Susan Granger’s review of “Penguins” (Disneynature)
Let’s all agree that penguins are adorable. In cinema, they’ve been immortalized in “March of the Penguins” and “Happy Feet,” among others.
Now Disneynature presents a penguin coming-of-age documentary, revolving around five year-old Steve (voiced by Ed Helms), a small Adelie who’s ready to mate and father some young ‘uns.
Clumsy Steve’s a bit of a late-comer to the icy nesting grounds, so he has to make do with available space and leftover rocks, while vocalizing mightily, hoping to attract a mate.
When Adeline appears, they perform an affectionate coupling dance to REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” Soon, Adeline is conscientiously guarding their two eggs as Steve journeys many miles to forage for food.
But danger lurks around the ice floes in the Southern Ocean – like hungry leopard and elephant seals, plus predatory killer whales.
Directors Alastair Fothergill (“Bears,” “Chimpanzee”) and Jeff Wilson and their crews spent three summers in Antarctica, battling katabatic winds, while patiently capturing stunning footage near the South Pole, where it stays dark six months of the year.
Out of that video material, David Fowler (“Born in China,” “Growing Up Wild”) wrote the screenplay, in which he not only anthropomorphizes but also infantilizes the Adelie penguins.
Disneynature spokeswoman Dr. Jane Goodall (best known for her chimpanzee work in Africa) observes: “Penguins are just comic. It’s the way they walk…they make you smile. And then, suddenly, they’ll come to a nice, smooth piece of ice, and they’ll just barrel down on their tummies.”
For several years now, Disneynature has been educating the viewers about the ecology of our planet. “The sea ice is breaking up earlier and earlier,” Goodall notes. “The greenhouse gases are increasing, trapping the heat of the sun and causing changes in weather patterns all over the world. We must take action before it’s too late.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Penguins” waddles in with a short, simplistic 7, relating family-friendly entertainment for Earth Day.
