By Michelle Mallek

Animal lovers unite! Disney Nature has come out with their new movie Penguins, which follows the story of Steve an Adelie penguin living in Antarctica. I am a sucker for any movie that involves animals and nature. I have watched Planet Earth and started watching Our World. Who doesn’t love seeing all the cute and magical animals, as well as seeing breathtaking shots of different parts of the world. With that being said I was ecstatic to watch a film filled with waddling clumsy penguins. Disney did not disappoint with this movie. One thing that I love about Disney Nature movies above others is they create a story line behind one particular animal instead of focusing on just the type of animal. The animals are given names and you follow them through their triumphs and struggles. It makes you feel more connected to what is happening to these animals.

The movie begins with meeting Steve as he is waddling across the icy terrain. He is about to experience a whole new aspect of his penguin life: adulthood. This will be his first mating season and boy is he in for an experience. We follow Steve running late to the “show” of getting a nest ready for a potential female to choose him. With some success and struggles he was able to land the heart of Adeline. Now they enter parenthood as they have two eggs to take care of. During this time we are introduced to many other animals that live in the Artic as well as harsh weather conditions. There are moments of laughter to moments of fear as we are now fully invested in seeing these new parents survive. Through all these emotions we get to see the babies hatch and now get to see how they take care of them. Once again we get to experience an array of emotions and experiences such as watching the babies chase after Steve and try to escape the clutch of a leopard seal. The movie ends with the Penguins making it out to the ocean and swimming off into the distance as winter approaches.

This movie is truly great for the whole family. The kids can enjoy watching the penguins in their natural habitat and learn about all other aspects of the Arctic. Even though the movie is about penguins they are able to fill the movie with learning about other animals and what life looks like in the arctic. Adults will be able to relate to so many aspects of Steve and Adeline’s life. The writers did a great job of creating a script for Steve and Adeline that is relatable to many success and struggles we see on a daily basis. There were countless scenes were I either could identify what they were feeling or relate it to someone I know. This review cannot overlook the music selection. Can I talk about soundtrack of the year! You can tell that so much thought went into finding songs that were perfect for the scene and emotions they were trying to get across. The final aspect I appreciated about this movie was its ability to make nature PG. Yes I love watching videos on animals but I like to imagine that all animals live in harmony. Yes yes I know some animals have to eat each other to survive but I don’t want to see it! Talk about heartbreaking! I appreciated that Disney did not ignore the fact that there are many predators that these animals face but also didn’t show the graphic nature of it. I could watch the movie and not want to cry as I see the animals getting torn apart. The only critiques I have on this movie was they were a little harsh on Steve’s competency as a new dad. They often portrayed him as the lost and confused dad. Give him more credit he is new at this! Other than that I loved it and plan on going to see it again with my niece who has found a new love for animal.

(All Images Courtesy of DISNEY)

Disneynature’s“Penguins” Review

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