When the wild penguins living on an island colony near the Australian town of Warrnambool are threatened by foxes, eccentric local chicken farmer Swampy (Jacobson) and his granddaughter Olivia come up with a plan to protect them – with the help of adorable sheepdog Oddball.
Loosely based on a true story, this is a charming little family tale for all ages that should appeal to fans of cute animal movies like Babe. There’s a relationship subplot as Olivia’s mum (Snook) is romanced the American (Tudyk) brought in to raise the town’s tourist profile, but the heart of the movie belongs not to the humans, nor even the cute fairy penguins, but to the Maremma dog that lopes across the screen, tugging heart-strings as he goes.
A movie as cute and cuddly as Oddball himself.
Is Oddball And The Penguins suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...
Younger viewers (under 8s) may be upset by scenes of foxes prowling around the penguin sanctuary, and the subsequent news that some of the penguins have been killed.
SPOILER: Oddball is shot with a tranquiliser dart and viewers will not know for a few minutes whether he is alive or not.
If you like this, why not try: Babe, Racing Stripes, Fly Away Home, Dolphin Tale, Free Willy,