Penguins (2019)

The latest Disneynature provides an intriguing look for the whole family at the Adélie penguins who manage to thrive in the inhospitable Antarctica. This species is a good deal smaller than the Emperor penguins who charmed us so in 2005’s March of the Penguins. And the hero of this film is a bit smaller than the usual  Adélie male, Steve having just arrived at the age for starting a family.

When we first see him Steve is stumbling across the frozen landscape all by himself, somehow having been separated from his companions. None of the stages—finding a mate, gathering stones to build a nest , or guarding the eggs—is easy for the neophyte. And going back and forth to the distant sea for food to regurgitate for the two babies is time consuming. And dangerous, as there are leopard seals, walruses, and killer whales eager to make a meal of the little guy.

Like all Disneynature films, there is a lot of anthropomorphism in the film, some of the comments (narrated by  Ed Helms) being a bit too cutesy for my taste. Still the photography is spectacular, and the shots of the film crew during the end credits answer well the question, “How did they do that?! Shot by a 16-member crew over a three-year period, the film, covering the one-year cycle of mating, hatching, raising checks, and returning with them to the sea, will make you marvel at the tenacity and adaptability of life to the harshest of conditions.