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MSU students love those animated animals by Laura Martin
When dancing penguins are more popular that spies, guns, and beautiful women it is clear that the movie business has taken a distinctively furry turn. Movies staring animated animals have become increasingly popular in the past few years, as Happy Feet dancing its way into the top spot has proven. With theaters currently featuring two animal movies, three more being released on DVD and several more reaching video stores within the next few months, the growing amount of furry celebrities does not seem to be slowing down. And Michigan State students seem to be there biggest fans. “I think that the reason they are so popular is because they appeal to the family setting, because a lot of the jokes that are for the adults too,” said MSU pre-veterinarian freshman Liz Jagenow. “The kids don’t get it, so that way the whole family can enjoy them together. I have seen a lot animal movies, including ‘Madagascar’ and ‘Ice Age’, and I would buy them.” “Happy Feet” a Warner Brothers film about an outcast penguin who finds his true talent through tap dancing, has been extremely popular since its release Nov. 17, beating the new James Bond movie “Casino Royale” for the highest grossing movie two weekends in a row. According to Box Office Mojo, “Happy Feet” has made $100.1 million in the ten days since its release, compared to “Casino’s” $94.2 million. “Happy Feet” merchandise has hit stores everywhere, with dancing stuffed penguins adorning the shelves of Target and Toys “R” Us. Even the employees at Blockbuster are already advertising the movie, wearing shirts and selling stuffed penguins in their store. MSU History sophomore Deidra Diebolt recently saw the movie and thought it was the underlying messages of the movie that made it so popular. “‘Happy Feet’ was a very entertaining movie, said Diebolt. “It’s fun for the entire family. It has messages about preserving the environment and being your self. Plus it’s awesome because it has dancing penguins that sing Prince. Adults will like it also because it has music from the 60’s and 70’s.” Though not quite as popular as “Happy Feet”, another animal movie is currently lighting up the big screen. According to Box Office Mojo, “Flushed Away”, a Paramount film about a city mouse who ends up lost in the sewers, has made over $57 million since its release on Nov. 3 Animal movies are equally popular on the small screen. “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown,” has been a hit since it came out on DVD Nov. 21. The movie is the story of pre-historic animals forming friendships as they try to escape the ice melting around them. According to Best Buy employee Kaley Pantazis, “Ice Age 2” was very popular in the Ann Arbor store, as customers bought out of all the copies on the shelves on the first release day. She stated that it continued to be extremely popular throughout the week, and many copies were sold the day after Thanksgiving. “Surprisingly, it wasn’t mostly kids and parents coming out to buy them, I’d say the average age of buying them was about 20. I guess that is because [animal movies] are funny, there cute, so a lot of people want them.” “Ice Age 2” was also very popular in the video rental stores. According to Saline Blockbuster employee Jamie Wallace, “Ice Age 2” was still completely rented out five days after it was released even thought the store had many copies. The store was also selling many “Ice Age 2” movies to buy, complete with a complementary “Ice Age 2” tin. Though the movie cost $21.99, there were not very many copies left in the store. Wallace said that though many of their customers are children, she has also found that many elderly people and teens rent them for themselves as well. MSU Journalism freshman Sarah Anderson is one of those teens. “I actually think that animal movies are entertaining for all ages and that they are fun to watch,” said Anderson. “My boyfriend and I actually just rented ‘Ice Age 2’ to watch again over break. We both think that it’s a good movie to watch to get a laugh, and those movies are never violent or too sexual, which is good. I think it’s a fun way to spend the evening.” According to Wallace, Blockbuster was also renting out many copies of another movie about furry friends. “Over the Hedge”, a comedy about the effects of humans on wildlife which was released to DVD on Oct. 17 has been quite popular according to Wallace. As of Nov. 19 there were only two copies left in the store for rental. According to Box Office Mojo, “Over the Hedge” grossed $25.54 million in video rentals as of Nov. 19. According to Hollywood Reporter online, the movie was a big seller the first week it was released onto DVD generating an estimated $65 million and rising to number one on the national DVD sales chart. However not everyone feels the same way about “Over the Hedge”. MSU Education junior Stephanie Jablonski, thought the movie did not live up to its expectations. “I did see ‘Over the Hedge’, but I really didn't like it,” said Jablonski. “I was kind of disappointed because I thought it was going to be a lot better. But it was kind of cheesy.” Cheesy or not, “Hedge” made over $193 million in theaters as well as selling many copies when it was released on DVD. Along with “Over the Hedge”, several other animal movies have recently come out onto DVD including, “The Wild” and “Chicken Little”. Both of these movies have done fairly well, both in theaters and out. Also expected to premier on DVD Nov. 28, is “The Ant Bully”, a story of a boy that turns into an ant, as well as “Barnyard: The Original Party Animals”, the story of what really goes on when the farmers aren’t looking, which is expected to premier on DVD Dec 12. The end of the year does not equal the end of the animal movie trend as “Open Season”, which made over $83 million in theaters according to Box Office Mojo, is expected to hit DVD in January. With all these animal movies coming out, MSU anthropology junior Erin Pullen feels that it is strange that society has chosen the outdoor creatures that humans often ignore as a form of entertainment. “I think that it is funny that in an age of consumption and consumerism that we’ve taken nature and commercialized it. But it may not be all the bad because maybe by humanizing nature people will learn to respect it. However I think that animal moves are totally just a trend.” Whether or not it’s “just a trend”, it doesn’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon. Pixar has already announced the creation of its next animal film, “Ratatouille”, about a rat who dreams of becoming a famous French chef, expected to come to theaters summer of 2007. If the successes of movies like “Happy Feet” and “Ice Age 2” are any indication of the future, movie goers everywhere might just be saying Bon Apetit to “Ratatouille” in 2007. |
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