Coming to cinemas this week is the next Cartoon Saloon production, the feature film debut of the characters from the beloved series Puffin Rock. Puffin Rock and the New Friends sees everyone’s favourite residents of Puffin Rock welcome a new family to the warm and wonderful island.
Puffin Rock and the New Friends – Where love reigns
I’ve never seen Puffin Rock, I’m not the age demographic for Puffin Rock, but I was pretty charmed by Puffin Rock and the New Friends. This lovely little island off the coast of Ireland is packed to the brim with fascinating characters. There are the familiar faces, Oona, Baba, Mossy and May but the new faces are the most interesting element.
For me, I was particularly charmed by Marvin the otter. He’s a friendly but skittish otter, his design is colourful and engaging. Also watching him dig around the island is a lot of fun to watch. Along with Marvin is Isabelle, a new puffin who has joined the island with her parents and adopted brother Phoenix.
Almost all of these characters are gorgeous and full of absolute warmth. The story is an extended episode about all these new characters being welcomed to Puffin Pock. It’s sweet and soothing. I actually found myself falling asleep in the cinema because it was so comforting. Its target audience I am sure will absolutely adore it. There are a lot of sweet songs, touching lessons and a charming narration from Chris O’Dowd.
For older kids, this film has a charming style of animation. There is a scene involving the underground of Puffin Rock that is absolutely gorgeous. It looked like a mosaic filled with adorable animals. Not just the visuals make an impression though. The soundtrack of the film is catchy and becomes something of an earworm. Even now I find myself humming one of the songs within the film.
I find myself singing the same tune when it comes to productions from Cartoon Saloon. They are firing on all cylinders, even for work that wouldn’t necessarily require their full attention.
With Puffin Rock and the New Friends, Cartoon Saloon has welcomed a new generation to Puffin Rock and it looks like a bright future for the island where love reigns. If you have little ones and want to give them a great experience at the cinema, this is a must-watch.
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