"Happy Feet" opens wide today and at both of Pittsburgh's IMAX theaters.

By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Several years before "March of the Penguins" brought public awareness to the birds of Antarctica, Australian director George Miller had hatched his own penguin movie, one that was destined to be even more groundbreaking. Combining top computer imagery technicians, photographers, singers, dancers and a cast of top film stars, Miller made an animated movie that puts other computer-generated films to shame.

		'Happy Feet' Starring: Voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams. Director: George Miller. Rating: PG for some mild peril and rude humor. Web site: www.happyfeet movie.com

"Happy Feet" is a technological marvel. With some 6 million individual feathers on an individual penguin, it looks as if you could run your fingers through them. Using a "photo-reality" technique, in which real dancers are filmed and animation mimics their moves, the ice sheet becomes a giant disco.

But take a closer look at that ice sheet, at the ice cliffs surrounding the characters, at the sky and the waves and the rocks on the icy shore, and look closely at the featherless, wingless creatures who the penguins find are netting all of their fish. Are they photographs of the real thing or CGI? It's hard to tell. Remarkable, world-class imagery puts "Happy Feet" at the top of the animation pecking order.

The story tugs at all the right heart strings and triggers an adrenaline rush with vivid action sequences, but it twists and turns a few too many times, particularly for audiences under 10. "Happy Feet" follows the life of Mumble, a hatchling who can't sing. That's important to his colony of majestic Emperor penguins, who find their mates among tens of thousands of other birds by identifying their individual songs. Without a singing voice, how will Mumble ever find true love?

Mumble's got one thing going for him: He can dance. Boy, can that fluffy little guy dance -- courtesy of motion-capture artistry performed by tap dancer extraordinaire Savion Glover.

This is the first place where Miller's marvel begins to go south. Suddenly, "Happy Feet" breaks into a film musical in which contemporary covers of songs by Prince, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Queen and others advance the story line.

Unappreciated, Mumble wanders alone over the ice sheet and discovers another species of penguins who really dig his moves. They take him under their wings and introduce Mumble to a wise old penguin guru who claims to have met the featherless, wingless "aliens" who adorned him with a strange necklace -- a plastic six-pack holder.

Hence, the movie's second misadventure. "Happy Feet" takes a sharp environmentalist turn when Mumble, his new friends and the guru set off to find the polluting, fish-hoarding humans. After so many zigs, it's one too many zags in an overly complex story line that includes vivid adventure, an awkward romance, animated choreography, elements of musical theater and an environmental message -- a lot of ground to cover for the director of "Babe."

Nevertheless, "Happy Feet" will be remembered for its animation breakthroughs and fine voicing by a cast that includes Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The film opens wide today, and at both of Pittsburgh's IMAX theaters -- Carnegie Science Center and Cinemark Pittsburgh Mills.