History WesternAnimation / HappyFeet

** Common replaces Fat Joe as Seymour in the squeal.

* {{Shout Out}} possibly one to {{2001 A Space Odessy}} there's a penguin in the zoo who speaks in a monotonous voice, and calls Mumble "Dave". HAL, anyone?

A male emperor penguin named Mumble cannot sing like all others of his colony, but he can tap dance. The reason given is that his father, Memphis, dropped him as an egg. Separated from his colony, Mumble meets the Adelie Amigos, who later help him on a quest to get the fish back from "[[HumansAreCthulhu aliens]]" after he was thrown out of the Emperor Penguin colony by the elders.

* HumansAreCthulhu: We're the aliens, in case you haven't figured it out.

* DancePartyEnding: Knowing that the movie's about a dancing penguin, this is pretty much a given.

''Happy Feet'' is a highly [[IncrediblyLamePun polarizing]] CGI film from 2006 directed by George Miller. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2007.

* HoYay: In the sequel, between Bill and Will SO VERY MUCH. They don't even try to be ambiguous about it, either.

* AdultChild: Physically, Mumble is this. He behaves like an adult penguin, but is still mostly covered in downy baby fluff -- even after he has a son of his own. It's the penguin equivalent of a fully functioning 30 year old trapped in a giant onesie.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version uses [[http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16459826BpePHmXd "Hoshi wo Mezashite"]] by NEWS as the theme song. One of the singers voiced Mumble in the dub.

* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Rugrats}} Tommy Pickles]] is young Mumble.

* AspergerSyndrome: Mumble gives off this vibe - he's a loner, he's bad at something everyone's supposed to be good at, and he's good at something that mostly draws suspicion.
** Mumble's father dropped him as an egg. He cannot sing, and despite all the special lessons and encouragement from his parents, and despite how hard he tries, he never learns to sing.
** Mumble loves to tap-dance, which is 'just not penguin'. And despite trying to conform, he can't lose his obsession.
** Mumble's body never fully matures - people on the Autistic Spectrum generally appear much younger physically than they really are.
** Mumble's friends are Adelie penguins, who are looked down on by the Emperor Penguins for being 'immature'. Autistic people have trouble making friends their own age.
** Mumble doesn't seem to mind the jabs his Adelie friends make at him about his singing, because they think his dancing is cool, and don't shun him. Autistic children don't always mind jokes at their expense; just that their friends take an interest in their obsessions.

** [[PowerRangersJungleFury Guin]], [[NamesTheSame you say]]?

''Happy Feet'' is a highly [[AWorldwidePunomenon polarizing]] CGI film from 2006 directed by George Miller. Winner of the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2007.

* {{Spexico}}: With Penguins no less. The Adélie group with Ramon have Spanish/Mexican accents, and the [[AWorldwidePunomenon chicks]] they try to impress have Colombian accents.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version uses [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h48WYhbdHq0 "Hoshi wo Mezashite"]] by NEWS as the theme song. One of the singers voiced Mumble in the dub.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version uses [[http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16459826BpePHmXd "Hoshi wo Mezashite"]] by NEWS as the theme song. One of the singers voiced Mumble in the dub.

* TranslationConvention: And some FridgeBrilliance in one. Penguins tell their mates in colonies by their vocalizations, which humans can't readily distinguish differences in but that the penguins can. How to translate these subtle vocal variations into human terms? Have them sing!

* TranslationConvention: And some FridgeBrilliance in one. Penguins tell their mates in colonies by the voices, which humans can't distinguish but that the penguins can. How to translate these subtle vocal variations into human terms? Have them sing!

* TranslationConvention: And some FridgeBrillance in one. Penguins tell their mates in colonies by the voices, which humans can't distinguish but that the penguins can. How to translate these subtle vocal variations into human terms? Have them sing!

* EarnYourHappyEnding

On the other hand, some viewers have criticized the film's use of [[SerkisFolk motion-capture]], particularly during the dance sequences. Others have expressed dismay at the film's perceived {{Family Unfriendly Aesop}}s. There is perhaps no other animated film of the last decade where the phrase YourMileageMayVary fits better.

* GreenAesop: A rare example of an environmental message being very prominent and yet nowhere near the major point of the film - the human-caused depletion of the Antarctic fish is mostly a device to drive the plot. Still, [[YourMileageMayVary some found it]] to be {{Anvilicious}}.

* RevisedEnding: An early cut of the film involved a subplot regarding actual extraterrestrial aliens, whose presence was made gradually more and more known throughout. The aliens were planning to siphon off the planet's resources gradually, placing the humans in the same plight as the penguins. At the end, thanks to Mumbles, their hand is stayed, and instead first contact is made. This was chopped out during the last year of production, and has yet to see the light of day in a finished form. However, there is proof in the form of [[http://woodland-mattepainting.com/matte_painting_portfolio/content/Matte_Paintings_109_large.html concept art]], and this dropped plot helps explain the outer space motif that remains in the film. The film would've been somewhat longer, by extension.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The penguins seem to have a religion, complete with "the great Guin", and "only He has the power to give and take away." [[FridgeBrilliance If you take this further, this makes the Elephant Seals (who know the truth about the aliens) atheists.]]
** Uhm, no. An atheist is not someone that knows everything about the universe (and what is beyond); that would be God or a very, very advanced entity. Else, anyone knowing that a cargo cult is just delusion would be an atheist, even if he is of a different religion himself.
** There is also a scene where Mumble is trapped in a Zoo and the other penguins act like Mental Hospital patients. "You're in Heaven, Dave. Penguin Heaven" Also a ShoutOut to [[{{ptitleh3elkyxdypyw}} HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey]].
** Will and Bill's...''[[HoYay relationship]]'' in the sequel.

* FantasticRacism: Implied. The penguin elders call the Adélie penguins "filthy vermin."

* RogerRabbitEffect: Reversed, as it's human actors superimposed in the CG film.
** You know it's good when it's hard to tell.

* OhMyGods: The penguins' god is "the great Guin". In Happy Feet Two, Noah says "Mother of Guin".

* {{Spexico}}: With Penguins no less. The Adélie group with Ramon have Spanish/Mexican accents, and the [[AWorldwidePunomenon chics]] they try to impress have Colombian accents.