Penguins (2019) User Reviews

A Cute Simplistic Documentary

[imjaredross · 7/10 · 30 September 2019]

DisneyNature's latest documentary focusing on the lives of penguins in the Arctic is cute if not a little too simplistic. DisneyNature has been around for several years now bringing out film after film focusing on the wildlife of our little blue planet with the simple goal of informing, entertaining and donating to important causes to protect the creatures that roam this earth.

Penguins is their latest documentary and is fun and charming, detailing the life of a single penguin in great detail. The film is obviously aimed for younger audiences and simply a way of showing penguins doing cute things. The narration from Ed Helms hammers this point home for sure with much of his delivery being extremely whimsical and at times childish.

The film does a good job of documenting little Steve's journey in the harsh landscape showing off all the trials and tribulations he has to face without going over a G rating of course. It's fun watching him scuttle around the icy landscape and it's rather cute. However, this can only entertain for so long before it becomes monotonous and the constant narration from Ed Helms gets tiresome and it's charm wares off fast.

Sometimes I wondered while watching, what sort of direction Ed Helms was given in the recording booth, because sometimes he feels completely lost and it often feels like just rambling. But perhaps this is a minor complaint overall. There's nothing wrong with this and the point of the film is still the same. It's a simple story and simple subject with beautiful shots of the icy landscape, but it doesn't tell me really anything new and perhaps that's the films biggest problem.

The film shows you the life of this penguin and his group, but doesn't give out any new information that we haven't already seen or perhaps heard of in other similar penguin related documentaries. Which this is fine, but I would have liked something a little more deeper.

Penguins in a perfectly fine documentary with some interesting tidbits and wonderful cinematography that should entertain younger viewers, but doesn't add anything new. It is however a film with an important message and cause, by showing us the importance of these little creatures down south and I can't fault the film or judge too harshly for doing something that I think is worthwhile in the end.

A coming of age tale

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 15 February 2021]

2019's 'Penguins' had real potential of being great and had all the ingredients to be. Reasons for wanting to see it were quite a few. One being my undying lifelong love for Disney. Another being my every bit as strong love for penguins, probably along with seals my favourite animal. The DisneyNature documentaries are interesting, even if the quality has varied. With wonderful ones such as 'Earth' and 'Oceans', and also a couple that underwhelmed like 'Elephant' and 'Born in China'.

'Penguins' is not up there among the best DisneyNature documentaries. It is also not one of the worst. Personally put it somewhere in the middle along with 'Monkey Kingdom'. Actually saw this not long after seeing 'Snow Chick: A Penguin's Tale' and when comparing briefly the two, there is no question as to which is the better one of the two. That sounds like 'Penguins' is bad. It isn't. There is actually a lot to like here, but one big thing in particular jarred the brought things down.

Lets start mentioning the good things. 'Penguins' looks gorgeous for one thing and it is mainly the quality of the visuals that make it worth seeing. The scenery is absolutely spectacular, while being a lot more than cute penguins in beautiful environments. The environments are indeed breathtakingly beautiful but they are also suitably cruel and unforgiving, there are times without being too dark where 'Penguins' does show that penguins do have difficulties in their habitats. This is all enhanced by the cinematic-worthy photography. Some of the music has a nice atmosphere and is appealing in instrumentation.

Steve is a very entertaining and likeable penguin that is always worth rooting for every step of the way in all the stages of his journey, not coming over as too humanised. In fact all the penguins are immensely engaging and it is hard to not feel anything for them, cheer for them, cry for them and admire any accomplishments. 'Penguins' is full of charm and entertainment value, plus very cute without being sickly, and while it didn't emotionally connect with me quite as much as 'Snow Chick: A Penguin's Tale' for example there are affecting parts. Some of the narration intrigues and informs.

Most of the time however, the narration didn't do an awful lot for me. Like other DisneyNature documentaries, its writing did try too hard to appeal to younger audiences and ended up being too childish and over-simplified. It also tried to inject some humour intended to lighten the mood, but this came over as clumsy and over-silly. Ed Helms' delivery added to the problem, too much of it is too over-eager and can talk down to the audience.

While not near as much of a problem, for my tastes some of 'Penguins' was a little too over-scored in mood and placement.

