Parents' Guide to

The Pebble and the Penguin

By Nancy Davis Kho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Animated penguin tale heavy on romance, peril.

Movie G 1995 74 minutes
The Pebble and the Penguin Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 4+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of 0-year-old
July 14, 2018
age 4+

I have fond memories of this one

Alot of people say that this is a bad film. I personally enjoyed it as a kid. I watched it over and over again until the tape got "eaten" by the VCR. I recently found this little gem of a kids movie in the Wal-Mart bargain bin and grabbed it up to share with my baby when she gets older. Love it! My favorite Bluth film aside from NIMH.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
HelenaG93
HelenaG93 Parent of 10-year-old
May 17, 2022
age 2+

Fallow your Heart is the message that is presented

I loved this movie as a child . I like that the message in the movie is to never give up going for what you want even if it's a cute love story . I also love the music and the cute illustrations if you show and child from 2 to 10 mostly being girls if in the age range of ten or so they will love this movie I'm 28 and I still watch it with my kids one of my kids is only 5 months old but she also seems to enjoy the colors an music 🎶 that come with it . This movie needs more credit then what people give it .

This title has:

Great messages
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

The first animated film starring the formally dressed fowl, THE PEBBLE AND THE PENGUIN follows the adventures of hero Hubie (voiced by Martin Short, an Antarctic penguin determined to win sensitive Marina (Annie Golden) as his mate for life by presenting her with a pebble (the real-life ritual of Adelie penguins). Captured by an expedition team collecting birds for zoos, nerdish Hubie must escape and evade his captors as well as a bully rival, leopard seals, and killer whales in his quest. With help from new friend Rocko the Rockhopper penguin (James Belushi), Hubie takes on all kinds of perilous challenges and even lies to Rocko in order to get home to Marina in time for the all-important Full Moon Mating Ceremony.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (3):

The homeward voyage is fraught with physical danger, and scenes of pursuit by leopard seals and killer whales are intense, probably more so than children under age 7 will want to watch. Almost equally scary are the scenes of the scheming bully Drake (Tim Curry) as he threatens, first verbally then physically, the true-hearted Marina.

Penguin animation came a long way in the 10 years after this film was released. But for their coloring the main characters look like they might be ducks or, in Drake's case, an eagle. But the background animation of capricious weather conditions is lovely, as are the top-notch original songs by Barry Manilow and Mark Watters.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the birds aboard the bad ship Misery. Do you think animals are better or worse off in zoos than in the wild? Can you think of any arguments that people on the opposing side of the debate might have? The movie highlights lots of different types of penguins -- make a trip to the library to learn more about their habitats and habits.

Movie Details

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