a penguin from the colony, inflicting heartbreak onto said penguin's parents in the process, is not something he takes any pleasure in, and were it not for his responsibility to protect and provide for the colony, and the colony's genuine belief that they are beholden to a god-figure whose displeasure with aberrant behavior has led to creating lean times until they correct themselves in the Great 'Guin's eyes, then Noah likely would've quietly been bothered by the goofy youths and neighbors of his colony but otherwise minded his own business. When the climax arrives and Mumble's seemingly mad ranting about "aliens" proves objectively true, he's visibly seething at what he perceives to be Mumble leading such bizarre beings here, but still defers to Mumble's lead in appeasing the "aliens" in the moment. After all, if he was right that they exist, then what else may he be correct about? Even if he "is" a ridiculous, foolish young penguin, he was the only thing close to an expert present for the very imminent potential threat of the "aliens", and rather than rail against change, Noah adjusted quickly to the urgent situation... all in the name of the colony.
- Big Bad: The closest thing to a villain in the first movie.
- Brave Scot: Has a thick Scottish accent and, though it's not as noticeable in the first film due to his being on the wrong side, defends his nation courageously. In the second film, he makes an inspiring speech while climbing up to the highest point in Emperorland to make it, beating up the skuas in his path as he does so.
- Demoted to Extra: Has a supporting role in the sequel.
- Everyone Has Standards: He has a Jaw Drop when Memphis admits to having dropped Mumble's egg and concealing it for years.
- The Fundamentalist: He's a firm believer of "The Great Guin" and considers Mumble's inability to sing and affinity to dancing both an affront to tradition and a threat to the colony's food supply. He later gets over his prejudice.
- Heel–Face Turn: The main antagonist of the first film, a brave leader in the second.
- Jerkass: A prejusticed, close minded jerk. Through he becomes slightly nicer in the second movie.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He eventually comes around once he sees the humans for the first time.
- Large and in Charge: He is the tallest of the emperor penguins and is their leader.
- Perpetual Frowner: The only times he smiles is once towards the end of the first film and a few scattered times during the second film.
- Took a Level in Kindness: He starts out strongly opposed to Mumble's dancing, before finally giving in to the desire himself.
Eggbert
Voiced by: Lee Perry (both films), Grant Albrecht (first video game)
Noah's second in command on the council of elders.
- All There in the Manual: His name is not even mentioned in the first film's credits, but is in the video game adaptation. He is finally named in the credits for the sequel. His friendly relationship with Noah is also made clear in extended media.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Has a New York Jew accent.
- Bit Character: He is not that important, but has more lines than the rest of the elderly penguins associated with Noah.
- Fantastic Racism: He refers to the adelies as vermin.
Miss Viola
Voiced by: Magda Szubanski (both films), Grey DeLisle (first video game)
Mumble's former teacher.
- Ascended Extra: Had one scene in the first film and was a supporting player in the second.
- Ship Tease: With Seymour in the first film, but the second proves it never came to anything.
Mrs. Astrakhan
Voiced by: Miriam Margolyes (first film), Grey DeLisle (first video game)
A teacher with a Russian accent who tries to teach Mumble how to sing, with no success.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The only prominent character from the first film to make no appearance whatsoever in the second.
- Head Desk: Repeatedly bangs her head on an iceberg after failing to teach Mumble to sing.
- Husky Russkie: Portly and with a thick Russian accent.
- Large Ham: Comes with being an opera singing Husky Russkie.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Not a huge impact, but the way she pronounces "spontaneous" is the way Mumble continues to pronounce it later in life. She also teaches Mumble how to let out his feelings, but unintentionally through dancing instead of singing.
Seymour
Mumble's and Gloria's former classmate who loves rapping.
- Ascended Extra: A recurring extra in the first film and a supporting player in the second.
- Character Signature Song: His heart song is "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash, the only heart song we hear that isn't about love or sex.
- Determinator: When separated from his son Atticus thanks to the Doomberg, he tries his absolute hardest to get back to his son. Even when other penguins tell him to take a break, he refuses to give up.
- Ship Tease: With Miss Viola in the first film, but the second proves it never came to anything. Also with Gloria, though of course she ends up with Mumble.
Boss Skua
Voiced by: Anthony LaPaglia (both films), Dee Bradley Baker (first video game)
A skua who attacks baby Mumble in the first movie. Marked with an ID tag around his leg, and he loves telling the story of the "alien abduction" that left him with it.
- Affably Evil: Sure, he tries to attack baby Mumble, but he doesn’t show any genuine malice and even shuts up his cronies when they make a fuss over Mumble asking about his leg tag, saying that the question deserves an answer.
- Anti-Villain: Sure, attempting to eat an adorable baby penguin is pretty horrific, but it's nothing personal. As he puts it,"Flyin' birds, that's me, eat the flipper bird, and the fish. And frankly... there ain't a lot of fish."
