Angry Feet
November 28th, 2006 | by Jersey McJones |Well, it looks like there are some in the blogosphere who are not at keen on moral plays for children. Happy Feet tops the box office again this week and conquers the Thanksgiving movie crush this year, and there’s a few people out there who are not at all happy about this.
Jared, over at Spreeblog, doesn’t care much for messages about individuality, bigotry, and the responsibilities of man…
…Sadly, the film took a huge dive to garbage very quickly after.
…Do little children need to be force-fed an anti-parable about the evils of the Right?
…What’s worse are the cut scenes shown next of people in board rooms discussing how humanity is destroying this creature’s ecosystem and what can we do to stop it?
…This is a children’s film and the creators should be ashamed of themselves.”
Oh, how dare those liberal Hollywood animators tell a story with a moral or two! I suppose Dr. Suess, Aesop, the Brothers Grim, and Mother Goose were all part of the liberal brainwashing cult throughout the ages - the Liberalmasons!
Shirah (no relation to He-Man, I presume) over at unbossed is apparently sympathetic to the anatagonists in the plot…
An Inconvenient Penguin - The Most Subversive Movie Around
The trailer for Happy Feet would make you think that this is just a fluffy cute animated picture about a cute misfit.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Oh no! You mean it’s not just an hour and 40 minutes of tapdancing penguins! How disappointing!
…This is a movie whose themes include:
* A population held in thrall by a fire-breathing, fundamentalist leader who tells them they must suffer in this life or risk the wrath of the Almighty Being a/k/a The Great Guin.
* A group that ostracizes one of its youth who is different, if you know what I mean, despite pleas that it is not his fault, he was born different, and can’t we please have some tolerance.
* Horrifying scenes of penguins pushed to the brink of starvation by the environmental misdeeds of, well, people. Far worse than anything that happened to Bambi.
…It wasn’t too far into the film that I found myself thinking: How the hell did they ever get this one made?
Gee, “Shirah,” I don’t know… could it be that fundamentalist theocrats, bigotry, and greed are in fact BAD things?
…In fact, I think this film has the capacity to turn the under 10 set into steadfast environmentalists who are intolerant of intolerance…
Wait a minute. I’m confused. If you are “tolerant” (which is a good thing, right?) than how can you be tolerant of intolerance? Is that not an oxymoron?
And Jon Westfall (I assume) over at JonWestfall.com says simply (and this is the entirety of it):
Cute, yet extremely angering
I wonder what angered him… maybe he just hates tapdancing.
I haven’t seen the film yet. I’ll wait for it on DVD. I haven’t been in an animated film frame of mind lately. But, from what I understand it’s a feast for the eyes, it’s got plenty of Robin Williams, and it’s main points seem to make for a nice moral play for kids this holiday season. For the Scrooges out there, I guess it’ll just make ‘em inconveniently uncomfortable. I feel sorry for their kids.
JMJ
17 Responses to “Angry Feet”
By ken grandlund on Nov 27, 2006 | Reply
I don’t really enjoy movie theaters much, but maybe for this one, I’ll bite and take my 7 year old instead of waiting for the rentals. Sounds like this is one animated kid flick I can support with dollars at the door.
thanks for the tip, as from the trailers, I wasn’t too impressed.
By Jersey McJones on Nov 27, 2006 | Reply
Just so you know, Ken, the film is rated pg because there’s some scary and depressing content.
JMJ
By Froenx on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
man.. people are getting this upset over a CG movie?
Get a grip!
By SteveIL on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Get the DVD for Cars. Great movie.
By Jersey McJones on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Ya’ know, SteveIL, I heard Cars was a little on the vacuus side. Something more just for little boys who like cars and not much else. No?
JMJ
By Tom Baker on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
JMJ
Good find. I think the actual movie was a little heavy handed, even though I enjoyed. However, it’s really hard to argue that 1. we are not destroying their environment and 2. it’s up to us to fix it. If that message gets across to my 6 year old son, it’s worth the overtly political message.
Frankly if the people in the right don’t like the message, they should F**** look in the mirror.
By SteveIL on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Jersey said,
No.
By Jersey McJones on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Hm. I’ll have to check it out.
JMJ
By frstlymil on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Wow. If this is how angry they get over HAPPY FEET - just imagine how incensed they will be when they watch the annual repeat of Rankin-Bass’s “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” this year. Hmmm. That Island of Misfit Toys and Herby the Dentist ought to have them tearing their hair out. And that Rudolph - messages about different people being ostrasized who go on to do great things despite everyone’s ignorance. Heavens to Betsy. Where will it end? I say we just cancel Christmas altogether. That whole message of love and tolerance that Jesus spoke of is just a bunch of liberal propaganda. Oh wait. If we cancel Christmas that might hurt the economy. Never mind.
By Dusty on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Media Matters has a nice article up about the same thing except how it relates to the Talking Heads on the right over at Faux and CNN. You can view it here.
By Jersey McJones on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Yeah, those Fox schmucks hated Happy Feet.
JMJ
By The Fat Lady Sings on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
You know - I was thinking of ‘Rudolph’ when I first heard the religo-fascists were dissing ‘Happy Feet’. Intolerance is, after all, their motto – that and they see gay people everywhere. I mean - Herbie has to be gay, right? And all those misfit toys? Just metaphors for all those Mexicans the minutemen want to drown in the Rio Grande. The ‘Happy Feet’ penguins? Who cares? The morality police could give a good god-damn that the only penguins their kids will be able to see in 20 years will be the ones in zoos. If I didn’t feel sorry for these idiots’ children – I have a good laugh.
By Dusty on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Yo, FLS..I see your point and raise you this one..
The self-centered rightwingers also don’t give a rats ass that this war is bankrupting our country and their kids and grandkids will be paying for it.
By Jimmy on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Sounds like an entertaining film. I’ll have to go see it.
You know what I don’t get about anti-environment people? I don’t get that they don’t seem to understand that they will benefit from clean air and water as well. Environmental awareness is for the general well-being of everyone.
Because where else are we going to go if we screw this place up?
By Dusty on Nov 28, 2006 | Reply
Jimmy..I think Bush figures the “Rapture” will hit before too long and they won’t have to worry about it.
By Froenx on Nov 29, 2006 | Reply
“Ya’ know, SteveIL, I heard Cars was a little on the vacuus side. Something more just for little boys who like cars and not much else. No?”
So? It’s a movie about a race car and his drive to the top. Were you expecting some deeper meaning to it?
By Jersey McJones on Nov 29, 2006 | Reply
Eh. I have no interest in race cars.
JMJ