Very few directors have had such a polarised career as George Miller. The Australian made an impressive impact with his 1979 directorial debut Mad Max, which launched the career of Mel Gibson.

It was a film – and world – he was passionate about, so much so that he’s directed all five films in the franchise, including 2024’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

They are deliciously violent, made for adult entertainment.

To counterbalance the franchise, Miller has also been drawn to the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum; in 1995 the uber family friendly Babe was released, which he wrote, that was soon followed by a sequel, which he also wrote, and directed.

He continued the cutesy animal theme in 2006 with the release of Happy Feet, which is receiving a theatrical re-release for its 20th anniversary.

Doing his duty of sitting on an egg is penguin Memphis (Hugh Jackman), while his partner Norma Jean (Nicole Kidman) goes in search of food for their impending offspring.

For a brief second, Memphis loses sight of the egg, as it rolls off and takes a hit. Thankfully it doesn’t break, and Memphis quickly sits on it again.

It’s not until Mumble (Elijah Wood) is born, that he’s seen to be...different. All penguins are born with the ability to sing, but not Mumble; he does have another talent, that of dancing, but sadly it’s not recognised by his community.

It’s one that takes him places however, as he soon finds himself on a journey to discover why penguins are struggling to find the fish they need to survive.

This was the first film to be made by the Australian animation studio Animal Logic, and considering it’s nearly twenty years old, it still manages to visually impress. The penguins and their world are highly detailed, but the film really shines when water is introduced, with the penguins swimming in the sea.

It finds itself lacking in the storytelling, which is partly down to Miller who co-wrote the film, as well as directed it. It has a muddled message; it pushes the power of dance throughout, supported by varied melodies of different genres – from surf to hip hop – before it finds its feet about halfway through, and jumps on the environment bandwagon. By the end though, it runs out of steam, tying its narrative in a number of knots, before waving a white flag and deciding to just bow out on a musical number.

It could have benefitted from some severe editing, with its 1 hour 48 minute runtime way too long, and would have made a tighter, more enjoyable flick around the 90 minute mark. Still, it did enough to not only win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but also a sequel in 2011.

It probably does enough to keep a younger audience engaged, even today’s youngsters with attention span issues.

It also boasts a top class cast, including Robin Williams, but sadly it doesn’t allow him to let loose with his creative comedic talent as he was able to in 1992’s Aladdin as Genie.

And if you can put up with the wandering narrative, the animation - which includes some interesting use of live action scenes, still remains a pleasing experience, making this timely wintry re-release a happy one.