In conclusion, mostly enjoyed it but would have loved it if the narration didn't jar as much. 7/10

Beautiful cinematography

[maccas-56367 · 7/10 · 28 May 2020]

Have you ever wanted to watch penguins dancing romantically to REO Speedwagon? If so, this is for you.

This was (mostly) a fun little documentary from Disneynature. At 76 minutes in length, it moved pretty fast. It often made me smile or laugh, and featured really good use of music. I'll forever think of an awkward penguin called Steve when I hear Whitesnake in future.

The whole documentary is centered around our mate Steve. He always seemed to be late to wherever he was going - including the birth of his kids. In some ways, I could relate to Steve a bit too much.

Whether it be 100 mile round trips for food, or annoying neighbours stealing precious rocks - Penguins shows the life of a penguin is really damn hard. I couldn't help but feel bigger picture stuff going on - with life itself feeling like a tumultuous ice flow filled with problematic leopard seals at every turn. No, just me?

Ed Helms was annoying as narrator at times - it took a little adjusting to once he began voicing the penguins themselves. And if I had kids? I probably wouldn't show them this until a certain age. There was some scary, anxiety-inducing events in parts. Such is life.

It's an OK documentary

[emvxl · 7 September 2019]

It's a good enough documentary with a playful theme. However, it comes nowhere near the quality and the information that you get from any of the BBC documentaries like Frozen Planet or Planet Earth.

Short but sweet

[cgearheart · 6/10 · 30 April 2019]

Now this is how you make documentaries for kids: cute critters, an engaging story, and charming narration/character commentary from the quirky Ed Helms. With that said, it's great for kids and even adults, but my interest didn't stay sustained for a very long time. It could've been because I was tired but I felt like it went in circles after awhile. Still, a good one.

B-

Disney's Playful Documentary of Penguins

[cwjackson-70156 · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

Leave it to Stevie, he can get the job done. He's a first-year dad sharing with his lovely spouse the challenging responsibility of raising two, growing youngsters. To get to that junction, Steve had to build a foundation to cultivate his household. He has to travel to the right location, build and protect his home, and wait to meet his possibly life-long partner. You might imagine I'm talking about young suburbans in America or elsewhere in global communities. They are penguins, this is their story with Steve taking the lead as narrator Ed Helms guides along in the icy frontier. With a general title, Penguins is a whimsical and clever take on a well-known delightful film animal. You might recall the 2005 documentary, March of the Penguins which provided a more realistic perspective of these birds life. They have been the subject of some fictional live action and animation movies. This here is familiar penguin material, the filmmakers' awareness prompt them to keep it entertaining. With a fish-full of life lessons without preaching, Penguins relates to young and older ones the struggles of raising a family with less intensity of the March of Penguins, and with more fun. There are many humorous moments, some a bit strained but not irritating. Steve and his wife, Adelene face hardships feeding their children, from hungry predators, and harsh weather. It is a choice family film and a rare full length G-rated movie. I viewed it with a small audience of children with their guardians and elderly persons. The photography is spacious and exceptional. The storyline might push its limits a bit, Penguins was a pleasure to watch and wonder about these tuxedo fur characters.

great footage but had issues (possible minor spoilers)

[mrvino15 · 7/10 · 7 September 2019]

I loved the footage, I loved them tracking certain penguins and making a story out of their relationship, but.. In a "PG" rating, I didn't expect the producers to narrate part of the story as though the main penguins died, to bring drama. I was just in it for a relaxing, let's watch this (drama free) documentary. The other issue I had was the narration. They brought in an "A" list comedian to, sort of, humanize, this movie, and bring unnecessary comedy to it. I thought a normal "narrator" would have done much better, just imo.

Overall though, great footage, I wish it wasn't so short. :)

Re. Great penguin video

[jabeckwith-23971 · 10/10 · 18 April 2020]

Really cool and funny and suspenseful. We learned new stuff about penguins. Also there were cute pictures.

