Post by Carla on Oct 5, 2006 14:40:19 GMT
USATODAY.com
Pirates slashed, fashionistas clashed and superheroes soared.
But a certain something was missing from the 2006 summer
moviegoing experience.
Something black and white and cuddly all over.
Namely, awww-inducing penguins.
Last year was waddle nirvana with the hot doc March of the
Penguins and those stealthy stowaways in the animated hit
Madagascar. This year, however, there's been a dearth of mirth
from Antarctica.
But George Miller, the man who made pigs talk in the Babe films,
will unveil a chorus line of tuxedoed birds when his HappyFeet
dances into theaters Nov. 17. The Aussie filmmaker offers a few
tidbits about his cartoon adventure, in the works long before
those marching penguins made a box-office splash:
•An idea is hatched. Miller first thought of doing a film about
emperor penguins after seeing the BBC documentary Life in the
Freezer. "I had no idea what extraordinary creatures they were.
It was a chance to look at how individuals in a community can't
survive without depending on one another." He says Warner
Bros. chief Alan Horn bought the French-made March "because he
had seen our footage and was sensitized to how interesting
penguins were." The sale also allowed the studio to space out
the release dates.
•A high-tech fable is born.Happy Feet uses both computer and
stop-motion animation to tell the story of misfit Mumble (voiced
by Elijah Wood), whose lack of singing ability hampers his search
for a mate. Instead, he has a knack for tap. "You can't train a
penguin to dance," Miller says. "Animation was the only way to
do it." Taking cues from Weta Digital's Gollum in the Lord of the
Rings trilogy, the director hired Broadway's Savion Glover to do
Mumble's moves — with metallic taps replaced by the sound of a
penguin's toenails.
•A musical is found. Miller's fantasy somehow evolved into a
tuneful extravaganza — or "an accidental musical," as he calls it.
Instead of a distinctive squawk to attract a partner, as they use
in nature, these penguins have their own signature pop hits to
warble. Everything from The Beatles and the Beach Boys to
Queen and Stevie Wonder is sung by such actors as Brittany
Murphy (Somebody to Love) and Robin Williams (whose pint-size
Adelie penguin croons My Way in Spanish).
•A Prince is charmed Hugh Jackman, as Mumble's Elvis-inflected
dad Memphis, and Nicole Kidman, as his Marilyn-inspired mom
Norma Jean, perform Prince's Kiss. But Miller wanted to change a
lyric or two, and had to ask permission. "We got a denial. Prince
said no." But then Warner Bros. decided to show His Purpleness
the movie. "Not only did he allow us to change the lyrics," Miller
says, but "he said, 'I want to write a song.' It inspired him."