SoA: I have to apologize too for engaging in ‘semantics’. Most people don’t mean what they say, although there are some who don’t think before they say. But you’re certainly not the latter!
definedancing: I suppose Happy Feet did kind of knock the audience over the head with the environmental theme, but then it’s not the first (watch ‘Ferngully: The Last Rainforest’ or any Captain Planet episode). Of course, this doesn’t excuse it from following the mistake of its predecessors, but I don’t think it’s such a bad message to be teaching kids. I would get angry if they said ‘let’s pollute the oceans and overfish to the point of penguin extinction’, so I’m glad they had something to say, if only it was delivered a little heavy-handed.
Over The Hedge was more subtle in its approach, by letting us the viewers observe American suburban sprawl and its encroachment upon wildlife habitats, through the eyes of the native animals. The film was based on a comic strip, which happens to be one of my favourite, again because of its gentle observations and nuanced humour.
And of course, Wall-E does it best by not focusing on the environmental aspect, but rather, as a motif for society’s waste and being unappreciative of natural beauty, by letting us see the consequences of our unbridled actions.
STILL, I enjoyed Happy Feet for the dance numbers and cutting-edge technology in its time. Just my two cents.
It’s a pity that some folks don’t appreciate Cars as much as we do (It was the film that started my love affair with Pixar). Some folks have different tastes, and I’ve learnt it’s no use getting hung up if someone doesn’t share the same view as we do. We can’t change everyone’s mind (although we might try to influence or persuade them).
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Whoopsy-daisy, sorry about my misunderstanding! In that case, Happy Feet is an award-winning film, but as to whether it will be an award-winning franchise, that can only be confirmed if the sequel wins the Oscar next year.