Achieving on computer what it took the makers of March Of The Penguins a year of frostbite to capture in reality, George Miller's beautifully animated 'toon is eye-popping proof that Pixar doesn't have the monopoly on this fast-evolving artform. And while it's not exactly the "new phase in cinema" that voice artiste Brittany Murphy would have us believe it is, this jolly tale of a tap-dancing pingu – the lonely Mumble, voiced by Elijah Wood - who sets out to save the Antarctic has a plot and soundtrack robust enough to compensate for the inevitable tedious eco-message.
DVD Extras:
One for Al Gore then, though even he'd be disappointed by a substandard selection of extras that places undue emphasis of Savion Glover's motion-cap hoofing, the source for Mumbles on screen skills. Still, a deleted scene featuring Steve Irwin as an albatross telling Mumble to "enjoy life while you can" comes now with an eerily prophetic resonance, while Murphy's rendition of Queen's 'Somebody To Love' does Freddie Mercury proud.