- Apologetic Attacker: To baby Mumble, when he asks if he can "appeal to his better nature"."Sorry, kid, but... no."
- Brooklyn Rage: He speaks like a stereotypical New Yorker and can have a bit of an attitude.
- The Cameo: Menaces the emperor penguins throughout the second film but doesn't call much attention to himself.
- Cassandra Truth: His fellow skuas and the penguins doubt the existence of aliens (humans), yet as the plot of the first movie unravels, it is revealed that the aliens were actually real.
- Dope Slap: Uses his wings to hit his lackeys across the head.
- Dub Name Change: Called "the Alpha Skua" in some international versions of the first film and all versions of the second. The closed captions of the second film also identify him as "Yellaleg", a nickname he mentioned in the first film, as that's the closest thing he's given to an actual name.
- Embarrassing Nickname: He was nicknamed "Yellaleg" by his fellow skuas thanks to the yellow ID tag put around his leg by the aliens. He refers to this as a humiliating experience. Amusingly, he is called "Yellaleg" in the subtitles of the second movie as opposed to Boss/Alpha Skua.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is never revealed as the credits only refer to him as Boss/Alpha Skua. He is nicknamed "Yellaleg" in the second movie's subtitles, but there is still no information on his real name.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Only appears in a couple of scenes in the first film, but puts the idea of alien invaders in Mumble's head.
- Would Hurt a Child: Is perfectly willing to eat the baby Mumble as a result of the fish shortage.
Maurice and Michelle
Maurice voiced by: Dee Bradley Baker (first film and video game)
Michelle voiced by: Chrissie Hynde (first film)
Michelle voiced by: Chrissie Hynde (first film)
Gloria's parents, close friends of Memphis and Norma Jean.
- Character Signature Song: A mash-up in the film's soundtrack would seem to be a depiction of their respective heart songs: "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band (which claims "some people call me Maurice") and "Everything I Own" by Bread, which Michelle's voice actress performs.
- Recurring Extra: Maurice being more recurring.
- Satellite Family Member: They are Gloria's parents, yet aren't terribly important to the plot and make only a handful of appearances.
- Sequel Non-Entity: While Mumble's parents are lucky to have cameos, Maurice and Michelle have no appearances in the sequel.
The Leopard Seal
Voiced by: Roger Rose (first film and video game)
A frightening predator who chases Mumble.
- Graceful in Their Element: He is a very fast swimmer as shown in his chase scene and nearly catches Mumble several times. However, when he is forced onto the ice, he noticeably struggles catching up to Mumble and the Amigos. He is so slow on land, the Amigos even pretend to move in slow motion and are still faster than him.
- Jumpscare: He quickly jumps out of the water to catch Mumble by surprise.
- Monstrous Seal: He is a terrifying seal who nearly kills Mumble.
- Scary Teeth: Has a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The Killer Whales
Two large killer whales who attack Mumble, Lovelace, and the Amigos at the Forbidden Shore.
- Backing Away Slowly: They back away from Lovelace and retreat back into the water as he boasts in front of them. The other penguins immediately realize this is because of a massive ship coming through the Ace and heading straight in their direction.
- Devious Dolphins: Since killer whales are technically a large species of dolphin, they fit this trope by being playful, but also very aggressive.
- Graceful in Their Element: They are graceful for their size and perform several flips while in the water but when they try to reach the penguins on land, they can just awkwardly stumble on the ice. They can't even put their entire bodies on the ice to reach the penguins.
- Lightning Bruiser: They are massive beasts to the penguins who are also very fast and agile swimmers.
- The Speechless: Unlike the Leopard Seal, the Killer Whales never speak and it is implied they can't speak to penguins.
Erik
Voiced by: Ava Acres (second film); Elizabeth Daily (singing in second film, speaking in second video game)
Mumble's socially anxious son who, unlike his father, can't dance but has a beautiful singing voice.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Pleasantly averted in the sequel; while Erik clearly has crippling social anxiety that prevents him from relaxing enough to discover his heartsong, his relationship with his loving and supportive parents is healthy despite Mumble's difficulty with communicating. He also has close friends in the form of Atticus and Bodicca, who never leave his side and are always ready to distract, comfort, or defend him as necessary.
- Ascended Extra: Goes from having a brief cameo in the first film to being the main character of the second.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He actually appears at the very end of the first movie, but looks like Mumble as a hatchling with Gloria's brown eyes. In the sequel, he is completely redesigned to resemble his father more by having his blue eyes and bow tie. He is also noticeably smaller than the rest of the emperor penguin chicks and has spiky plumage on the top of his head.
- Generation Xerox: Appearance-wise. Erik not only has his father's blue eyes, but the darker patch on his chest that resembles a bow tie. Not to mention being just as adorable as little Mumble.
- Meaningful Name: Erik's talent turns out to be opera...just like another famous Erik.
- Shrinking Violet: Erik is naturally shy. He is never seen fully participating, successfully at least, with the other penguins' dances. Because he is shy, he usually lets Bo or Atticus do the talking, but will occasionally say a few words.
