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The Pebble and the Penguin
Family Fun Edition DVD
Directed by	Don Bluth
Produced by	Don Bluth
Starring	Martin Short Jim Belushi Tim Curry Annie Golden Shani Wallis S. Scott Bullock
Music by	Mark Watters Barry Manilow
Distributed by	MGM Warner Bros. Family Entertainment 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release date	April 14, 1995
Running time	74 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$28,000,000
Box office	$3,983,912

The Pebble and the Penguin is a 1995 animated musical film, based on the true life mating rituals of the Adelie Penguins in Antarctica, produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It was originally released in movie theatres in the USA in 1995 by MGM and was released internationally by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment. The film features the voice talents of Martin Short, Jim Belushi, Tim Curry and Annie Golden.

Plot

Hubie (voiced by Martin Short), a goofy but kindhearted penguin, is in love with the beautiful and kind Marina ( Annie Golden). However, he lacks self-confidence and is bullied by the more impressive, but vain and cruel Drake (Tim Curry). Drake also wants Marina, but for purely vain reasons. After a run in with Drake, Hubie and Marina share a song under the moonlight and their feelings are confirmed for each other. Hubie, however, is luckless in finding a perfect pebble to propose to Marina with. and so wishes on a star to make his dream come true. An emerald falls from the sky next to Hubie. Ecstatic, Hubie rushes to find Marina when Drake tries to steal it and knocks him off the ice, and Hubie is swept away and having to encounter and escape a leopard seal.

Hubie is picked up and caged by a ship, which is transporting penguins to a zoo. The unfortunate penguins on the ship sing of the misery awaiting them. Hubie meets the streetwise Rocko (Jim Belushi), whose only wishes are to live in sunny climates and learn to fly. After seeing Drake warning Marina of the full moon where she must choose a mate in a dream/vision, Hubie decides to escape. Together, Hubie and Rocko flee, and while laying low in a beach, Hubie convinces Rocko to help him return to Antarctica. They have a short fight (because Hubie had angered Rocko by lying to him) and later run into a hungry and persistent leopard seal (second time for Hubie). They escape the seal, as Rocko had commented Hubie as "amazing", and both sing to the beginning of their friendship (although Rocko was in denial).

Rocko teaches Hubie how to fight, and run in to their worst aquatic enemy; the orcas. When they tried reaching the home ice, Rocko tries to head-off the orcas while Hubie tries to approach the nearest iceberg, having to lose Rocko in the process. After the chase, he must face his worst enemy, who has captured his love. Hubie gets knocked out, but gains confidence, and he stands and fights Drake once again. Hubie has the upper hand on the second go-round, and with a skillful kick, he sends Drake plummeting to his supposed demise. In surprise, Rocko reappears unharmed to Hubie and Marina. Before Hubie can introduce his friend to Marina, Drake reappears. He throws a large boulder towards the two lovers and Rocko, but it is Drake who meets his demise, by being crushed to death by the entire tower. Rocko saves the couple in danger, and finally gains his ability to fly. Hubie proposes to Marina (who accepts), and Rocko flies. In the end, Rocko teaches Marina and Hubie's children to fly.

Production

Don Bluth and Gary Goldman pulled out on producing and directing this movie due to creative differences with the distributor of the film. With a "final cut" clause in the distribution contract, last minute changes were made to film. Bluth and Golman could not convince the distributor to leave the film as they had planned it. As a result, much of the film's special effects could not be completed due to the requested changes and unchanged deadline. Assuming that the changes would hurt the film's integrity, they had their names removed from the film. However, the company name "Don Bluth Entertainment" remained above the title. This is the reason they are not credited for directing and producing the project. All of the original animation and about 70% of the color was completed before the two left the project. The changes were accommodated in-house at the company's Dublin studio. Due to the changes much of the ink and paint duties were shared with animation houses in Hungary. Bluth takes no credit for any part of the film.

Release

The film was first released to VHS and laserdisc. The DVD was launched in 1999, and a "Family Fun Edition" was released in the United States and Canada on March 27, 2007 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Gary Goldman supervised the restoration for the "Family Fun Edition", which features color corrections and refielded scenes to add missing effects and correct other errors from the first release.

Reception

The Pebble and the Penguin has a score of 0% ("poor") at Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 3/10. It grossed $3,983,912..

References

External links

• The Pebble and the Penguin at IMDb
• The Pebble and the Penguin at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Pebble And The Penguin at Box Office Mojo

• Articles lacking sources from May 2008
• 1995 films
• Animated films
• American animated films
• Films directed by Don Bluth
• Films about penguins
• MGM films
• Warner Bros. films
• Animated features released by Warner Bros.
• Films featuring anthropomorphic characters