Disneynature's Penguins, coming to theaters Earth Day, April 17th

PENGUINS opens in theaters everywhere on April 17th!

We love DisneyNature movies. They really teach us so much about the animals and they are cute and entertaining at the same time. I love penguins and I love them even more now that I have learned so much about them after watching the film.

Thank you Disney Nature for inviting us to the screening to facilitate this review

About the movie

​Narrated by Ed Helms (“The Office,” “The Hangover” trilogy,”The Daily Show with John Stewart”), Disneynature’s all-new feature film “Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he's targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after. From the filmmaking team behind “Bears” and “Chimpanzee,” 

Watch a trailer 

Interesting facts

• ​“Penguins” continues Disneynature’s conservation tradition: for every ticket sold opening week (April 17-23, 2019), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere. Founded in 2002, WCN invests in a select network of on-the-ground conservationists, including top experts in the field of penguins like the Global Penguin Society (GPS).
•  “Penguins” is the first-ever Disneynature film to be released in IMAX®.
• As an actor, writer and comedian, Helms established himself as one of Hollywood’s most beloved performers with scene-stealing roles on both film and television including NBC’s award-winning comedy series, “The Office,” and the box office smash hit film trilogy “The Hangover.”
• Disneynature celebrates 10 years since its first feature film hit theaters. The first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in more than 60 years, Disneynature was launched to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to capture a variety of wildlife subjects and stories.  
• “Penguins” is the eighth theatrical release for Disneynature. The first seven theatrical releases, “Earth,” “Oceans,” “African Cats,” “Chimpanzee,” “Bears,” “Monkey Kingdom” and “Born in China,” are seven of the top eight highest grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Chimpanzee” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre.
• Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, including “Seal Island” (1948), “Beaver Valley” (1950), “The Living Desert” (1953) and “Jungle Cat” (1958). The films earned eight Academy Awards®.
• If you homeschool there is a Disneynature Penguins Educator’s Guide free to download
• There is a scene on the film that is the first time that behavior has been able to be documented on video. It involves a leopard seal, however I will not tell you what happens, because I don't want to give you any spoilers. Just watch the film and you would know which one is.​
• DisneyNature does not call the production documentaries they call them Real Life Adventures

Q & A with producer Roy Conli 

Q. Who is Steve?
A. Steve is a 5-year-old Adélie penguin who’s ready to tackle the next phase of life: building a family. “He’s becoming a father for the first time,”

Q. How long did it take to make the film?
A. It was 3 years of filming, including one year to transport all the equipment. 
It was at least a 10 journey to the film site. Taking the transport ship, helicopters, sleds and then hiking.

Q. Do you go into production with a story in mind, or do you watch the footage and come out with a story?
A. The only think they knew is that they wanted to have a father story, they were going to look for a first time dad. That was the goal. They thought it was great that the dad shared the responsibility of raising the child, it is 50/50 in the relationship between the female and the male penguin. But it is not until they are in the filed and the cinematographers start journaling everything. The journal the behavior and it was easy from there.

Q. Which was one of the biggest challenges you had while filming
A. Cold. It was really cold. They had to sleep on tents while cold winds where blowing at 150 miles. 

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Visit the official website here: https://nature.disney.com/penguins