Worthwhile documentary celebrates 10 years of Disneynature

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 29 April 2019]

"Penguins" (2019 release; 76 min.) is the latest documentary from Disneynature. As the movie opens, we are reminded that this is the 10th anniversary of the Disneynature movies. This latest one brings us the life and times of Steve, an Adelie penguin. He is 5 years old, about 2 ft. tall, and about 15 lbs. As we join Steve, he is on his way to the very spot where he was born, but now looking to court a mate and start a family. This is easier said than done, as he fights for the right nesting spot, which he builds with rocks that he collects. Then a potential mate shows interest... At this point we are 10 min. int the movie, but to tell you more of the plot (such as it is) would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is directed by Disneynature veteran Alastair Fothergill ("African Cats", "Bears") and Jeff Wilson. When I heard of this release, my initial reaction was "haven't we seen this before in the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins?". Turns out that concern is unjustified. "March of the Penguins" looks at the much larger emperor penguin, whereas this documentary follows the Adelie pengiun. There is a funny scene in the beginning where Steve accidentally ends up in a colony of emperor penguins and he gets slapped around... by baby emperor penguins (who are still larger than Steve). Once that was cleared up, the only thing that mattered to me was to see how spectacular the footage was, and there I was not disappointed. In fact, the footage is outstanding, and on top of that the film makers lucked out (if that is the right wording--probably they persisted and were rewarded) with some amazing plot twists--I really don't want to say anything more so as not to spoil). Just watch!

"Penguins" opened in theaters a few weeks ago, and I finally got around to seeing it this weekend, yes the same weekend where "Avengers Endgame" came out and dominated the box office (more than 90% of the weekend's business--but I have no interest in seeing it). The Sunday early evening screening where I saw "Penguins" was attended so-so--about 10-12 people, mostly adults I might add. If you love nature documentaries, you cannot go wrong with this. Of course I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

WOW!

[sarah-87105 · 10/10 · 16 June 2020]

This movie really took me and my family by surprise, we were not expecting it to be so funny and heart warming! Such a great movie, shoutout to the brave souls that took on the extreme crazy cold journey to give us this film!

Scary for highly sensitive kids

[Curt1030 · 6/10 · 21 April 2019]

I'm a bit upset that a G-rated Disney film included a half-dozen moments of peril. Predators try to eat the penguins. Babies get separated from parents. Foreboding music kicks in. Mom and Dad penguins might never meet again. Our highly-sensitive 8 y.o. said, "I hate this movie!" "I want to go right now!"

Had it been PG, I wouldn't have been so surprised by the mild, yet realistic peril. Smart, empathetic kids recognize existential dread.

Curt

Cute, sweet, educational! Great for all ages.

[katiekroach · 10/10 · 9 April 2020]

Penguins is incredible! We watched it with our Toddler, and all of us were entertained all the way through. It's a clever story that follows a 5 year old penguin named Steve, through a whole year of life. He journeys miles and miles to explore and follow his right of passage. His journey to mate, become a parent, and care for his family is touching and fascinating. The narration is educational and highly entertaining. We LOVE this movie and we LOVE STEVE!

Documentary lite

[jellopuke · 7/10 · 21 April 2019]

Anthropomorphizing a penguin's mating journey, this is a fine movie for kids with some nice footage and a few moments of drama, but it's a Disneyfied version of life, so your mileage may vary.

why is steve is a white dude in antarctica?

[AziziOthmanMY · 3/10 · 10 September 2019]

The story was simple however injecting the idea that steve was a white dude move because my niece kept asking why did that penguin sounds like a 35 year divorced old white dude. lol

Penguins

[0U · 13 February 2020]

Never have I been so enthralled to watch a documentary. Penguins creates a very captivating story that will leave viewers young and old with pure joy.

Waddling In To A New Documentary Beat

[rgkarim · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

Nature documentaries have been made famous on the likes of public television, but Disney was ready to one-up the game by bringing their magic to the big screen. With stunning effects and a budget to uncover the secrets of the natural world, Disney Nature was born. Ten years later, the subsection of the empire is back with another film, ready to bring the chills and thrills of the frozen wasteland few choose to trek. Robbie K is back with yet another review as he takes a look at:

Penguins (2019)

Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson Writer: David Fowler Star: Ed Helms

LIKES:

Beautiful Cinematography Adorable Star Joyful Energy Good Censorship Voice over adding a punch Musical overture

