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David and the Magic Pearl is an obscure Polish/Swedish animated film released in 1988. It's about a young kid named David who moves in to his vacation house in the jungle during summer along with his tobacco-addicted father and his oddly large-breasted mother, soon after, a series of strange events start unraveling.

A bunch of tiny, shiny, egg-shaped aliens called Spacers arrive at the jungle looking for a missing MacGuffin called a magic pearl, all while Fawn the poacher and her bumbling gorilla sidekick are out to catch as many animals as they can while looking for the Spacers and their pearls so they can please their boss, Mr. Stealmore, and get filthy rich. So David, along with his beagle Pips and a stray eagle chick David calls Sandy, set out to free the animals of the jungle, help the aliens find their pearls before Stealmore can and save the jungle from being destroyed.


This movie provides examples of:

  • Adults Are Useless: David's parents don't believe him at all when he tries to tell them about the aliens, the magic pearls or Mr. Stealmore.
  • Alien Fair Folk: The Spacers note  are the descendants of gnomes.
  • Aliens Speaking English: The Spacers somehow speak English.
  • All Animals Are Domesticated: All the animals in this movie, especially the eagles, display a friendly demeanor towards David and show no signs of aggressiveness in situations where a real life animal would, especially the eagles.
  • Big Bad: Mr. Stealmore, who wants to bulldoze the jungle and build a city on top of it he can rule over.
  • Bowdlerise: The English dub downplays Mr. Stealmore's fate with the guardian telling him he will be released once he reforms. In the original version the guardian just laughs.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Fawn after her Heel–Face Turn.
  • Brought to You by the Letter "S": David wears his initial on his shirt.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Mr. Stealmore is a business executive who dabbles in poaching and has no qualms with wiping out an entire jungle.
  • Deranged Animation: Oh my, and how! One highlight is when Mr. Stealmore is gloating over claiming the riches of the temple and imagines himself riding on a stream of sparkles before somehow turning into the sun.
  • Expository Theme Tune: "Hey, everybody, here comes Da-vey!"
  • Filling the Silence: The original Polish version didn't contain David's narration; in the English dub, moments without David's narration are few and far in between.
  • Good Costume Switch: Fawn the poacher changes from her hunting clothes to a dress and no hat. This somehow convinces David and the rest that she's really stopped being evil.
  • Green Aesop: The usual aesop of the time.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Fawn Doe after her Heel–Face Turn. Also David's mom.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Fawn after being trapped in one of her own cages. Her sidekick does the same.
  • Hulking Out: For some reason Mr. Stealmore suddenly gets bigger. Must be because of the pearls.
  • Never Trust a Title: According to the English title there is only one pearl. There are actually six.
  • Random Events Plot: A kid's family go to the jungle on vacation. Okay. Then he adopts a pet baby eagle and comes across some poachers. Sure, we can roll with that. Aliens show up to warn Davey that a corrupt corporate executive is going after a potent magical artifact. ...Wait, what.
  • Rubber-Hose Limbs: Thanks to the animation style David's dad appears to bend and stretch like rubber as he does some exercises.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: Mr. Stealmore's final fate. He is trapped inside the temple and the guardian won't let him free until he learns not to be selfish and greedy.
  • Shout-Out:
  • Starfish Aliens: The Spacers appear to be made of metallic cylindrical segments that float above each other.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Between David and his mom.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Where did all those bulldozers go after Stealmore is defeated?


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