2005 – G – 80 min.
Director: Luc Jacquet
Primary Cast: The Penguins, Narrated by Morgan Freeman
Stars **** (of 5)
Popcorn *** 1/2 (of 5)
Film Type(s): Documentary, Nature

Synopsis: Thousands of penguins take a journey in the Antarctic. They travel, walking, to the same nesting grounds every year to find a mate and raise their young. The elements work against them, predators hunt them, but in the end, love finds a way.

Review: Originally produced by and for a French audience, this fascinating and entertaining National Geographic documentary follows the mating process / year-in-the-life-of the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica. It is hard to believe that the original release utilized techno music and music video-like editing. When it was purchased for American movie distribution, this film was re-edited with an orchestral score by Alex Wurman and a new narration using the voice of Morgan Freeman. This shake-up really worked, because the film became one of the few documentaries to have ever broken the $100 million dollar movie Box Office. This combined with audience and critical praise that eventually resulted in it winning for Best Documentary Feature at the 2005 Oscar ceremony, led it to become the most popular nature film since 1985’s Grand Canyon. The stunning photography add depth to this family friendly way of story telling, made all the more astonishing by the fact that it is true and something that happens every year.

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