The Cute Kids

During lunch today, Zoe and I were talking about something and where it was. I know, it's vague, but go with me on this.

"Is it on your tummy?" I asked.

Zoe lifts up her shirt and looks at me.

"No, it's my bellybutton." she answers.

"Oh."

She pulls down her shirt.

"It's hiding."

Then she covers her eyes.

"1, 2, 3..."

Playing hide and seek with her belly button has to be the funnest game I can think of.

And tonight, we decided to go to "Happy Feet", an animated penguin flick that has a rather heavy dose of environmentalism and scary carnivores, to make up for not going to Zoolights. The kids were pretty good during the whole movie, though Alex had to be reminded time and again that we had to speak quietly during the movie.

Zoe was talking through one of the parts, and I told her that we have to watch the movie and had to be quiet.

She expressed minor whininess and said, "Hey, I talking to Alex. Hey..."

But she was pretty good throughout.

Alex was very much into the movie, and here are a couple spoilers - if you don't intend to find out more about the movie, now is a good time to stop.

So the penguins refers to humans as "aliens", and this is referenced throughout the movie. Anyway, during the third act, some humans fly in on a helicopter and they emerge themselves to the penguins, looking rather like, well, humans.

But Alex sees them and he says, "WOW. ALIENS."

Talk about immersive empathy.

Anyway, this flick is rated PG, and I honestly think that though it isn't a bad movie, it fell a little short for me. I think some of the parts are a little too scary, a little preachy, and really, I wouldn't have minded if the whole movie was about the dancing and singing. I was getting a pretty good vibe off of that. I think I wouldn't have minded if this film had little peril in it, and just had the comedy. But I suppose that would make it more adult-oriented.

And Robin Williams is fine in it, though he can't really voice two characters who interact with each other. There's not enough distinction to really tell them apart. Other than that, there is some dubious racial stereotyping, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Beautiful film, a nice decision to incorporate real world footage into the animated flick.

Recommended, though for the older kids.