Peeping Penguins (1937) User Reviews

The consequences of curiosity

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 20 November 2019]

Fleischer Studios' "Color Classics" cartoons were very uneven. There were good to wonderful ones such as 'Somewhere in Dreamland', 'Poor Cinderella', 'Greedy Humpty Dumpty', 'Play Safe' and 'Christmas Comes But Once a Year'. There were also average at best ones such as 'Little Lambkin' and all of the Hunky and Spunky cartoons ('Barnyard Brat' being the worst and one of the series' worst). And there was a good number that were in between, none of which being terrible while still being nothing special.

'Peeping Penguins' is one of the in between "Color Classics" cartoons, despite being made in one of Fleischer's better overall periods (with exceptions such as the later toned down Betty Boop cartoons). It is cute, well made and scored but also somewhat bland and routine with more energy and humour needed, making for a pleasant enough effort but nothing special which as said is the general standard that the in between "Color Classics" cartoons have.

Once again, the animation and music are the stars. The animation is vibrant, atmospheric, meticulously detailed and fluid, the background art being especially good and the snow is very strikingly used. The music is lively in character and the lushness and clever instrumentation is very pleasant on the ear. Oh and the song is very catchy. It is cute without being too saccharine, does have its charm and there are a few inspired and amusing moments. Like with the fire. Part of me was not expecting the ending either.

The penguins could have been more distinct from each other in personality but are pretty adorable and amuse, compelling enough characters. Jack Mercer has done better in the individuality department but still does solidly.

However, the story is very thin and feels rather run-of-the-mill with not enough surprises, making it come over as very predictable as well. More consistent energy wouldn't have gone amiss too. 'Peeping Penguins' is not completely without entertainment value, but the gags could have been more in number and only a couple of them are properly inspired, competent but not much more.

Despite good intentions, the moral could have been handled with much more subtlety, for my tastes it was laid on too thick.

In conclusion, nice but unexceptional. 6/10

A So-So Morality Cartoon

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 28 August 2007]

"It isn't so wise to snoop, or you'll finish up in the soup" is just of the lines in the lyrics to "Curiosity Killed The Cat" as sung by a mother penguin here to her four little ones, who are snooping around a log cabin, peeking in the windows and such.

That's the moral to this cartoon, another of the Technicolor cartoons of the period by Dave Fleischer, who put a number of these "moralistic" messages in addition to a bunch of loony cartoons. No, these obviously aren't nearly as much fun as Fleischer's wacky stuff but I suppose they did serve a purpose to little kids back in the mid-to-late '30s.

The penguins ignore mom's advice, find a way into the cabin, have fun for awhile but then pay the price. The gags are kind of lame but small kids would probably laugh at them. One good thing: it's fast-paced, with a lot of action. It isn't bad, but this is not something an adult would watch more than once.

Curiosity Out-Stays Its Welcome

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 28 July 2008]

The videocassette cartoons collector had a hard job to stay clear of "Peeping Penguins". This 1937 Paramount effort was featured on at least five different VHS tapes, but unfortunately is not one of director Dave Fleischer's happiest endeavors.

True, this cartoon about four little penguins who manage to wreck an abandoned arctic cabin, is always watchable enough, but it has only three or four bright moments of real inspiration. I liked the sequence when the fire reached out and grabbed itself an armful of wood. And I certainly enjoyed the cute "Curiosity Killed the Cat" little ditty.

In other respects, however, "Peeping Penguins" comes across as little more than very routine slapstick.

Cute and amusing at times, but nothing special.

[llltdesq · 7/10 · 10 January 2004]

This is a short that looks at the perils of being overly curious. Several penguins, even after stern warning, get themselves into a predicament, with colorful (if somewhat predictable) results. While this has some nice sight gags and is visually nice to look at, it really an average, rather run-of-the-mill cartoon. Nice to watch, but ultimately quite forgettable. Worth watching for all that. Recommended, in a lukewarm sort of way.

Curious penguins.

[Mightyzebra · 6/10 · 15 July 2008]

This cartoon short is basically about penguins and there are several little penguins investigating a house. A woman penguin nearby tells them that "Curiosity killed the cat" in a song version, going, "Curiousity killed the cat, Curiosity did just that" &c. The little penguins pay no heed and fall into the house from the chimney and they nearly kill themselves. Have they learned to never be too curious again?

This whole cartoon is silly nonsense, yet it had a message, "Curiosity killed the cat". This cartoon was only made for children, to teach them to not be curious. It is very unlikely people over the age of 13 will want to watch it again, unless they like the little song.

The only reason I like this is because of the song and the has a weird ending, which is quite funny though very surprising.

I only recommend this to old cartoon enthusiasts (I mean cartoons that are old, not enthusiasts that are old) and to parents who want to make their children learn that "Curiosity killed the cat". Enjoy "Peeping Penguins"! :-)

Curiosity wrecked the poor newly-refurbished cabin!

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 7/10 · 20 December 2016]

Despite being strongly warned through song of the hazards of being overly curious by their disapproving mother, four inquisitive penguin youngsters play around, on, and then inside of a hunter's log cabin, which they soon inadvertently trash as they fool around with the items within like matches, a loaded shotgun and a box of flares which eventually go off in a firework-like fashion and blast them all back out into the snow where it appears they've learned the valuable lesson to never be curious again(yay?), only for them and their mother to investigate a moment later something that's moving under the snow which is revealed to be a cranky polar bear which roars and sends them all scarpering into the distance in a surprise humorous moment as the fun silly short draws to a close. I love the animation and rich artwork of the snow around the cabin at the beginning, it's beautifully rendered and gives the short something of a festive feel. It's actually nothing at all to do with Christmas but I just always find those sorts is snowy surroundings greatly appealing to look at and by it's very nature it makes me feel a little Christmassy! You can tell this animation was done by the Fleischer studios by how the music sounds and the weirder touches like when the fire gets a face as it reaches out and gobbles up the firewood. There's always something uncanny about their work that isn't just so much cuteness and nothing else, their shorts are always lively and have a certain pop and quirkiness to the movements and voicing and sight gags, you never know a hundred percent how their cartoons are going to go and they leave behind such an incredibly varied and distinctive body of work to enjoy for vintage animation buffs. So anyway there are better shorts out there but this is a very solid and fun little piece of work, like all penguins the ones here are adorable and hilarious as they waddle around and it's worth a watch for anybody that has an interest in cartoons from this classic era, or hey if they just plain like penguins! Happy holidays X.