Based on a true story, My Penguin Friend is a sweet tale of a penguin that befriends a man who had save him after being covered with oil.

The penguin, nicknamed Dindim by another character in the movie, has bridged the gap between humans and penguins, spending part of the time with the penguins and then a chunk of the time miles away with Joao (Jean Reno).

The film started out with a tragedy from the past for Joao and his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza). The tragedy darkened the lives of the couple for years before the little penguin showed up to give them purpose once again.

I have to say that a couple of the kids in this movie are just charming as could be. In particular, Juan José Garnica, who played Miguel, was remarkably bright and had a smile worth a million dollars. He shone through the early scenes of the film.

Yes, some of this film was cheesy and silly, but what did you expect with a protagonist that was a penguin? The really silly parts did not detract from the film for me and helped build that relationship between Dindim and Joao, inspired from the tragedy of his past.

The film looked great and many of the scenes of the penguins felt real. I am not sure if this was CGI or if they had shots of real penguins, but the fact that I was not sure tells you how effective the effects were.

The story was also surprisingly emotional at times, as I found myself nearly tearing up during a few moments.

While the film is not overly deep or complex, there are some solid themes in it about friendship and loss that make this more than just a funny animal story. This was a decent film that, at just over 90 minutes, does not overstay its welcome.

3.5 stars