The Pebble and the Penguin

Infobox_Film
name = The Pebble and the Penguin

|
image size = 2,560 × 1,920 pixels|
caption = Family Fun Edition DVD | director = Don Bluth Gary Goldman (uncredited)
producer = Don Bluth Gary Goldman (uncredited)
writers = Rachel Koretsky
Steven Whitestone
starring = Martin Short
Jim Belushi Tim Curry Annie Golden
Shani Wallis S. Scott Bullock | music = Mark Watters Barry Manilow
distributor = MGM Warner Bros. Family Entertainment 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (DVD 2007-present)
released = United States: April 14, 1995 United Kingdom: February 16, 1996
runtime = 74 min.
language = English
budget = $28,000,000
gross = $3,983,912
amg_id = 1:134628
imdb_id = 0114108
|Infobox movie certificates
United_States = G

"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 and Annie Golden.

In the end credits, it lists Michael Carey (1964-1993) and David Corbally (1972-1994) at the start.

Plot

Hubie, a goofy but kindhearted penguin, is in love with the beautiful and kind Marina but is insecure about himself and is subsequently bullied by the much more impressive but vain and cruel Drake who likewise 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 and is so granted an emerald. 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 who sing of the misery awaiting them; he meets the streetwise Rocko, 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, beats his rival, and rescues his love. In surprise, Rocko reappears unharmed to Hubie and Marina. In the following battle, Drake 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.

ongs

The songs were written by Barry Manilow, who previously wrote the songs for "Thumbelina", along with Bruce Sussman [cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114108/soundtrack | title= Pebble and the Penguin soundtrack |publisher=IMDB | accessdate=2008-9-11] . The film's score was composed by Mark Watters.

*"Now and Forever" (Hubie, Marina, Company
*"Sometimes I Wonder" (Hubie)
*"The Good Ship Misery" (Company)
*"Don't Make Me Laugh" (Drake)
*"Sometimes I Wonder - Marina's Reprise" (Marina)
*"Looks Like I Got Me a Friend" (Hubie and Rocko)
*"Now and Forever - Reprise" (Company)
*"Now and Forever - End Credits" (Barry Manilow & Sheena Easton)

Production

Creative differences

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.

Aspect Ratio

Though the film is thought to be produced in full screen and matted to theaters in widescreen, the full screen presentation is actually an open matte print. The sides of the widescreen version are cropped off, but there is more image at the top and bottom. In some of the shots of the full screen version, parts of the characters are not inked and painted; a clear sign of its original aspect ratio. Though the full screen is open matted, in some scenes of the widescreen version (including some of the opening sequence) there is wider space in the sides.

Reception

"The Pebble and the Penguin" has a score of 0% ("poor") at Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 3/10. As the film faced the release of the blockbuster, Disney's "Pocahontas", it was a box-office bomb, grossing $3,983,912. [http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pebbleandthepenguin.htm] . It has a "C+" at Box Office Mojo.

Home video

The film first was launched in VHS and laserdisc, the DVD was launched in 1999 and the Family Fun Edition in 2007.

Family Fun Edition

A new "Family Fun Edition" was released in the United States and Canada on March 27, 2007 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Many sites like Amazon.com and DVD Empire never gave a description of the special features of the Family Fun Edition, which are: two featurettes, 8 games, and a new-to-DVD widescreen version. Though the DVD was released widely in Canada on March 27, 2007, it was also released a week early in Target in some provinces of Canada. (The same goof happened with the 2-disc DVD release of "The Secret of NIMH" in June of 2007.)

Gary Goldman supervised the restoration for the "Family Fun Edition". It gave him a chance to try and help correct some of the errors made while the movie was filmed, but he could not alter the story changes. The restoration team mainly adjusted the color to be more faithful to the original art (there is a common criticism by many that slight color changes could be detected even in the same scene) and adjust some areas overall to make the mood changes in the film more apparent through color. The team refielded many scenes to make it less apparent that there were no effects created, such as missing water, paint errors, character areas that were not painted etc. Goldman wanted to remove Marina's reprise of "Sometimes I Wonder", but he was not able to get that edit approved. Because Goldman failed to have time to remove it, it remains in the final cut.

External links

*imdb title|id=0114108
*rotten-tomatoes|id=pebble_and_the_penguin
*mojo title|id=pebble_and_the_penguin|title=The Pebble And The Penguin
*Gary Goldman At donbluth.com.