Happy Feet -just Another Hollywood Agenda Movie.

[Veritas]

+

I was really excited to see Happy Fee from the previews. Usually I read the USCCB report before going to see movies, but this time I didn't. I ended-up leaving the movie before it finished because it was so offensive -serves me right I suppose for giving Hollywood the benefit of the doubt!

My review:

While the animation was beautiful, many of the songs fun, and the singing fantastic, morally attuned individuals and families will find it inappropriate. Several songs and "dance moves" are overtly inappropriate in their casual and pumped-up sexuality (think MTV night club). In addition, the dialogue and overarching theme attempts to villify and demoralize the basic tenents of religious beliefs. Equally disturbing is use of moral relativism analogous with the homosexual agenda -in many ways, this film seems a pawn for those individuals and that agenda. I do not recommend this film and am personally sorry to have contributed to it financially by having seen it.

Next time, I'm waiting to hear the review!

Blessings,
V

other thoughts?

[Dudette]

I saw it tonight. There was one part that I didn't like (Lovelace starts to leave his place with the women penguins.) I agree that some of the dance 'moves' weren't good, but only some. I think there was too much emphasis on his being "weird" than his being "accepted" in the end because of what he did.

The storyline isn't really all [i]that[/i] great. It was funny, but I don't think it was as good as Madagascar or Ice Age (Ice Age still is no.1 in my book).

But you know, I heard that same thing being said for Shrek, that's why I haven't seen the 2nd one yet. I heard there were quite a few morally offensive things in there. I think most animated features are becoming like that nowadays, they are directed more to adults then they are to children. If I had any children, I wouldn't have let them see this movie, that is for sure.

You actually left the theatre before it was finished? Whoa, I didn't think it that offensive! Now I might have done that in Borat, but not this movie.

Edited November 23, 2006 by Dudette

[Sojourner]

I haven't seen it and probably won't see it ... animated features (by and large) are not my thing. But, when I went onto [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366548/usercomments"]IMDB [/url]to check out their reviews, I found that Happy Feet was chosen as a [url="http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/"]Truly Moving Picture[/url] by [url="http://www.heartlandfilmfestival.org/2006/"]Heartland Film Festival[/url]. Here's what the reviewer had to say:

[quote]I saw this film on October 2nd, 2006 in Indianapolis. I am one of the judges for the Heartland Film Festival's Truly Moving Picture Award. A Truly Moving Picture "…explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Heartland gave that award to this film.

It's not easy being a young penguin when you can't sing and singing well is how you find your one true soul mate. The mating happens when young couples are attracted to each other's own rendition of their heart song. And to make matters even worse, the young penguin, Mumble, is a natural tap dancer, which is not appreciated by his parents or his teachers or the penguin colony. And to top it all off, there is a shortage of fish and no one knows why.

The unhappy young Mumble runs into 5 small Latino penguins from another penguin colony and the adventure takes off. The story line cuts back and forth between the fish shortage environmental mystery and Mumble's attempt to be attractive to Gloria, his love interest. Along the way he runs into penguin eating birds and penguin eating mammals and almost alien-like man made machines.

This is a musical comedy animation and the songs are classic rock and the dance routines are Broadway-theater clever and these songs and dances never stop throughout the film.

Mumble is a loser in the eyes of his peers, and feels a lot of pain. But he is also heroic and brave and optimistic and he never gives up. Those traits do not let him down. Mumble can pass on an important message to young people. It's your attitude that can carry you through successfully in life. It is not always about physical attributes and physical beauty.

Robin Williams voices Ramon, one of the small Latino penguins, and also Lovelace, the film-flam psychic of the Latino penguin colony. Robin Williams' two characters are over the top which is perfect for the normally over the top Robin Williams. This comedic element keeps the film from taking its adult themes too seriously.

FYI – There is a Truly Moving Pictures web site where there is a listing of past Truly Moving Picture Award winners that are now either at the theater or available on video.[/quote].
Now, I'll reiterate that I have not and won't see this movie, but I have a huge amount of respect for Heartland. I've gone to the festival for several years and been impressed by the group's dedication to encouraging and highlighting quality movies. I know the executive director of the organization, in passing ... he goes to my former church. The fact that this movie was chosen as a Truly Moving Picture speaks quite highly of it, in my book.

And, the USCCB was not nearly as harsh on it as Veritas was; you can check the review [url="http://www.usccb.org/movies/h/happyfeet.shtml"]here[/url].

[Fixxxer]

walking out on this movie cause it was offensive

[Veritas]

[quote name='Sojourner' post='1126606' date='Nov 23 2006, 01:51 AM']
I haven't seen it and probably won't see it ... animated features (by and large) are not my thing. But, when I went onto [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366548/usercomments"]IMDB [/url]to check out their reviews, I found that Happy Feet was chosen as a [url="http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/"]Truly Moving Picture[/url] by [url="http://www.heartlandfilmfestival.org/2006/"]Heartland Film Festival[/url]. Here's what the reviewer had to say:

.
Now, I'll reiterate that I have not and won't see this movie, but I have a huge amount of respect for Heartland. I've gone to the festival for several years and been impressed by the group's dedication to encouraging and highlighting quality movies. I know the executive director of the organization, in passing ... he goes to my former church. The fact that this movie was chosen as a Truly Moving Picture speaks quite highly of it, in my book.

And, the USCCB was not nearly as harsh on it as Veritas was; you can check the review [url="http://www.usccb.org/movies/h/happyfeet.shtml"]here[/url].
[/quote]

I'm not familiar with Heartland... who are they?

