I saw the new animated/live action movie Happy Feet last night (not to be confused with Steve Martin's "happy feet") and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Actually, I wanted to see it ever since I found out Hugh Jackman was voicing one of the characters! He plays Memphis, Mumble the Penguin's father. True to his name, Memphis has a southern, Elvis-like drawl and sings like the King! Nicole Kidman plays his wife Norma Jean, and hence sings with a Marilyn Monroe-like voice.

Of course, Mumble can't sing (no reflection on Elijah Wood who voices him, I trust) a note but can only tap dance. Who knew it would be so much fun watching a computer animated penguin tap dance! Of course when the dancing is choreographed by the great Savion Glover (I loved him in BRING IN 'DA NOISE, BRING IN 'DA FUNK) who wouldn't love it! Apparently, using motion-capture techniques, the animators filmed Savion Glover's steps and then penguin-ized them. Very cool.

Robin Williams appears both as the Barry White-like Lovelace and also as one of Mumble's sidekicks, Ramon, and is in top "Genie" improvisational form -- very funny. I laughed all through the movie and left the theatre tap dancing (along with my two daughters, of course). There is lots of cool singing and dancing in the film, and I particularly liked the use of real humans instead of computer-animated humans.

Anybody for a flap-ball-change?

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