Unlike the other Emperor penguins, Mumble's heartsong comes from his tapping feet rather than his beak. - Contributed

NEW YORK (AP):

Like the classic animated Disney movies from decades ago, such as Bambi or Dumbo, Happy Feet isn't afraid to get a little serious. It isn't afraid to mix in some substance with its style.

That's also precisely what makes it so different from the inordinately large number of computer-animated movies that have come storming into theatres this year, despite the fact that superficially it may look so similar. You've got your all-star voice cast (Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Hugh Jackman), your soundtrack that's chock full of pop tunes (Prince, Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder), and, of course, your talking animals.

This time they're penguins and they're cute. Very, very cute.

A team of writers and artists vividly bring to life the penguins' mating process in Antarctica - the choosing of a partner; the laying of an egg; the long, agonising stretch in which the father protects it from blizzard conditions; and, the eventual return of the mother with food for the hatchling.

All that work, though, supports a story that has real meaning.

Young Mumble (Wood) is a little different from the rest of the penguins, the result of being briefly exposed to the elements while he was still in his shell. He's incapable of belting out his own unique song, something inside every penguin and something his parents both unquestionably possess.

The one talent he's had since day one, his dancing ability, is deemed weird. So the good-hearted Mumble is a total outcast.

He's not alone for long. Mumble quickly meets a bunch of Latino penguins who are wowed by his dance moves and want to hang out with him.

But he's still curious to find out what's happened to all the fish and he becomes even more suspicious after visiting Lovelace the guru, a soulful, wild-feathered penguin who provides only cryptic answers to his many questions.

Everything wraps up a bit too neatly at the end and the eco-friendly message may seem too pat. These are small things to forgive in what is otherwise easily the best animated film of the year.