[Veritas]

[quote name='Sojourner' post='1126606' date='Nov 23 2006, 01:51 AM']
I haven't seen it and probably won't see it ... animated features (by and large) are not my thing. But, when I went onto [url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366548/usercomments"]IMDB [/url]to check out their reviews, I found that Happy Feet was chosen as a [url="http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/"]Truly Moving Picture[/url] by [url="http://www.heartlandfilmfestival.org/2006/"]Heartland Film Festival[/url]. Here's what the reviewer had to say:

.
Now, I'll reiterate that I have not and won't see this movie, but I have a huge amount of respect for Heartland. I've gone to the festival for several years and been impressed by the group's dedication to encouraging and highlighting quality movies. I know the executive director of the organization, in passing ... he goes to my former church. The fact that this movie was chosen as a Truly Moving Picture speaks quite highly of it, in my book.

And, the USCCB was not nearly as harsh on it as Veritas was; you can check the review [url="http://www.usccb.org/movies/h/happyfeet.shtml"]here[/url].
[/quote]

I'm not familiar with Heartland... who are they?

[quote name='Fixxxer' post='1126625' date='Nov 23 2006, 03:42 AM']
walking out on this movie cause it was offensive
[/quote]

Yes. I don't go to a lot of movies, so I'm pretty sensitive. Then again, always have been I look for the messages, and this one, to me, wasn't a good one. I'll tell ya, I REALLY wanted to like it! Oh, well.

And Sojourner, if the themes highlighted by Heartland had been palpable to me, I'm sure it would have been a great movie. Unfortunatley, I didn't see any of that. Instead, the Heartland reviewer seems to have glossed-over all the objectional content points (and there were a lot of them -especially in the middle) I (and the USCCB) have made.

Hey, it's just my opinion though -not canon law.

Edited November 23, 2006 by Veritas

[Dudette]

I checked out the USCCB review and I saw nothing that was really objectional. *shrug*

[fonebone]

If you want a good laugh, see Flushed Away. It's hilarious! I laughed pretty much all the way through!

[Funky_R]

I completely agree with Veritas on Happy Feet, I was excited by the previews, especially because I love penguin movies, but I found this film to be very inappropriate and by the end I wanted to get out of the theater as fast as I could.

I wanted a light-hearted film to see on Thanksgiving - instead I get exactly as Veritas put it - a Hollywood agenda. Just watch the ads if you want the fun little dancing penguins - then go see another movie.

God Bless,
Randall

[philosophette]

Although I thought that there was an obvious agenda in the movie, i did not think that the themes relating to religion were offensive at all, but that is just me. They seemed to be more along the lines of "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath".

But all of my friends tell me I have a very innocent brain, so I am probably missing the more offensive parts.

[DangerBoy]

Happy Feet = Cute..... if your not a Catholic

[underOATH]

[quote name='fonebone' post='1126672' date='Nov 23 2006, 12:21 PM']
If you want a good laugh, see Flushed Away. It's hilarious! I laughed pretty much all the way through!
[/quote]

Dude you like homestar I am totally off subject but yo dude Homestarrunner is "friggin Hilarious" as homestar would say and then strong bad would probly say "holy carp this is awesome" and then pom pom would say "*pop* blub* pop*pop*bubble*glub*"

[Dudette]

[quote name='philosobrat' post='1126827' date='Nov 23 2006, 06:05 PM']
Although I thought that there was an obvious agenda in the movie, i did not think that the themes relating to religion were offensive at all, but that is just me. They seemed to be more along the lines of "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath".

But all of my friends tell me I have a very innocent brain, so I am probably missing the more offensive parts.
[/quote]

Well, I'm not entirely seeing the "hollywood agenda" either. So....

[philosophette]

[quote name='Once Was Lost' post='1126865' date='Nov 23 2006, 07:48 PM']
Happy Feet = Cute..... if your not a Catholic
[/quote]

Wow.

I admit, there is a lot of evil out there, but I think there are bigger issues in life than deriding movies which are not obviously evil (dancing penguins?! come on.) like the poverty we are surrounded by, the fact that the job market stinks, and the high cost of education.

I think, and this might just be me, that if one looks hard enough, they can find evil almost anywhere.

Yes, there was innuendo, but children are mostly oblivious to that. I watched all kinds of Disney movies that I saw as a kid and now notice things that as a child flew completely over my head.

I walked away from the movie feeling, well, happy. I liked it. I think that it pointed out how people sometimes misinterpret the will of the great "guin" and try to control society in ways that were never intended. It happens, probably more than we realize.

The Church is human and if we can relate this movie to it at all, it shows that in spite of being made up of imperfect beings who misinterpret God's will, it is still possible to have a healthy, growing, dynamic, happy feet-dancing community.

[bx_racer]

[quote name='philosobrat' post='1126914' date='Nov 23 2006, 08:57 PM']
Wow.

I admit, there is a lot of evil out there, but I think there are bigger issues in life than deriding movies which are not obviously evil (dancing penguins?! come on.) like the poverty we are surrounded by, the fact that the job market stinks, and the high cost of education.

I think, and this might just be me, that if one looks hard enough, they can find evil almost anywhere.

Yes, there was innuendo, but children are mostly oblivious to that. I watched all kinds of Disney movies that I saw as a kid and now notice things that as a child flew completely over my head.

I walked away from the movie feeling, well, happy. I liked it. I think that it pointed out how people sometimes misinterpret the will of the great "guin" and try to control society in ways that were never intended. It happens, probably more than we realize.

The Church is human and if we can relate this movie to it at all, it shows that in spite of being made up of imperfect beings who misinterpret God's will, it is still possible to have a healthy, growing, dynamic, happy feet-dancing community.
[/quote]

hmm, that was put nicely
you have a point