You don't have to fly to be awesome.
--From Erik's Opera
Yesterday, I heard Erik's Opera in the movie Happy Feet Two, and I'm never going to forget it.
I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but unless you count those opera scenes from Pretty Woman, until quite recently, I was an opera virgin. In late October, I heard a broad sampling from the Tulsa Opera at the Oklahoma Arts Conference, and oh my gosh, I am totally hooked.
Erik's Opera appears toward the end of the movie. According to one critic (who didn't like it very much) the performance is a Giacomo Puccini aria from Tosca (E Lucevan Le Stelle) reworked.
I admit, at first I thought it was ridiculous, a penguin singing opera and all. But, as the performance progressed the more captivated I was by the little operatic penguin's emotional debut. At the heart of the story is the relationship between a father and his son.
I have to say it. I have to say it. I have to say it. The Daddy Penguin, Mumble, is a Gen Xer. Haha! That makes rebellious Erik a member of Generation Z.
I'm sure there are some opera snobs out there who, like the critics, will loathe Erik's Opera, (they probably spell it Eric's Opera) but I can't help but love and appreciate the fact that millions of kids are going to get their first taste of opera through this movie. My kids were totally mesmerized! The Happy Feet 2 soundtrack with Erik's Opera goes on sale tomorrow.
5 comments:
Can't wait to see it now. I learned about opera in Houston when I saw Turandot. Loved it loved it loved it. However, I always leave after act 2 of a 3 act production. Don't love it that much.
As I tweeted you, Happy Feet is just my all time favorite animated movie!!! The opera makes me cry and applaud and dance every time! Mumble is, indeed, GenX mixed with the Leave It To Beaver 50's crowd of parents! Jenn, you DON'T know how lucky you are to have missed that type of parenting!
@YOGI - That is so funny. This is my third time read this comment and I smile and laugh more every time.
@ROSE BYRD - Really - lucky I mean to have missed Leave it to Beaver. If you write a blog post about that, I'd love to cross publish it. Or a poem. B/c we all still idealize it in one way or another.
I loved it too! I'm an X-er with 2 Y's. It impressed me so much, I have been scouring the web to find out who sang it (I found the voice actress's name) but didn't know from what it was derived. That is so interesting because the ONLY opera I have had the extreme pleasure to attend (to date) was Tosca! Love, love, loved it! Thank you for sharing the artist information. Love your site! Subscribed. :)
@CAT Thanks for subscribing! I just love this song. I listen to it at least once a day now. I've never seen Tosca, but now I want to see all the operas. I sound so hillbilly.
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