The most romantic of all the Adeli penguins is Hubie, a
clumsy outcast harbouring a secret love for Marina, the most beautiful penguin
in the world. But the evil Drake also has his eye on Marina and will stop at
nothing to get her. When a horrible storm separates the two lovebirds, the
hidden hero in Hubie comes out and with the help of a tough rock hopper penguin
named Rocko who harbours a secret dream to fly, he braves three thousand miles
of killer whale and leopard seal-infested water to get back to Marina and
declare his love.
I cannot describe to you how effing excited I got last night
at work whilst sorting through the kids’ DVDS and I came across this! The Pebble and the Penguin was one of my
favourite Don Bluth movies when I was little and watching it again as an adult,
for me it still stands the test of time. I’ll admit that the story is pretty
obvious and predictable, some of it is actually downright clichéd and corny,
but music (done by Barry Manilow I might add), the characters, and the romantic
tale of love, adventure, and overcoming adversity make this movie one that
continues to make people like me gush.
The most romantic of all the Adeli
penguins is Hubie, a clumsy outcast harbouring a secret love for Marina, the
most beautiful penguin in the world. But the evil Drake also has his eye on
Marina and will stop at nothing to get her. When a horrible storm separates the
two lovebirds, the hidden hero in Hubie comes out and with the help of a tough
rock hopper penguin named Rocko who harbours a secret dream to fly, he braves
three thousand miles of killer whale and leopard seal-infested water to get
back to Marina and declare his love.
Here’s how much I loved this movie when I
was little: there’s an incantation that Hubie chants when he’s trying to find
the perfect engagement stone for Marina. “Star light, start bright, first star
I see tonight. I wish I may I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight”. I
used to say that before bed if ever there was anything that I desperately
wanted. I would sit by my window and wish upon the first star I saw. That was the power of this film! As far
as a children’s movie goes, it’s got pretty much everything: love, adventure,
scariness and danger, reluctant heroes, and unlikely friends, and, of course,
the odd musical number.
Watching this flick as an adult, the nostalgia factor did
sway my judgment a fair bit, but I still maintain that there is something in it
for everyone. Just as the songs, the characters, and the colours, are fun for
the young ‘uns, the oddity of the animation (case in point Drake being a
penguin on roids who looks more like a wolf), the clichés of the story
progression, and the fun of questioning everything from “why does that penguin
have a Scottish accent?” to “why do all these penguins have teeth?!” makes The Pebble and the Penguin a film that
still holds something for everybody.
Featuring the voice talents of Martin
Short, Annie Golden, Alissa King, Stevie Valance, Will Ryan, Neil Ross, Stan
Jones, Shani Wallis, James Belushi, and Tim Curry, The Pebble and the Penguin is a gorgeous little family movie filled
with action, adventure, romance, comedy, drama, and friendship. The songs are
catchy, the characters are loveable, and the animation can be quite beautiful
as well. It’s got everything!
No comments:
Post a Comment