March of the Penguins (2005)

In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.

Director:

Luc Jacquet

Writers:

Luc Jacquet (scenario), Luc Jacquet (adaptation)

Stars:

Morgan Freeman, Charles Berling, Romane Bohringer

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Charles Berling	...	Le père (voice)
Romane Bohringer	...	La mère (voice)
Jules Sitruk	...	Le bébé (voice)
Morgan Freeman	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amitabh Bachchan	...	Narrator (voice)
Jose Coronado	...	Emperor Father (voice)
Sky du Mont	...	Narrator (voice)
Gösta Ekman	...	Narrator (voice)
Fiorello	...	Narrator (voice)
Sofie Gråbøl	...	Narrator (voice)
Hikari Ishida	...	Haha-Penguin (voice)
Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Ko-Penguin (voice)
Adrian Killian	...	Penguin Baby (voice)
Marek Kondrat	...	Narrator (voice)
Andrea Kathrin Loewig	...	Penguin Mother (voice)

Storyline

At the end of each Antarctic summer, the emperor penguins of the South Pole journey to their traditional breeding grounds in a fascinating mating ritual that is captured in this documentary by intrepid filmmaker Luc Jacquet. The journey across frozen tundra proves to be the simplest part of the ritual, as after the egg is hatched, the female must delicately transfer it to the male and make her way back to the distant sea to nourish herself and bring back food to her newborn chick.

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Plot Keywords:

father son relationship | do or die | life cycle | moon | lonliness | 

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Taglines:

In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way

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Genres:

Documentary | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Warner Brothers [United States]

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

22 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

March of the Penguins

Filming Locations:

Terre Adélie, Antarctica

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,383,709 (France), 28 January 2005

Opening Weekend USA:

$137,492, 26 June 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$77,437,223

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$127,392,693

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Geographic Films, Bonne Pioche, Wild Bunch

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguins and the only one to breed during the winter in Antarctica.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [narrating voice over] There are few places hard to get to in this world. But there aren't any where it's harder to live.

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Crazy Credits

As the closing credits roll, footage is shown of the photographers dragging their equipment across the ice, setting up their cameras, and shooting film as the penguins walk around them.

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Alternate Versions

The original French version features dialog for the penguins and a pop music soundtrack.

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Connections

Referenced in You Know What's Bullshit: Penguin Movies (2007)

User Reviews

What a delightful film

I was going to let this movie pass me by, but friends told me how nice this little film was. So I decided to go see it and I am certainly glad that I did. This is a delightful movie that tracks a year in the life of a flock of penguins. I never realized the harsh conditions that these brave birds have to go through to breed and exist. The cinematography is wonderful making you part of this brave march for existence. In this day of so much junk being called movies, it is refreshing to see a well made documentary that will inform you. My hat is off to the crew that made this outstanding movie. Go see it, you certainly will enjoy it.