Happy Feet Two
Bo
Voiced by: Meibh Campbell (second film); Elizabeth Daily (singing in second film, speaking in second video game)
A friend of Erik's and a daughter of Miss Viola.
- Acrofatic: She's a plump baby penguin, but she can waddle like nobody's business. She climbs a snowy iceberg face with no problems, even throwing in a flip!
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: We know her mother is Miss Viola, but we never see her father.
- Badass Adorable: She goes all the way to the Adélie penguins by herself (on foot) to get help for the trapped Emperor Penguins.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: She looks just like Gloria when she was a baby penguin, yet is Miss Viola's daughter.
- True Companions: She and Atticus are this to Erik. When all the young penguins laugh at Eric, she and Atticus stand up for him. They even go to comfort him in his hiding hole.
Atticus
Voiced by: Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores (second film and video game)
A friend of Erik's and a son of Seymour.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: We see his dad Seymour, but not his mom at any point.
- Big Eater: A chubby penguin who is always eager for a snack.
- Fat Best Friend: He is a chubby penguin who is great friends with Eric.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Atticus looks just like his father when he was a chick.
- True Companions: He and Bo are this to Erik. When all the young penguins laugh at Eric, he and Bo stand up for him. They even go to comfort him in his hiding hole.
The Mighty Sven
Voiced by: Hank Azaria (second film), Nolan North (second video game)
A puffin who's hyped up by Lovelace as a flying penguin. He quickly becomes Erik's idol.
- Chick Magnet
- Fake Ultimate Hero: While Sven is treated as an all mighty figure due to seemingly being a super-penguin, Sven later admits he is actually a not a powerful penguin, but a puffin who escaped his home and never wanted anyone to pity him.
- Friend to All Children: Sven shows a great fondness towards Erik. He even takes on a Papa Wolf mentality for the young penguin when he sees Erik is about to fall from a great height.
- Last of His Kind: Sven is the last surviving puffin of his homeland, which was destroyed by a volcano according to the novelization.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: He has the colorful beak of an Atlantic puffin, but also has the blonde tufts of a tufted puffin.
- Nice Guy: Despite the fact that he lied about being a penguin, he does help out Mumble a lot and never seems to be malicious.
- He also tries to give good advice to Erik and even helps Ramon find love despite Ramon making fun of him earlier.
- Token Flyer: He is the only character on good terms with the penguins who can fly.
- Trauma Button: Discovering the humans eating chicken severely traumatizes Sven, causing him to believe they ate any birds, including his own species. Seeing them again later on causes Sven to freeze up in terror and hide behind an iceberg.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Sven stops participating in the events of the plot once the humans are approached for help, as he doesn't trust humans after witnessing that that they eat birds. He never shares this information with anyone, leaving his story arc feeling slightly unfinished.
Will and Bill
Two krill who function as the comic relief of the second movie.
- Ambiguously Gay: Bill is implied to have a thing for Will.
- Butt-Monkey: Both, more so at the start of the movie, but it gradually got better for them.
- Determinator: Will refuses to give up on his quest to move up in the food chain despite all the danger, and Bill's pleading.
- Fearless Fool: Will fits this to a tee near the beginning of the film, as he eagerly leaps into danger, ready to attack a seal hundreds of times larger than he is without fear for his own safety.
- I Just Want to Be Special: Will wants to be "one in a krillion".
- Wacky Wayside Tribe: No other character ever learns of their existence; they simply have a long-running subplot which only barely interacts with the events and themes of the film.
Carmen
Voiced by: Sofía Vergara (second film)
A gorgeous adelie, and Ramon's love interest.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Towards Ramon who she at first (not entirely incorrectly) sees as nothing but a hopeless loser. She eventually warms up to him.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Almost all the penguins surrounding her look towards her direction when she makes her presence known.
- Informed Attractiveness: Ramon considers her a very beautiful penguin, but she really doesn’t look too different from the other adelie females seen throughout both movies.
- Satellite Love Interest: She is Ramon’s love interest, but has little defining traits of her own.
Bryan the Beachmaster
Voiced by: Richard Carter (second film), Steve Blum (second video game)
A powerful beachmaster elephant seal.
- Ascended Extra: Not as a character, but his voice actor had a very minor role as an elephant seal in the first film. He is also the first elephant seal with a major role, as the ones in the first movie were just minor characters seen in one part of the movie when Mumble, Lovelace, and the Amigos were passing through their territory.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: He is a temperamental elephant seal who is shown to be a fierce fighter, but he is very affectionate towards his two sons.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Doesn't care much for the penguins and can be agressive and arrogant, but also cares for his kids and does come around to help others.
- Large and in Charge: He is a truly impressive specimen and has the muscle to earn his role as the Beachmaster.
- Reused Character Design: He has the same design as Barry, one of the elephant seals Mumble comes across in the first movie. As mentioned above, he is even voiced by the same actor.
