Film Review: Disneynature’s ‘Penguins’ in Flight with the Flightless

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CHICAGO – It is the tenth anniversary of Disneynature, the arm of Walt Disney Pictures that releases a new nature doc around every Earth Day. This year the naturally visual interest of “Penguins” are their subject, and the film does a nice job on the life cycle journey of these fascinating flightless birds.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

Although like every Disneynature film, the need to name the animals in nature (thus applying an outside human trait) is always questionable, but following an Adélie species Penguin that they have dubbed “Steve” works beautifully here. The inherent natural journey of winter-to-spring that these lovely creatures indulge in is well documented, and comic actor Ed Helms does some non-intrusive but entertaining narration to add spice to the educating … he often becomes Steve in voice and manner, yet it’s never over the top. This works best with kids, but adults will probably learn as much.

As narrated by Helms, we experience Steve – a male of the Adélie Penguin species – follow his natural path with his fellow Penguins to the shoreline of Antarctica in Spring. He is there to independently mate, build a hatching nest and find an abundance of food in the finally thawed shoreline waters. The process is of nature itself, and eventually a lady Penguin named Adeline waddles into view.

Disneynature’s “Penguins” opened in Chicago on April 17th, in IMAX an regular screenings. See local listings for format theaters and show times. Featuring the voice of Ed Helms. Directed by Alastir Fothergill and Jeff Wilson. Rated “R” for scenes of mating… KIDDING … it’s Rated “G”

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Penguins”

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Steve is Another Dude on the March in Disneynature’s “Penguins”
Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

StarContinue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Penguins”

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