I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top
I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds
For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me
I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good
I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood

I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun
I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on
I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
I wish I was the verb 'to trust' and never let you down

I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up
I wish...
I wish...

Happy Feet (2006)

Central Premise Emperor penguins express themselves through song. if they cant sing they wont get laid and society will shun them.

Central Characters Mumble, who instead of being able to sing, can dance. And Gloria, who can sing like a, ahem, bird.

Message There is a lot, at the start, about self-expression, and how individuality is one’s most important gift to society. And yet at the same time, there is all the classic penguin stuff about how they huddle together for warmth whenever it’s cold, which is almost always, being as they live in Antarctica. This is a broadly liberal message, containing the anti-totalitarian stress on individuality, while at the same time never using that as a reason to slough off civic duty.

The plot thickener is a shortage of fish. Mumble the non-conformist has seen and heard inexplicable things- a rusty JCB, an eagle with a tag on- and he believes that if he could uncover these mysteries he would know what had happened to the fish. And of course he is quite right because the mystery is mankind which eater of all the fish.

The penguin elders however see things quite differently. Whereas Mumble and Gloria are so how as to be literally sexually desirable penguins even though they are a) penguins and b) animated, the elders all have hunchbacks. They use a lot of basically Christian rhetoric. They blame the shortage on Mumble, because he is different, and on his friends, because they are foreign penguins (with Mexican accents). They are inflexible, uncurious, savage, Old Testament conservatives. Mumble triumphs. So, er, yea I guess you could say this has a left wing bias.

Antz (199

Central Premise Antz all work in a total conformity and that is both the core of the ant nature and the engine of ant success. Or is it?

Central Characters Z4195, a worker ant feeling a bit hemmed in.Princess Bala, similarly hemmed in, though not by her lowliness but by her status. Generala Mandible, who by way of ant eugenucs, plans to eradicate 4195's fellow workers, leaving only a race of warriors.

Message It’s your classic anti-Nazi narrative, innit? The goal here is Insectopia, a land of ant plenty, where toil is set aside for fun. There is no ant-eating-ant here, no necessary judgmental wrath: antkind can live in total love and cooperation, if it can only stop scheming and strive together towards a realisable plenty. I think that’s pretty left wing.

One HUndred and One Dalmations (1961)

Central Premise Dalmations are well cute.

Central Characters Pongo and Perdita; their owners; Cruella deVil; the puppies.

Message A few points to make. First, this is a bit of a dual-issue film, virulently anti-fur, and passionately anti-smoking. And yet, there are some interesting financial undertones, Cruella deVil is Ms Moneybags; she tired to buy Pongo’s puppies, and the other 84 have been legitimately bought from pet shops. The message isn’t power, or certainly shouldn’t be- that just because you have the wherewithal to pursue your will, is that will is malign, it shall not prevail.

The overall impression is puppies cannot be bought. They will rise up, and anyone underestimating the intelligence of the puppy will come a horrible cropper. There’s a potent message of direct action. It’s probably the most radical cartoon of its era.

Ice Age (2002)

Central Premise It's a kind of giddy, Down by Law story; some inept beasties, whom you kind of know are doomed anyway, take it upon themselves to save a human baby, as the Ice Age approaches to do for them all.

Central Characters Diego, a sabre-toothed tiger; Manny, a wooly mammoth; Sid, a sloth and Scrat a squirrel. Motivations are totaly opaque: thier behaviour can only be explained by the fact they love people. They are furry, and the are full of love.

Message If anything, this is the onl

"Passion, it lies in all of us. Sleeping, waiting, and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir ... open its jaws, and howl. It speaks to us, guides us, passion rules us all; and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts - sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow, empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we'd be truly dead."