The Pebble & the Penguin (1995)

Film Title: The Pebble & the Penguin

Released: April 11, 1995

Directed by: Don Bluth & Gary Goldman

Written by: Rachel Koretsky & Steven Whitestone

Starring: Martin Short, James Belushi & Tim Curry

Plot: A shy penguin goes through several adventures trying to present an engagement pebble to the girl of his dreams.

IMDb: 55/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 11/100

My Score: 2/5

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Pebble and the Penguin is one of the lesser known works of great animator Don Bluth, whose resume includes such beloved films as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven, just to name a few. The reason it is lesser known is simply because its terrible. An introverted penguin named Hubie (Martin Short) wants to present the girl of his dreams (Annie Golden) with a pebble to signify their betrothal. If she accepts, they will mate together for the rest of their lives. This story element is based on the actual mating rituals of the of Antarctic Adélie penguins. Competing for Golden's attention is Drake (Tim Curry), a big bully of a penguin who pushes around everyone, especially Short. Short manages to tell Golden how he feels about her and she reciprocates his affections. But a jealous Drake will not denied his chosen bride and pushes Short into the water where he narrowly escapes a leopard seal but is swept away from his home on an ice flow. He's captured by some humans and caged on their ship with several other penguin specimens, including the rebellious Rocko (James Belushi). Determined to get back to Golden, Short helps Belushi escape and the pair make their way back to Antarctica. This family animated musical falls short in several respects. First off, the original songs, written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, are awful, wandering messes that are instantly forgettable. Tim Curry is a fantastic voice actor and has lent his talents to a number of memorable villains. In The Pebble and the Penguin however, he falls flat with a weird accent that is completely distracting. The production of the film was fraught with issues, including MGM cutting production values and animation companies working on the film being bought and sold, and neither Bluth nor fellow director Gary Goldman stayed on board and had their names removed from the final product. The 2007 "Family Fun Edition" DVD release of the film, supervised by Goldman, did receive a Satellite Award nomination for Best Youth DVD.