Now I know you guys have been waiting for a new review for quite some time
and don't worry something huge is coming, but I thought I'd give you something short to tide you over.
So this review is about "Happy Feet" and I'm not destroying it -
even though some of you might want me to.
I'm actually here to talk about the symbolism that nobody seemed to notice.
At heart, Happy Feet is an extremely anti-religious movie.
And when I talk to people about that they're like: Whaaaat?
I've seen Mormon youth groups play this movie, and nobody thinks twice about what the symbolic implications are.
Why does everybody think they have to shut off their brains when they're watching a kids movie?
And although their "save the enviroment" message is more blatant,
I'd say the anti-religious message is much heavier.
So why was everybody only talking about the enviromental message in the film?
People were like "Ah! Propaganda!"
"Trying to teach kids not to steal all the fish from the ocean? Bleh, that's socialism!"
I thought it was like an animated "Inconvenient Truth."
I half-expected to see an animated version of Al Gore pop up.
You know what? I'd like to teach my children how to think for themselves about the issues.
Including global warming and the environment, instead of having them indoctrinated by some Hollywood director.
But I guess if they were going to have a pro-environment message anyway,
they might as well make fun of fundamentalist Christianity
You're only gonna offend the same crowd. So the movie starts out and right off the bat you know they're already using symbolism.
Even if it is just blatant references. It's no coincidence that the character that acts like Elvis is named Memphis.
But what winds up happening to him? All the male penguins are huddling around for warmth and then the elder is like
Praise to the great 'Guin who put songs in our hearts. And fish in our bellies!
[YMS] So they're religious. It shows the figure of their penguin God above them in the northern lights.
But what's most important is that directly after it shows Memphis thinking about his wife
and it's in the exact same way that the northern lights were all above the other penguins.
But this is in his head. So right off the bat it's implying that the God that they all worship is inside their heads.
Hm...
Later in the movie you find out that they have their own explanation for evolution.
[ELDER] A thousand generations ago, our forefathers forsook our wings for flappers.
You graduates going to sea for the first time, are to reap the benefits of their wise choice.
[YMS] Wait a minute, this looks kind of familiar.
Then it turns out that they blame the shortage of fish on some religious explanation.
[PENGUIN] Solay, what's keeping them?
Pray brothers, the great 'Guin does not test us with a lean season.
Why Noah? Have we not all been dutiful?
[YMS] The main character searches for answers on his own and comes across a completely
different culture where they have their own religious beliefs.
[PENGUIN] You want answers? -Yeah. That's all you need? -Yeah. Nothing else? -No. Then this is very easy. You go see Lovelace!
[YMS] In this one they give pebbles to a crazy televangelist. He's very clearly profiting off of their superstitions.
He's even speaking in tongues.
[LOVELACE] Speak to me, oh mystic beings!
[Lovelace babbling]
Yes! This, friend, is my sacred talisman.
[Singing] ♫ Talisman, talisman ♫
Bestowed on me by the mystic beings. -You saw mystic beings?
I hear them! They speak through me!
[YMS] And wouldn't you know it, later they reveal that he was just bullshitting the whole time.
You were swimming, and it just got caught around your neck?
Oh, no way, he's a guru!
Lovelace, did you ever actually meet a mystic being? Officially?
I knew it! It's all a lie. [YMS] It seems like the only antagonist penguins in the film are the ones who act extremely religious.
I mean the culture than the main character comes from is based around song. But he isn't born a singer, he's born a dancer.
And no matter how hard his society tries to mold him into the prepackaged idea of waht a penguin should be,
they can't change who he is at heart.
But of course the elders don't tolerate things that are different.
[PENGUINS] We're just having fun! Harmless fun! -Harmless? It is this kind of backsliding that has brought the scarcity upon us!
Uh, excuse me smiley, can you speak plain penguin please?
He thinks the food shortage has something to do with me.
Do you not understand that we can only survive here when we're in harmony?
You and your foreign friends lead us into your easy ways.
You offend the great 'Guin. You invite him to withhold his bounty!
He rules the seasons. - He giveth and he can taketh away.
[YMS] You can almost draw analogies from his tap dancing to homosexuality.
I mean they basically had a gay couple in the sequel.
[SHRIMP] We can start a little swarm of our own! -We're both males
We'll adopt! You adopt, I'll adapt.
[YMS] But then again it's not like gay rights are the only social issue the Catholic Church has been against.
So I guess the tap dancing is just supposed to represent anything progressive, 'cause by the end of it
they realize that rhythm and melody are two things that definitely go together.
Anyway I think the main message is this film is to be yourself even if it means questioning authority,
and that sometimes the easiest answers aren't always the right ones.
Anyway that's all I really have to say about "Happy Feet."
I hope you enjoyed my quick analysis of how much this movie hates religion.
Let me know if you wanna see any more short videos like these.
Maybe throw out something every once in a while where I actually talk good about something - like a real film critic.
Otherwise, I've got plenty in the filmbashing that you guys are used to that I'm working on right now.
Just hang in there.
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