SUMMARY: In a documentary, it's all about finding a way to capture the natural energy in the best perspective. Penguins has a dynamic camera work going for it, utilizing some fantastic technology to capture the feelings and magic involved with the penguin ritual of mating. The adorable star of Steve has pizazz and character, which helps bring the fun to this documentary. You grow attached to the little guy, feeling a sense of happiness radiate out of his squat body, that not only is thanks to the charm of the penguins, but also the wonderful editing of the footage the team obtained. While much of the movie holds that fun atmosphere, the dangers of the artic wilderness are still displayed as both natural phenomena and predators debut on film. Those darker, sadder moments are fortunately censored, so you won't have to avert your eyes too much for this film. Yet, if a documentary doesn't quite stand out to you, Penguins gets a nice touch from others by utilizing its voice actor Ed Helms to give a little pizazz to the artic explorer of Steve. His voice over montage acting as Steve's thoughts are entertaining at times, sort of filling in the silence with an approach that further added to fun of the movie. And yes, utilization of a fun music set brought more fun in the form of well-timed mood music to help add to the adventure.



DISLIKES: Short Not Quite As Detailed as Others Occasional annoying Commentary

SUMMARY:

Not much can be said in terms of dislikes of this movie, but there are a few limitations for this reviewer. For one thing it is short! While this can be a good thing, I think I wanted to see more of the ritual and lifestyle unfolding given the price of admission. Penguins fast pace will be great for modern attention spans, but for those that become engrossed into the movie, the abrupt stop will leave you wanting a little more bang for your buck. Much of this I think has to do with how they limited the world they were focusing on with this film. Other films in the Disney nature arsenal expanded to three families, colorful worlds, and more detailed behaviors that spanned a greater time period. In this case, the shorter focus may have been the reason for the fast pace given the limited content they wanted to focus on. Had they perhaps studied the patterns of some other artic creatures, this film could have been a little more of the adventure fans are used to. Finally, while I did enjoy the comedy provided by Helms commentary, there are times where they got a little overdone, but these are few and far between.

THE VERDICT:

Penguins is a fun adventure that serves as a good educational launch pad for those curious about the world around them. The adventure of Steve is a short trip into the artic, but it's a surprisingly fun one where joy, happiness, and a few other quirks exist to thaw the frozen atmosphere. Utilizing some solid comedic tricks, a captivating voice work and beautiful footage, the movie does a great job of keeping it appropriate for it's intended audience. However, this movie does still suffer from a few details that are missing and not expanding its horizons into the tundra like some of their other films have done and that may be the biggest limitation. This documentary is magical, but the fact that it's not quite the big budget blockbuster that we get shoved into our faces may also limits it's theater worthiness in the modern age. Still, yours truly would encourage catching it sometime, particularly with the little ones in tow.

My scores are:

Documentary: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.0

A G-Rated Champion of Penguins' Delights

[cwjackson-70156 · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

Leave it to Stevie, he can get the job done. He's a first-year dad sharing with his lovely spouse the challenging responsibility of raising two, growing youngsters. To get to that junction, Steve had to build a foundation to cultivate his household. He has to travel to the right location, build and protect his home, and wait to meet his possibly life-long partner. You might imagine I'm talking about young suburbans in America or elsewhere in global communities. They are penguins, this is their story with Steve taking the lead as narrator Ed Helms guides along in the icy frontier. With a general title, Penguins is a whimsical and clever take on a well-known delightful film animal. You might recall the 2005 documentary, March of the Penguins which provided a more realistic perspective of these birds' lives. They have been the subject of some fictional live action and animation movies. This here is familiar penguin material, the filmmakers' awareness prompt them to keep it entertaining. With a fish-full of life lessons without preaching, Penguins relates to young and older ones the struggles of raising a family with less intensity of the March of Penguins, and with more fun. There are many humorous moments, some a bit strained but not irritating. Steve and his wife, Adélie face hardships feeding their children, from hungry predators, and harsh weather. It is a choice family film and a rare full length G-rated movie. I viewed it with a small audience of children with their guardians and elderly persons. The photography is spacious and exceptional. The storyline might push it limits a bit, Penguins was a pleasure to watch and wonder about these tuxedo fur characters.

You got to love penguins

[CFDeeDee · 8/10 · 26 February 2020]

I guess I watched all the penguins documentaries around .. This one was about a new species of penguins in which I've never seen a documentary about before .. Adelie penguins .. they are a lot different than emperor penguins and they are so very interesting to follow them around, the narrative was pretty funny with a cute little script which made the movie a lot funnier than a documentary should be, but I didn't mind that at all !

