THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *
So what does it take to make a good movie for children? An intelligent and funny script? Fully developed and believable characters? A truly sinister villain? A compelling story? Yes, all of those and more.
If these seem similar to the requirements for a more adult film, they are. The only differences, to the extent that there are any, are the choice of subject matter and the limitations on activities (sex, violence, profanity, ...) that are not appropriate for youngsters.
The 1994 film THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, fails by just about any measure. My son Jeffrey, age 8, and I saw it in the theater in one of those summer morning children's films series. Our fairly full audience of kids had a severe case of the fidgets, and who can blame them.
The movie opens and closes with exceedingly bland musical numbers set to Barry Manilow tunes. Perhaps with handsomer animation, the numbers might have been tolerable. But the flat colors and unattractive drawings of this movie are never involving. Although there is one colorful scene set in the tropics, most of the drawings look as if they were quickly slapped together without regard to quality. While Disney movies are careful to get the animal motions right, the animals in this cheap imitation have predominately human mannerisms.
The shy hero of the story is a penguin named Hubie (voice by Martin Short). Rocko (voice by James Belushi) is his supposedly comical sidekick.
The story has Hubie wanting to give his pebble (think ring) to his timid and completely helpless girlfriend Marina (voice by Annie Golden). The penguin bad guy, drawn so poorly that I had to ask my son to stop complaining about it, is a dark skinned villain named Drake (Tim Curry). I am surprised they did not have a black hat on him.
The other villain is "man," and our heroes spend some time trapped in the hold of the ship "Misery." (The only funny joke in the film has Hubie and Rocko in a skiff pulled by a big boat. The big boat is named Homeward Bound and the little one is called Homeward Bound II. You savor any small pleasures you can find in this movie.)
Some funny one-liners sure would have been appreciated. Instead we get a stream of pointless dialog and some unfunny jokes worthy of a third rate vaudeville routine. ("What do you call a flower before it opens," asks Hubie? "A bud?" answers Rocko. "I love it when you call me bud," responds Hubie.)
"You are crazy, insane; you're amazing," Rocko tells Hubie. He, and all of the rest of the characters, are not any of these and therein lies the film's problem.
THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN runs, thankfully, just 1:14. It is rated G for the lack of any offensive material. Jeffrey and I decided to rate the show "DD" for double dumb. He thought the many songs were particularly "stupid." We both give the picture thumbs down. I award it * only because it could have been worse.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: June 24, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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