March of the Penguins (2005)
89%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
22 wins & 15 nominations total
Only the most hardened soul won’t be moved by this heartwarming doc
March of the Penguins is the ultimate love story, but not the kind you’re used to. It’s about the love between penguins and their determination to survive in the harshest conditions. The film captures the beauty and comedy of these adorable creatures, from their awkward waddles to their silly slides on their bellies. And let’s not forget the impossibly cute chicks that offer up plenty of slapstick. With Morgan Freeman’s soothing voice and stunning cinematography, March of the Penguins is a must-watch for anyone who needs a little more love in their life.
Production Company(ies)
Tequila Gang Estudios Picasso Esperanto Filmoj
Distributor
National Geographic, Warner Independent
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Terre Adélie, Antarctica
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 20m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, penguins, Antarctica, mating ritual, heartwarming, Luc Jacquet, Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou, Jordan Roberts, G, Morgan Freeman, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, Flat (1.37:1), National Geographic, Warner Independent, $77.4M, 1h 20m, reviewed by Joe Morgenstern, J R Jones, Christy Lemire, Leslie Felperin, David Ansen, Damon Smith, Debbie Lynn Elias, Mattie Lucas, Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey, Richard Luck, Kevin Carr, Jay Antani, 94%, 182 Reviews, 81%, 50,000+ Ratings, directed by Luc Jacquet, produced by Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou, written by Jordan Roberts, starring Morgan Freeman as Narrator
Worldwide gross: $127,392,693
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $194,144,341
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 711
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 21,171,684
US/Canada gross: $77,437,223
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $118,013,037
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 645
US/Canada opening weekend: $137,492
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $209,536
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,653
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,191,867
Production budget ranking: 1,586
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,565,320
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $175,387,154
ROI to date (est.): 935%
ROI ranking: 138
Luc Jacquet – Director
Jordan Roberts – Writer
Yves Darondeau – Producer
Christophe Lioud – Producer
Emmanuel Priou – Producer
Director(s)
Luc Jacquet
Writer(s)
Jordan Roberts
Producer(s)
Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
22 wins & 15 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Documentary Feature Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (182) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (171) | Rotten (11)
Watch them march to the very extremes of extremis, though, and it’s easy to feel awe. Life must beget life, whatever the cost.
August 5, 2013
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
Some of the eggs and chicks freeze, and the parents’ cries are painful to hear (probably more for us than for them).
August 5, 2013
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
French director Luc Jacquet and a team of incredibly brave (and heavily bundled) documentary filmmakers captured this complicated mating ritual with strikingly crisp photography that’s both grand and intimate.
August 5, 2013
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
The avian protagonists’ comical ungainliness on land and deadpan manner make for adorable viewing, while the austere, glacial landscape is consistently breathtaking.
August 5, 2013 | Rating: 4/5
Leslie Felperin
Radio Times
TOP CRITIC
This astonishing film, shot in the Antarctic, captures sights never seen before.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Birth, death, romance, danger: All play a role in Jacquet’s homage to a remarkably endearing creature.
August 16, 2007
Damon Smith
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
With sparse narration by Morgan Freeman, written by Jordan Roberts, and beauteous orchestrations led by conductor Jeff Schindler, Jacquet lets the magic of the penguins speak for itself.
November 13, 2019
Debbie Lynn Elias
Behind The Lens
Almost painfully straightforward.
June 5, 2019 | Rating: 2.5/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The love story may be tenuous, but the penguins are undeniably sweet and silly, sliding on their bellies, and the impossibly cute chicks offer up plenty of slapstick.
August 5, 2013
Clare Pfeiffer Ramsey
Metro Times (Detroit, MI)
With such incredible subject matter, March Of The Penguins cannot help but hold the attention. It’s impossible not to warm to the penguins.
August 5, 2013
Richard Luck
Film4
It set the bar high for future documentaries.
June 27, 2011 | Rating: 4/5
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
plays like a high-end Discovery Channel special, but it’s compelling and beautiful just the same, exuding a love for its subject matter that’s infectious
August 19, 2010 | Rating: 3/4
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer…
Plot
At the end of each Antarctic summer, the emperor penguins of the South Pole journey to their traditional breeding grounds in a fascinating mating ritual that is captured in this documentary by intrepid filmmaker Luc Jacquet. The journey across frozen tundra proves to be the simplest part of the ritual, as after the egg is hatched, the female must delicately transfer it to the male and make her way back to the distant sea to nourish herself and bring back food to her newborn chick.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Morgan Freeman provides the narration for this heartwarming documentary about the lives of emperor penguins.
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