Disneynature has released a new nature documentary titled Penguins this Earth Day in support of penguin conservation. Narrated by Ed Helms, the film follows an Adélie penguin named Steve in a coming-of-age story that showcases his journey to building the perfect nest to find a partner in life alongside many older male penguins. Audiences and Steve quickly learn that this task is not something that will come easy for him as he is faced with many challenges in the form of other more frightening animals and his own apparent internal battles.
Informing audiences about penguin conservation in an entertaining and touching way has become a skill that Disney has perfected over the years. Following the success of nature films like 2005’s March of The Penguins, Penguins creates a narrative that is interesting to watch because of the astounding cinematography that coincides the family-friendly storytelling while also remaining an effective way to educate audiences on the importance of conserving the lives of penguins.
Image courtesy: MovieWeb
Ed Helms, a comedian best known from the hit television show The Office, also narrates the role of Steve who caught filmmakers’ attention while shooting the documentary. In an interview on Hoda & Jenna, Helms commented on the film, “It’s a traditional nature documentary with all this great beautiful nature footage but also it’s a narrative, and I’m the traditional narrator but also the character Steve who is kind of the main penguin, and it’s incredible because it’s educational but fun and the whole family is gonna love it!” He continued by speaking about his love for penguins and what he learned from narrating the film stating, “They’re not just adorable … they are really tenacious. They live in the harshest environment, Antarctica is a brutal place, and they fight for survival. They fight to protect their little chicks. They fight for each other. They fight with each other sometimes. They’re tough!”
In an interview with USA Today, co-director Jeff Wilson talks about his experience with Steve while shooting the film stating, “He was amazing because he would go down the slope and mutter to himself in a grumpy way.” The young penguin Steve journeys to build the perfect nest to attract a mate. Wilson continued on the process of watching male penguins building nests saying, “When you see females coming and assessing the nest site, they’re checking out the males’ nest choice and nest location, and deciding if the males are suitable based on that. We would watch that (scenario) time and time again … thinking, ‘Come on, dude, you’ve really got to pull it out of the bag.’” Luckily, Steve meets a lovely female penguin named Adeline.
Watch the trailer to get a better glimpse into the film and the beautiful cinematography that tells the story of these amazing penguins in support of penguin conservation. Also, check out the documentary in a theater near you to see how Steve and Adeline’s love story plays out and watch as they attempt to have children in the dangerous environment around them.