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March of the Penguins Tops Box Offices 562

Posted by Zonk from the waddle-waddle-waddle dept.
Zinside writes "Yahoo News is running a story stating that March of the Penguins may become the No. 2 documentary of all time at U.S. box offices." From the article: "The film, which follows a pack of Emperor Penguins during an arduous mating season, had grossed $18.4 million by Wednesday and was poised to surpass the $21.6 million for Michael Moore's anti-gun documentary Bowling For Columbine. For 13 months, Jacquet and his crew braved Antarctic temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero - and winds up to 150 mph - to capture astonishing images of thousands of emperor penguins engaging in a mating and child-rearing ritual that is nothing short of astonishing. The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love."
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March of the Penguins Tops Box Offices More

March of the Penguins Tops Box Offices

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  • And the best part... (Score:4, Funny)

    by gbulmash ( 688770 ) * <semi_famous@ya h o o .com> on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:27AM (#13267637) Homepage Journal
    And the best part is at the end when Opus is finally reunited with his mother. ;-)

    - Greg

    • Oh, go and spoil the ending for us. Thanx.
    • Why the heck was that joke modded "Flaimbait"??? Did someone who didn't see the movie and who never read Bloom County think that was a spoiler?

    • Re:And the best part... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by l.b. noire ( 84671 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:57AM (#13267900)
      The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love.

      They're also capable of extreme homosexuality. [ananova.com]

  • Oooh... (Score:5, Funny)

    by xAXISx ( 855579 ) <xaxisx@gm[ ].com ['ail' in gap]> on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:28AM (#13267640) Homepage
    ...for a second there, I thought it was linux related ;).
  • I am fascinated that a nature documentary is garnering this much attention. I'm not sure if it is saying something about the audience, or if it is saying something about the quality of this season's Hollywood crop.

    There is a meme in certain circles that G-rated films gross higher than R-rated films. Could this kind of flocking (hehe) to see a documentary about penguins be indicative of a trend towards a silent audience demand for wholesome, informative movies rather than violent and crass fare?

    • Re:What does it say about the mainstream audience? (Score:5, Funny)

      by mikeophile ( 647318 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:47AM (#13267714)
      Could this kind of flocking (hehe) to see a documentary about penguins be indicative of a trend towards a silent audience demand for wholesome, informative movies rather than violent and crass fare?

      I think it's actually due to a very loud audience of prepubescent children who, after being saturated with advertisements during Yi-Gi-Oh, continually pester their parents to the point of either getting to go see the movie or being tied in a bag and thrown off the nearest bridge.

    • There is a meme in certain circles that G-rated films gross higher than R-rated films. Could this kind of flocking (hehe) to see a documentary about penguins be indicative of a trend towards a silent audience demand for wholesome, informative movies rather than violent and crass fare?

      In the meantime, the R-rated "The Wedding Crashers" is a summer sleeper as well, running at #2 for it's first two weekends, then up to #1 in its third weekend, then back to #2 this weekend, putting it's tally for less than 4 full weeks at over $144 million. And while "March..." did really well this weekend, it's because it nearly tripled its screen count. Yet vs. "The Wedding Crashers" it had a lower per-screen gross ($3709 vs. $5312) on fewer screens (1867 vs. 3106).

      We'll have to watch it longer term to see if it's legs keep up.

      What's neat to observe is that Warner Bros. is rolling in the dough this weekend with the gamut of ratings.

      This Weekend's Top Grossers
      #1: Dukes of Hazzard (Warner Brothers) - PG-13
      #2: The Wedding Crashers (Newline - owned by WB) - R
      #3: Charlie and the chocolate Factory (Warner Brothers) - PG
      #5: Must Love Dogs (Warner Brothers) - PG-13
      #6: March of the Penguins (Warner Independent) - G

      - Greg

    • The narrator is apparently very popular (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jd ( 1658 ) <imipak@ y a hoo.com> on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:15AM (#13267799) Homepage Journal
      Plenty of documentaries of this kind exist, and none of them have made this kind of a splash. (It is currently number 6 in the weekly movie charts, beating both War of the Worlds and Fantastic Four.)


      As a piece of trivia, March of the Penguins grossed more per screen shown on than the Fantastic Four did, in the Fantastic Four's first week. (Although MotP didn't make a whole lot of cash, it was only shown on 64 screens, whereas FF was shown on a something like 3,500. Those of you who also visit K5 may remember my diary entry on it at the time.)


