A new Disneynature documentary from directors Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson they also collaborated on the studios bless-the-beasts-and children docs Monkey Kingdom and Chimpanzee Penguins puts the focus on Steve, an Adlie penguin coming of age during a freezing Antarctic spring. Yup, there is a cute overload; penguins are as adorable as hell. Steves 100-mile journey from his natural ocean habitat to the breeding grounds on shore does not skimp on trials and travails, which include nest building and making a life for himself. Its no easy ride. Two feet tall and weighing in at 15 pounds, Steve is hardly a superhero. In fact, hes a natural target for leopard seals, killer whales and the bigger, bullying Emperor penquins. No matter. The little guy can fight with the best of them.
Steves voice comes courtesy of Ed Helms, who strikes just the right notes of silliness and growing maturity as the waddling bird finds a girl the lovely Adeline and falls in love to REO Speedwagons power ballad Cant Fight This Feeling. There are song cues everywhere for these serial monogamists, from Whitesnake to the Average White Band. Fatherhood is next up for our hero, a challenge which includes the care and feeding of chicks. And having Helms vocally take us through the highs and lows is a total treat. Its too bad that Adeline, clearly unaware of #TimesUp, doesnt get to speak.
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Of course, Penguins could still astonish without the anthropomorphic posturing of The Office alumnus or the constant classic-rock needle-drops. It took 16 cinematographers over three years to capture the stunning images on view. And the effect is jaw-dropping, whether were watching the penguins swim and dive with synchronized precision or try to locate the colonys nesting females now covered in snow. The film doesnt shy away when nature lowers the boom with harsh weather, predator attacks and the instinct in penguins to steal food and building materials from each other.
Oddly and disappointingly, climate change is never addressed. Yes, the Oscar-winning March of the Penguins covered much of the same ground in 2005. But the Mouse Houses version is funnier, kid friendlier and eager to conform to the questionable premise that, hey, penguins are just like us. No theyre not: Theyre flightless birds, and its cheating to suggest otherwise. But fantasy elements aside, this Disney movie has the one essential that makes a nature documentary fly: a thrilling sense of wonder.