# The Pebble and the Penguin
*The Pebble and the Penguin* is a 1995 American animated musical film directed by [Don Bluth](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-bluth) and Gary Goldman, in which a shy penguin named Hubie must recover a betrothal pebble and return to his beloved Marina before a rival penguin, Drake, claims her.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) It was produced by Invicom Limited and distributed by MGM, released in United States theaters on April 11, 1995, and rated G.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60053)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | April 11, 1995 (United States theaters); rated G; 74 minutes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) |
| Directors | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman; screenwriters Rachel Koretsky and Steven Whitestone[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) |
| Principal cast | Martin Short (Hubie), Annie Golden (Marina), Tim Curry (Drake), Jim Belushi (Rocko), Shani Wallis (Narrator)[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60053) |
| Production | Invicom Limited; producer Russell Boland; production designer David Goetz[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60053) |
| Music | Original songs by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman; score by Mark Watters[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin) • [9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1995/Music-Connection-1995-05-01.pdf) |
| Box office | $2.9 million gross in the United States[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) |
| Critical reception | 31% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 13 reviews; 46% on the audience Popcornmeter[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story is set in [Antarctica](https://www.edgepedia.org/antarctica) and built around a penguin courtship custom. Hubie, a bashful bachelor penguin, loves Marina and, following the tradition in which a suitor presents a pebble to his intended, finds an impressive stone to give her.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) The bullying Drake also wants Marina, and he causes Hubie to be caught in a fishing net and carried far from his native beach.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) With his energetic new friend Rocko, a penguin determined to fly, Hubie makes a treacherous journey back home to win Marina's heart.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) The deadline is the Full Moon Mating Ceremony: if Hubie does not present the pebble in time, Marina will be forced to accept Drake as her mate for life.[4](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Pebble_And_The_Penguin?hl=en_US&id=h8M47OgYg84.P)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Invicom Limited, with Russell Boland as producer, Thomas V. Moss as editor, and David Goetz as production designer.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60053) IMDb company credits list Don Bluth Ireland, the Dublin-based studio, as a production company and [Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/metro-goldwyn-mayer) as the United States theatrical distributor, with [Warner Bros. Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/warner-bros-pictures) handling the 1995 United Kingdom theatrical release.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114108/companycredits/) The British Board of Film Classification passed the film for UK cinema on September 18, 1995, with a listed running time of 73 minutes 51 seconds, distributed by Warner Brothers; a shorter home-video version (70 minutes 46 seconds) was classified in February 1996.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zndezmjc)
The premise draws on the real mating behavior of Adelie penguins, in which males present pebbles to their mates; the film calls this the Full Moon Mating Ceremony.[4](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Pebble_And_The_Penguin?hl=en_US&id=h8M47OgYg84.P) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-pebble-and-the-penguin/umc.cmc.5ph5hl9ub7et3rf0dw9n8gl6a) Common Sense Media notes that the film includes reality-based aspects of penguin life, from mating to predators such as leopard seals and killer whales.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin)
## Music
The original songs were written by [Barry Manilow](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-manilow) and Bruce Sussman, and the score was composed by Mark Watters; Common Sense Media's review called the songs top-notch.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin) • [9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1995/Music-Connection-1995-05-01.pdf) Roger Ebert's review quoted a lyric from the song about the pebble, "One perfect pebble, just one humble stone, but oh, what a stone can do . . .", while describing the songs as sappy.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-1995)
## Reception
The film earned $2.9 million at the United States box office.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 31% Tomatometer score from 13 reviews and a 46% Popcornmeter score from more than 10,000 audience ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin)
Roger Ebert, the longtime film critic of the *Chicago Sun-Times* and winner of the 1975 [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) for criticism, gave the film 2 out of 4 stars.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-1995) His review focused on what he called color-coding: the heroic penguins, including Hubie, have white facial coloring, while the villainous Drake and his sidekicks have chocolate-brown facial areas, a pattern Ebert argued quietly teaches children that white is good and brown is negative.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-1995) Other critics were mixed in different directions: Mal Vincent of *The Virginian-Pilot* (2.5/4) praised the animation of the blue-green ice world of Hubie's home, while Tim Brayton of Alternate Ending (2/5) called it an exceptionally insipid, cloying romantic adventure.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin) Common Sense Media recommended the film for ages 7 and up, describing it as heavy on romance and peril, and noted that the main character has a stutter for which he is teased by the bully Drake.[3](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin)
## References
1. [The Pebble and the Penguin, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pebble_and_the_penguin)
2. [The Pebble and the Penguin (1995), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/60053)
3. [The Pebble and the Penguin, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin)
4. [The Pebble And The Penguin, Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/The_Pebble_And_The_Penguin?hl=en_US&id=h8M47OgYg84.P)
5. [The Pebble and the Penguin (1995) company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114108/companycredits/)
6. [The Pebble And The Penguin, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zndezmjc)
7. [The Pebble and the Penguin, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-pebble-and-the-penguin/umc.cmc.5ph5hl9ub7et3rf0dw9n8gl6a)
8. [The Pebble And The Penguin movie review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pebble-and-the-penguin-1995)
9. [Music Connection 1995 05 01.pdf, worldradiohistory.com](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Music-Connection/90/1995/Music-Connection-1995-05-01.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license