If Happy Feet boasted nothing more than its underwater ballet sequence, that spellbinding bit of whimsy alone would have been enough to justify its Oscar win as 2006's Best Animated Film. The scene is cotton candy for the silver screen, a triumphant mix of sight and sound in which penguins shoot through the ocean to the syncopated strains of the Beach Boys' "Do It Again." And it is one of many wonderful moments in a family-friendly picture that made it the most memorable in a year that already was burgeoning with such excellent animated fare as Cars, Over the Hedge and Monster House.

The movie is the work of filmmaker George Miller, whose versatile oeuvre ranges from the Mad Max flicks to Babe: Pig in the City. Although Miller had begun work on Happy Feet long before March of the Penguins made the flightless birds all the rage, it certainly didn't hurt him any that the 2005 documentary familiarized audiences with Emperor penguins. With Miller freed from having to deliver lengthy exposition about how these resilient creatures live, the director was able to jump right in with the birth of Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood, who curiously resembles the penguin in question). A decidedly odd bird out of step with his fellow penguins, Mumble quickly gains notoriety -- and scorn -- for being an atrocious singer. In the world of Happy Feet, such vexing vocals can be a serious drawback, as this species initiates the mating ritual through the serenade of "heart songs."

But all is not lost. What Mumble lacks in pipes, he makes up for with dance moves that make him a sort of Astaire of the Arctic. Nevertheless, Mumble's fancy footwork fails to thaw the chilly reception he gets from the other birds. His only support comes from his loving mother (a breathy Nicole Kidman) and the mellifluous-voiced Gloria (Brittany Murphy). Even Mumble's dad (Hugh Jackman) is ashamed by the lad's dancing prowess. "It just ain't penguin," says the father.

Rejected by the elder birds and even blamed for a fish shortage, Mumble leaves the community and eventually meets up with a quintet of fun-loving, Latino-accented Adelie penguins. Together they set out to track down the "aliens," otherwise known as humans, the flabby-faced creatures responsible for the growing scarcity of food.

Like Mumble himself, Happy Feet can be an awfully weird bird. The movie makes odd shifts in tone, from gentle family fare to hamhanded parable before ultimately ending up as a Greenpeace-friendly eco-cautionary tale. The change in tone is hardly seamless. In Mumble's ostracism from the other birds, the animated critters engage in dialogue that sounds as if the topic at hand was a gay child instead of a tapdancing penguin. Elsewhere, Miller seems to be drawing parallels to the ages-old debate between faith and science. The film's climax indulges in an amusing, if inexplicable, homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

And, yes, I'm being serious.

Most of all, however, Happy Feet is a visual feast, a dazzler even by the typically impressive standards of computer-generated animation. Its landscapes are gorgeous, its compositions almost painterly.

Whether our hero is an insecure penguin or a killer forging through a post-apocalyptic universe, director Miller clearly knows how to craft exciting action. In Happy Feet, his camera moves constantly with an almost giddy glee -- through caves, over cliffs, below the ocean waves -- in meticulously choreographed sequences that effectively place viewers in the thick of things.

Moreover, the film does not skimp on music. It is varied and nonstop, with a cornucopia of pop songs -- Prince, Queen, Stevie Wonder, et al -- mostly crooned by the animated creatures. Mumble's dancing is the handiwork of state-of-the-art motion capture and the gifts of celebrated tapdancer Savion Glover.

The print transfer, presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen, is absolutely stunning. The picture is crisp and sharply detailed, with vibrant colors that practically leap off the screen.

A Dolby Digital 5.1 EX audio track is available in English, Spanish and French. The sound is dramatic and immersive, making creative use of rear speakers. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French.

Unfortunately, it's not a particularly inspired assortment. There are two deleted scenes: the three-minute, 17-second "Mumble meets a blue whale" and the 28-second "A happy feet moment" The former, which includes an introduction from Miller, was completed especially for the DVD and features the voice of the late Steve Irwin as an albatross. Miller explains that Irwin originally was slated to do the voice of the albatross, but the scene was scrapped from the final cut, and the Crocodile Hunter subsequently leant his vocals to the flick's animated elephant seal.

The kiddos might get a kick out of Dance Like a Penguin: Stomp to the Beat (5:20), in which dancer Savion Glover offers a quick lesson on how to kick it up like Mumble. In addition, there is a 1936 Warner Brothers cartoon, "I Love to Singa" (8:06), which appears to be included here because it involves singing owls.

Rounding out the extras are a theatrical trailer, two music videos (Gia's "Hit Me Up" and Prince's "The Song of the Heart") and DVD-ROM capabilities.

Maybe the niftiest supplemental is a small insert that delineates the best and worst seafood in terms of eco-friendly factors.

If Happy Feet feels a bit less than cohesive, it is still sumptuous filmmaking likely to charm children and adults alike. And that's saying a lot for any movie that manages to survive Robin Williams doing the voice of not one, but two characters.