March of the Penguins

4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (518 customer reviews)
In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
  • Starring: Morgan Freeman
  • Directed by: Luc Jacquet
  • Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes
  • Release year: 2005
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
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March of the Penguins [Blu-ray]
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Product Details
Synopsis: In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
Starring: Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Luc Jacquet
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 1 hour 21 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 2005
Studio: Warner Bros.
ASIN: B0014C3KSM (Rental) and B001OKKRVM (Purchase)
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: June 24, 2005
  • Production Company: Bonne Pioche, Alliance de Production Cinematographique (APC), Buena Vista International Film Production France, Canal+, L'Institut Polare Français Paul-Émile Victor
  • USA Box Office: $ 77 Million
  • Worldwide Box Office: $ 106 Million
  • Filming Locations: Terre Adélie, Antarctica

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Customer Reviews

I do recommend watching this movie you will fall in love with these amazing animals!!!!! sexylove  |  160 reviewers made a similar statement
What a beautiful film! J. Newton  |  113 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
384 of 421 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Cold Life of Emperor Penguins September 29, 2005
Format:DVD
I chose to see "March of the Penguins" as a diversion to a 100+ degree day, and saw that cold weather is worse than hot weather. Now, in the brisk part of autumn, it still holds up.

Penguins from several areas of Antarctica converge on land, safe from predators and the ebbing ice shelf. They are there to mate, birth, and care for their chick.

Monogamous for that year, penguins pair up and the mother lays an egg.

The mother dashes off back to the sea, which, thanks to the winter and new ice, is as far as 70 miles. She's starving, having lost one-third of her weight in laying the egg. The trip is long, and she's not fast. Hungry seals await them, some penguins lose their way, and some are too exhausted to continue.

Well-fed, full of food for her chick, she returns, and the father makes the same trip so he can eat. The father stayed behind to incubate the egg, and protect the new chick. He has lost one half of his weight.

The pair trade places a few more times as winter plods on. With temperatures 80 below zero, and winds up to 125, I felt cold just watching. The penguins huddle to keep warm, rotating which must do outside duty.

Morgan Freeman narrates. His voice does not overcome the story. Better written than any documentary I have ever seen, Freeman respects the script. Having never seen a documentary in a theater before, I was impressed at how well it worked on the big screen.

There is no plot, even though there is a beginning and an end. Unlike many documentaries, it does not detail the intricacies of eating, mate choosing, or science of penguin living. It is more about watching the arduous life cycle, with some explaining what we are watching.

The camera works captures the cold -- the shivering penguins, the snow blowing like dust over the long line of marching penguins. It reminded me of movies about Siberia, showing Soviets living in a frozen, cold natural prison.

This isn't a cute animal movie. Tender children might be saddened to see the eggs and chicks freezing, and could be quite frightened when the vicious seals overtake swimming penguins.

Now, with the ever-funny Bugs Bunny in "8 Ball Bunny," the kid-factor increases. Still, even as Bugs graces your home viewing experience, be careful with more impressionable children and the feature documentary.

Another DVD feature: Rodney the Penguin assists in "Crittercam: Emperor Penguins," as we learn how some of the complex videography was really shot.

I fully recommend "March of the Penguins."

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com
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230 of 251 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing September 30, 2005
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Morgan Freeman narrates this beautiful, moving, sometimes sad, often beautiful documentary (that actually does well on the big screen). There are no big stars in this, just thousands of the cutest most beautiful little guys you could think of. They are amazing animals and this depicts the life cycle of them and the way they live facing brutally cold conditions, attacks by seals, and the heartbreak they suffer (like humans) when chicks die or are taken from them. This is brilliant and unlike any other documentary I've seen. It captivated me from start to end and it's a must see. Listening to Morgan Freemans soothing voice is so pleasant and he was easily the best choice to narrate this. Go see this. I highly, highly recommend it.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a blu-ray material March 2, 2008
Format:Blu-ray
No offence to the Oscar winning documentary. I love the story but it was not shot in HD and they didn't even try to covert it. The picture quality is about the same as the regular DVD upconvert at its best. Huge disappointment!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent footage, wonderful story
Hard to believe that this is all real footage, and the true story of the emperor penguins. We watched it for our family movie night, and both boys (ages 4 and 6. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Froggy Mama
5.0 out of 5 stars a Keeper
If you love and are in awe of, some of the natural mysteries, see this movie.
You will be astonished.
Published 7 days ago by Snow Lover
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE COLLECTION
March of the Penguins (Full Screen Edition) ONLY THE BEST OF THE BEST PEOPLE COLLABORATED IN THIS NATIONAL GEOGRAFIC FILM.ONLY NEGITIVE & PETTY PEOPLE WILL SEE IT DEFFERENTLY. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joan Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars great film
have enjoyed this movie several times. It really is a education and entertaining movie. It was a good by from other stores and even used movie stores
Published 1 month ago by martin ketzbeck
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fascinating!!
Love this documentary so much!! Who knew the lives of penguins were so beautiful and sad and fascinating? Bought this for a friend of mine who absolutely loved it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Karen
3.0 out of 5 stars Srosxi's Review
I thought the product was exactly what I needed at the time that I purchased it and the purchase process was smooth and efficient.
Published 1 month ago by Andrew Helyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Penguins
Really like this type of DVD. So much to learn about Gods creation, and I was amazed at the life they live. Their survival is astounding. Read more
Published 1 month ago by toolsrule
5.0 out of 5 stars Great eduacational movie.
I love showing this movie to my 3rd grade class. It is very educational and they really enjoy it. The streaming was great, it was without delay. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Victor
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!
This is a great movie to watch with children. It's educational and really fun to watch, Great to have in your collection.
Published 2 months ago by Shereeta Y Harris
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good documentary narrated by Morgan freeman
Morgan Freeman's narration takes this documentary to a new level compared to the original version. The extras are also quite entertaining and gives you a more realistic view of... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Cedric Desforges
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