Happy Feet

Even in a story about penguins, diversity is lacking -- the vast majority of main characters are male, while the two significant female characters are lusted after and somewhat objectified. The female penguins' shape suggests they have breasts and cleavage. Stereotypes include Latin-coded penguins caricatured as party-loving and sexually energetic. A penguin coded as Black comes across as an oversexed, fundamentalist preacher. Two of these characters are voiced by Robin Williams putting on exaggerated accents, reflecting a lack of diversity among the cast. Disability is touched upon but never explicitly clarified -- Mumble is simply referred to as "different."

The penguins are attacked by scary elephant seals. They must face cold and blizzards. ​​Seabirds threaten to eat baby Mumble, pinning him down, then leaving him shivering in an ice hole. A large Emperor penguin slaps a smaller Adelie penguin. Peril when killer whales try to catch the penguins; Lovelace is dragged under water, and then they're all pursued by the whales. Upsetting scene when Mumble is trapped inside a zoo and hallucinates seeing his family and friends.

Sexy talk and suggestive behavior throughout is open to interpretation -- it may seem racy to an adult but will go over most kids' heads. Strong focus on penguins finding a mate, with the associated implications of finding one another sexually attractive. They must sing a unique "heart song" in order to find a mate -- these are all pop songs, many with lyrics that include references to making love, being turned on. Female penguins' shape suggests they have breasts and cleavage. Adelie penguin banter objectifies the females; one thrusts his hips at the "chicas." Lovelace has a group of adoring female singers; they follow him as he says, "Who's first?" Mumble bumps into another penguin's private parts. Reference to male penguins not wanting to hug each other. Some innuendoes from a male penguin about female penguins wanting him.

"Freakin'," reference to kissing penguins' butts. "Shut up," "fatty," "idiot," "fool," "go forth and multiply."

Parents need to know that Happy Feet is an appealing animated film with catchy music and largely positive messages alongside some suggestive content. There's sexy talk and suggestive behavior throughout, which the movie justifies through the plotline of penguins seeking mates. Much of this will likely go over most kids' heads, but it could lead to some uncomfortable moments. The movie also deals with environmental themes related to humans intruding on natural habitats but avoids the heavy-duty questions of how to solve the problem. Some of the chase sequences and elephant seal scenes might be scary for younger kids. Also, stereotyping comes into play: Latin-coded penguins are caricatured as party-loving animals, and a penguin coded as Black comes across as an oversexed, fundamentalist preacher. Still, the movie's messages of integrity, social acceptance, and embracing your own uniqueness shine through.

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