The Most Adorable Movie I Have Ever Seen!

[cinephile-27690 · 10/10 · 23 April 2020]

For Earth Day, Disney Channel decided to air this year-old movie, and I am so glad they did. Penguins is the most adorable movie I have ever seen.

The documentary is narrated by Ed Helms(Stew from The Hangover), who shows us the life of Steve, a cute penguin who learns how to survive the harsh cold of Antarctica, and how he leaves his family to start his own.

There is one thing I must give the film credit for, and that's how much it made me love penguins. I've seen March of the Penguins, Happy Feet, and I grew up on a video series called 321 Penguins, and no other movie has made me love the animal more. This literally made penguins my favorite animal.

From a film-making standpoint, Penguins is glorious. This is all natural, no sets or anything. This is actual Antarctica, with actual penguins, actually waddling over God's Green Earth. The look is beautiful, and stunning as a result.

As a documentary, this is very educational. For example, before watching this, I never knew that penguins shed into being black and white. This process is called molting. If you love learning new facts about animals, then Penguins should be on your radar.

Simply watching the penguins is precious as well. Whether they are playing, waddling, or feeding their young, witnessing everyday life for a penguin made me beam bright. That's why I consider this to be so adorable.

There is even a scene where an egg hatches and we see life for a baby penguin begin. This was the most precious scene., and it was hands down the best one for me. I nearly cried with awe at that point.

For parents, you may want to be consider your child's age before showing them this. Really young kids(like toddlers) will most likely find this to a bore, and sensitive kids will be upset at predators quickly eating members Steve's family near the end.

This is quick and not graphic. As this a G rated movie from Disney, this won't be like watching Jaws. but kids may get upset at this after falling in love with these creatures. Even I was a little shaken at the sight of this for that reason, and I am 21 years old.

If I had to critique one thing about it, my one teeny tiny flaw would be that some scenes have no narration, and watching it in the dark made me nearly fall asleep. So, don't watch this too late or if you are tired. However, there is a positive with this as well, as the action tells a story within itself, which is sweet too.

I also couldn't help but notice that Ed Helms narrated this, and Morgan Freeman narrated March of the Penguins. Both of these stars were in Evan Almighty. To any directors reading this. if Steve Carell does a penguin documentary, my life will be complete.

Penguins is also evidence on the necessity of film as an entertainment medium. This is a story that could not be told on paper. The connection we have with Steve must be seen, not read or heard.

In short, Penguins gets my highest recommendation for animal lovers, anyone who wants to learn something new, or anyone wanting a sweet way to pass 76 minutes. The setting for Penguins may be freezing, but the movie itself is sure to warm your heart.

great for all ages

[ammclealyssa · 9/10 · 27 May 2019]

My adolescent friends and i saw this movie and it was one of the best times we've had at the movies. even made me worry steve might die here and there but disney came through. very cute. not too boring. underrated.

Cute and entertaining

[aayala-02904 · 9/10 · 8 May 2019]

This was a heart warming story. Fun for The whole family.

Lot of reality!

[marilyncollins · 9/10 · 28 April 2019]

I imagine this movie is for older children. It seems that a 10y/o and a 12y/o would posses the knowledge of ongoing battles it takes to survive in nature. I do not think children younger than this can appreciate the photography, the drama of life/death and the simple beauty of it all. Fantastic teaching aid!

Why does this movie lack reviews?

[VenVes · 19 April 2019]

Had a lot of fun seeing this in IMAX on Earth Day. Really funny and entertaining, even for adults. Especially recommended for family viewing, though. Finally, if you're an 80's music lover like me, you'll get a lot of joy from this film. Enjoy!

Why do people say it bad?? They shoot it for 3 years..??!!

[olimpius · 10/10 · 1 May 2019]

It would be nice to watch the movie before you rate it... its nice family movie for every one. And its so beautiful and people behaind the movie spend 3 years to deliver it to us...so how can you be so mean its beyond reason..

Awesome nature documentary

[ilovefoodcoma · 9/10 · 21 April 2019]

I couldn't imagine how much time & effort Disney had filmed this documentary. Rather than just filming penguins, they make it more interesting and has a story of one particular penguin. The editing job is awesome! The penguins look so adorable. The nature is so beautiful. This movie is very informative as well. I learn so much about penguin's life. Well done, Disney