Here’s a tip: never trust somebody that says “I haven’t seen that movie but I know I would…” because you don’t know what you don’t know. I knew I would hate Disney’s Penguins, the latest in the Disney Nature series, because it’s yet another ecosystem controlled by the studio’s anthropomorphized climate (Ed Helms voices the leading penguin with indelible immaturity. Not since the trailers of the 70’s has a voice been so relentlessly cheesy). And yet somehow, it works. This species may be one of the few ground-bound birds, but given half a chance they can really soar.
Filling in for wings are directors Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson – whose floating IMAX cameras stick us in the middle of a snowy nowhere. Antarctica to be exact. A luminous frozen landscape where penguins waddle across endless vistas (their short legs make them awfully slow walkers), where glaciers melt like sugar cubes in coffee and where scary predators make nature’s cycle come off like a ruthless villain.
A Penguin Rom-com
It also happens to be the home of Steve. An Adelie penguin who has just turned five, which in penguin years, means he is in search for a mate. Just one problem – Steve, walking the walk and talking the talk, is just as clumsy in love as he is in his slippery climate. Whether he knows it or not he’s the star of his own Rom-com. No backstory, it’s just him there, in search for love and purpose in the tradition of similar Disney Nature sagas African Cats, Monkey Kingdom, and Bears. Everything depends on this penguin’s resourcefulness. Just as everything relies on the director’s ability to find a cuddly vibe in life altering altercations.
He gets into it with some penguins that would make Danny Devito’s Penguin look like an ace. As well as with whales, sea leopards, and worst of all, the ever changing climate. But the effervescent feel holds true. Mother nature is no match against Steve’s adorable quest for a mother. He flexes his black and white flippers, proceeds to break the ice with his squeaky mating calls, finally landing himself a partner.
Fans of The Penguin New Wave will find that the story shares a lot of similarities with March of the Penguins, but you will find that the parallels don’t reach further than the plot. If March of the Penguins is about the extremes of survival, then Penguins is about the extremes of love. You will love watching Steve wander off from the pack in search for food to barf up for his newborns. Though, the more rational parts of our brain will start to question just how coincidental it is that this singular penguin seems to wander off at every turn. Just how true is Disney Nature’s motto?: “We let the animals fill their own shoes”.
As with all these documentaries, which are released on Earth Day every year, it’s the wonderfully spare cinematography that sells the tickets. That and the G-rating, which makes these adventures fun for the whole family – a phrase that these films brand more often than Disney’s animation department. Still, there’s something about seeing penguins jet down icy slopes like a puck on ice that borders being unmissable. The way a single frame can capture a flock of tens of thousands marching across miles of terrain is simply spellbinding.
Later, it’s a mom huddling with her chicks amidst a blizzard. Icicles penetrating her fluffy fur, as her nervous, darting eyes seem to be begging the wind to spare her children. For a film with such a chilly environment, there’s an unmistakable warmness to it.
Penguins: Conclusion
Unsurprisingly, many will find that the warmness can become sweltering. The narrative is repetitive, the narration is at times too cute for its own good, the greatest tension, climate change, is never outwardly discussed. But the movie finds enough joy in its tale on nature verses nurture, as well in a lovable underdog, for us to dismiss the flaws, to which there are many. Which is perfectly fine, as long we get that up-close-access to a world that seems so distant from our own, and as long as we get Steve. In a world where penguin movies are multiplying, it’s nice to see a penguin march to the beat of his own drum.
Have you seen Penguins? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
Penguins released on April 17, 2019 courtesy of Disney Nature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VubxHFy7ocE
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.