Puffin Rock and The New Friends Review

Puffin Rock and The New Friends is a film continuation of the children’s show Puffin Rock.

Puffin Rock sees several new arrivals. Included in this influx is a young puffin called Isabelle (Eva Whittaker) and her family. Isabelle struggles to adapt, despite Oona (Beth McCafferty) and friends trying to make her feel welcome. Through a series of misunderstandings Oona, Isabelle, and their friends go on the search for a missing egg just as a storm approaches the island.

Puffin Rock was produced by Cartoon Saloon, the animation studio behind the Irish Folklore Trilogy. I gave their previous film, Wolfwalkers, a perfect score. They have been seen as Ireland’s answer to Studio Ghibli and its high praise for any animation studio to be compared with Studio Ghibli.

Puffin Rock was aimed at families with young children. Because of this, Puffin Rock and The New Friends had a more gentile tone. It wasn’t loud and hyperactive like other media aimed towards young children and it was made more palatable for parents and guardians. There was cuteness and sweetness to Puffin Rock and The New Friends because it focused on young characters and depicted the natural world in a reasonably grounded manner.

The film aimed to have a relatable story about a girl needing to make new friends and acclimatise to new surroundings. Many children could have experienced this when they have moved home or school. Isabelle’s character could also be read more deeply because her story could be interpreted as a refugee story since her family had to flee their home after a disaster and needed to settle in a new colony. It’s fitting considering recent events involving Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Puffin Rock and The New Friends aimed to have a moral about lying. A big part of the plot was ignited by lying and when a character tries to cover up their lie, they end up making things worse. It was a simple message that most parents would try and teach their children: lying is bad and you should always tell the truth.

Puffin Rock and The New Friends was also an environmental tale. The narrator of the film stated the puffins were forced to leave their home and come to Puffin Rock due to Climate Change and pollution. The destruction of Isabelle’s home was due to a storm and Marvin the Otter (Aaron MacGregor) was also dislocated because of the storm. The big threat in the film was a storm and the adult puffins needed to protect their youngsters before it hit land.

Being a Cartoon Saloon film, Puffin Rock and The New Friends was a well-animated film. Like Wolfwalkers, the art style looks like it came from a children’s book. One of the production companies of the original series was the publisher Penguin Randomhouse, so comparisons to a children’s book were even more fitting.

Puffin Rock and The New Friends was a pleasant little film for families with young children. There was a simple story that had some more significant ideas for older audiences.