The Pebble and the Penguin

The Pebble and the Penguin is a 1995 American animated musical adventure film, starring the voices of Martin Short and Jim Belushi, based on the true life mating rituals of the Adélie penguins in Antarctica, produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It centers around a timid, stuttering penguin named Hubie who tries to impress a beautiful penguin named Marina by giving her a pebble that fell from the sky. The film was released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on April 12, 1995. It was the last film to be produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios before its bankruptcy in 1995.

## Plot

Hubie is a penguin who is in love with Marina. His competition for Marina's affection is the Drake. One night, Hubie and Marina discuss their feelings for each other, but Hubie is unable to find a suitable pebble to propose to Marina with due to both his clumsiness and the other penguins desperately trying to find pebbles too. He wishes on a star to make his dream come true and he receives a beautiful emerald cube from the sky. Hubie ecstatically rushes to find Marina but is stopped by Drake. When Drake demands Hubie to give him the emerald, Hubie refuses and Drake throws him into the water. Hubie narrowly escapes from a leopard seal and climbs onto a piece of ice where he is swept away from Antarctica.

Hubie is brought aboard a ship en route to a zoo and is caged amongst the company of other penguins. Hubie has a vision of Marina in danger and escapes from the ship with a grouchy rockhopper penguin named Rockovich Pendinski, or "Rocko" for short. As the pair lay low on a beach, Rocko reluctantly tells Hubie of his desire to fly. Hubie convinces Rocko to join him in his journey back to Antarctica by concocting an imaginary flying penguin named Waldo. Meanwhile, Drake attempts to press Marina into his hand in mating by threatening her with expulsion from the rookery if she refuses. Rocko soon discovers Hubie's deception, but recognizes Hubie's will to return to Marina and remains at his side.

The pair's friendship is further fortified following an escape from a leopard seal. They are later attacked by a pod of killer whales. During the scuffle, Hubie's pebble is lost and Rocko is presumed to killed by the killer whales. Hubie confronts Drake and defeats him in their final fight by doing martial arts, which gives him new powers. Drake falls off a cliff. He finds Marina and is about to propose to her. Suddenly, Drake bursts out from underneath in a final attack. This causes his tower to collapse on top of him. However, Rocko, who survived the killer whale attack, saves Hubie and Marina and gives the pebble to them. During the escape, he somehow achieves flight and rescues Hubie and Marina. Marina accepts Hubie's proposal and the two become mates. The film closes on Rocko teaching Hubie and Marina's offspring how to fly.

## Cast

* Martin Short as Hubie, an adélie penguin
* Jim Belushi as Rocko, a Northern rockhopper penguin
* Tim Curry as Drake
* Annie Golden as Marina
* Alissa King as Petra
* Louise Vallance as Priscilla and Chinstrap 2
* Will Ryan as Royal and Tika
* Neil Ross as Scrawny
* Stan Jones as McCallister
* S. Scott Bullock as Chubby and Gentoo
* Philip L. Clarke as King
* Shani Wallis as the narrator
* B. J. Ward as Megellenic 1
* Hamilton Camp as Megellenic 2
* Angeline Ball as Gwynne and Chinstrap 3
* Kendall Cunningham as Timmy
* Pat Musick as Chinstrap 1
* Michael Nunes as Beany
* Maggie Roswell as additional voices

## Songs

1. Now and Forever" Hubie, Marina, and Company
2. Sometimes I Wonder" Hubie and Marina
3. "The Good Ship Misery" Company
4. "Don't Make Me Laugh" Drake
5. "Sometimes I Wonder (Reprise)" Marina
6. "Looks Like I Got Me a Friend" Hubie and Rocko
7. "Now and Forever (Reprise)" Company
8. "Now and Forever (End Credits)"