Scamper is an educational and entertaining look at the adventurous life of an Adelaide penguin in Antarctica. The movie starts before he is born, following his mother’s pregnancy and his father’s nurturing. There is danger afoot always, beginning with the awful seagulls trying to scavenge the penguin eggs. The father penguin is seen as both protector and nurturer, a definite plus that is all-too-rare in children’s animation.
The film anthropomorphizes the penguins some, but not so much that they become caricatures of the animals. It has a lot of situations that children can identify with. Scamper goes to school, where he butts head with the stern but loving headmaster. He has penguin friends with whom he gets into mischief, and his parents lovingly discipline him. With his best friend, Snowflake, he wanders off and gets trapped on an ice float. They’re rescued by penguin harvesters who intend to sell them to the zoo. It’s a kids’ movie, so they’re of course returned to the Antarctic.
Buried underneath the surface are not only educational facts, but life lessons as well. Scamper learns that the Emperor Penguins who look different than he does are really much the same. The movie also approaches the subject that different penguin families have different makeups. Characters run the gamut, from the intelligent but quirky schoolmaster to the dumb but lovable Snowflake. Of course the harvesters are the bad guys and the scientists the good guys, but the environmentalist message is light.
The 1986 Japanese graphics are not as detailed as today’s animation, but this works in its favor, giving it a clean look. It’s refreshing not to be overpowered by visual effects at the sacrifice of story line. There’s a great score, including some annoying little ditties that will be difficult to get out of your head. The 2005 DVD is a remake of the 1988 video; it’s been remastered without destroying the innocence of the original. I heartily recommend it to anyone with children under 10.
Julie’s Rating: 3 stars
MPAA Rating: Not rated; likely G —
Cautions: Some light violence with the penguin hunters
Appropriate for: All