Miller was developing Happy Feet several years before the success of March of the Penguins. Initially, it wasn't planned as a musical. Nor was it intended to tell a story about the environment where the lead penguin rails to the humans: "Why are you taking our fish? You're causing an awful lot of grief!"
Miller just liked emperor penguins, finding their existence nothing short of incredible.
"I was struck by he way they live in community and share the load," he says. "Their incredible efficiency. The way they waddle on land but then virtually fly underwater.
"These penguins don't have to sing and dance," Miller adds. "They're amazing all on their own. I'd love for people to feel that and feel their responsibility to care for these creatures and their environment. They have such a tenuous hold on life. You can't take them for granted."
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