George Miller, the director of the Mad Max films, directed this film. What a sharp contrast these films have. This film has a crazy star-studded cast. Go ahead and scroll up and see all the big-name actors they got to voice in this movie. The motion capture technology they used for the film was revolutionary for the time. Not all of it holds up as looking real, but it all still looks good.
Although the technology and context of the film may be impressive, the actual story is far from it. Mumble is a penguin who likes to dance. The other penguins don't like to dance, they only like to sing. Seems odd to have those two very similar hobbies create such a sharp divide. It would be like a group of people who like to eat potato chips, but they despise the people who like to eat chips with dip. But due largely to Mumble's dancing, he is seen as an outcast to the rest of the penguins. Then the same "just be yourself" message shines through and everyone learns to accept him for who he is.
At about an hour 20 minutes into this hour 48-minute movie, a big reveal happens that completely changes the focus of the movie. I remember when this first came out, this shift really upset a lot of people. I mean, looking back the fact that it was leading there should have been obvious. But given the flow and focus of the narrative, the change seems to come out of nowhere.
I think the movie is now remembered more as the dancing penguin movie. But at the time, it was seen as a bait and switch for audience members.
A lot of the movie feels like filler, especially when you look back and think about what the movie was trying to teach. The jukebox musical style doesn't work for me in this film. The ending feels like it is a parody of these types of stories, but it is doing it 100% sincere. The voice acting is fine, but it is clear that the casting was interested first in getting a big name, and second on who would fit the role.
In the end, this movie does not make me very happy.
Although the technology and context of the film may be impressive, the actual story is far from it. Mumble is a penguin who likes to dance. The other penguins don't like to dance, they only like to sing. Seems odd to have those two very similar hobbies create such a sharp divide. It would be like a group of people who like to eat potato chips, but they despise the people who like to eat chips with dip. But due largely to Mumble's dancing, he is seen as an outcast to the rest of the penguins. Then the same "just be yourself" message shines through and everyone learns to accept him for who he is.
At about an hour 20 minutes into this hour 48-minute movie, a big reveal happens that completely changes the focus of the movie. I remember when this first came out, this shift really upset a lot of people. I mean, looking back the fact that it was leading there should have been obvious. But given the flow and focus of the narrative, the change seems to come out of nowhere.
I think the movie is now remembered more as the dancing penguin movie. But at the time, it was seen as a bait and switch for audience members.
A lot of the movie feels like filler, especially when you look back and think about what the movie was trying to teach. The jukebox musical style doesn't work for me in this film. The ending feels like it is a parody of these types of stories, but it is doing it 100% sincere. The voice acting is fine, but it is clear that the casting was interested first in getting a big name, and second on who would fit the role.
In the end, this movie does not make me very happy.