“It’s another glorious morning on Puffin Rock,” says Chris O’Dowd, the narrator of this new film. “It’s a great place to ... Oona!” He breaks off and chuckles. It’s impossible to overstate the Moone Boy creator’s contribution to this charming animation. His voiceover not only carefully explains the action for the cartoon’s preschool audience but also makes for warm, fuzzy companionship, as O’Dowd laughs at the gentle wordplay or marvels at the antics on screen.
It has been eight years since Puffin Rock debuted, since when the adventures of Oona the Atlantic puffin and her little brother, Baba, have travelled worldwide. In China the series has been streamed more than 170 million times.
Working from a clever script by Sara Daddy, the Academy Award-nominated Kilkenny animation studio Cartoon Saloon and the Derry studio Dog Ears have crafted a stand-alone feature that feels like a proper movie rather than a TV special.
The family favourites – Mossy the Eurasian pygmy shrew, May the rabbit and Flynne the fox – are joined by some newbies, Isabelle, a tufted puffin, Marvin, an otter, and Phoenix, Isabelle’s adopted brother and best friend. As Bernie the hermit crab notes, how will he remember all these new names?
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Despite a warm welcome from the Derry-accented Oona, Isabelle struggles to fit in on the titular island. Having escaped a devastating storm that demolished her home, she experiences anxiety, yearns for her parents and fears the possible loss of Phoenix. These compound anxieties lead the new girl to make a mistake with Puffin Rock’s cherished little egg. Meanwhile, a storm, not unlike the one Isabelle fled, is brewing. The animal collective has a lot of burrowing to do.
There’s enough jeopardy to keep small humans riveted, but nothing too scary. This is one of two great animated films to hit cinemas this week – older viewers should check out the award-winning sci-fi romance The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes.