      Ultimately, it is the selling value of the narrator that probably made the big difference. HOWEVER, Hollywood pays attention to box office figures, and the fact that a wildlife documentary could hit the number 6 spot may cause them to seriously think about how they make movies for kids. (They're going to assume that kids are the main audience, whether that is true or not.)


      If wildlife sells, then expect it to be merchandised to death. Having said that, it would be one hell of an improvement if kids get SOME natural history in their diet, as opposed to the turgid carp they get at the moment.

    • Personally, I think the lesson to take away is that people are finally, slowly, but surely, beginning to wise up to the typical summer Hollywood big-budget gaping chest wound.

      You *can* do violence and crassness well, of course. I just can't think of that many examples at the moment that don't have to do with South Park....

    • Re:What does it say about the mainstream audience? (Score:5, Funny)

      by lxs ( 131946 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:33AM (#13267843)
      ...the quality of this season's Hollywood crop.

      You made a typo in that last word.
    • A new hollywood movie is almost classified as failed if they don't do this ~$20mln in the first weekend, so I would say no to your question/suggestion.

      A mix of science, humor and destruction would do it better I think. I am thinking of "Myth Busters" combined with "Junk Yard Wars". A sure watch for both the science interested audience and for people who just want to see destruction and explosions.

      BTW: Hasn't this penquin been followed several times by now? So to be honest, it must be a good documentary t
    • Nearly all the good doco's I can recall are made to fit a one hour TV time slot or are in "parts". Some notable exceptions are F.9/11 and "Born Free" (big hit in the 60's). The Penguin stuff was also covered in David Attenborough's "Life in the Freezer", as is normal for an Attenborough doco, the pictures were unique and awsome. Maybe this mixed with a bit of human emotion is what kindled the public's interest in Penguins.

      I find the biggest problem with doco's is that interesting subjects often get treat

  • Penguintastica (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anne Thwacks ( 531696 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:39AM (#13267683)
    The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love."

    And they write great software too!!!

    • Yes, sure it is nice as a joke but how does a film about some animal species has something to do with an operating system? ya know... it is like having an article about a new Windex product just because it is used to clean the some things with the same nam as the Windows OS...

      Do not missunderstand me, my rant is just against the editor that put this under the "Linux" section...
      • I think it's on slashdot because someone's soon to post the torrent. Penguin information wants to be free, right? I wonder if this film answers the pressing question of what do you get when you mate a Gnu and a Penguin?
         
  • "What are THOSE? Tux is clearly a cross between a King Penguin and an Adelie Penguin... Not an Emperor Penguin!! Sheesh.."

  • An astonishing and moving film. Evokes emotions... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by loggia ( 309962 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:43AM (#13267701)
    This film evokes emotions that are hard to put into words.

    Simply put, it is truly astonishing and moving -- and leaves you with a feeling that stays with you long after you leave the theater. I guess that feeling is: life.

    • Re:An astonishing and moving film. Evokes emotions (Score:5, Insightful)

      by drgonzo59 ( 747139 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @05:00AM (#13267904)
      I agree. I saw it with my wife and we both liked it very much. I think there are a couple of components here that make it such a good movie.

      [1] It is G rated. I guess some people are sick of car chases, boobies and scary monsters - go figure! The "naughtiest" part is penguins doing "it" to make more penguins. I actually saw a parent take their child out of the theatre for this one. Felt sorry for the poor kid...

      [2] Penguins are somewhat similar to humans in the way they walk and behave. They walk upright but wobble and thus they look like "cute", "fat", "fuzzy" people. You couldn't pull this one off with snakes or, tigers. They are social creatures. In the movie ( I hope I don't spoil it for anyone ;) a mother penguin who lost her egg, tries to steal the chick from another penguin. The other females in the group would not "approve" of such behavior and came to protect the chick and the mother from the "thief".

      Also penguins are monogamous (emperor penguins are monogamous at least for duration of one year) - which often is not the case with many humans nowadays - not that there is anything wrong with it... So that also anthropomorphosizes them even more.

      [3] The bravery and determination of the people who shot the movie is impressive. Very cold weather, very dangerous, all just to film the cute little birds. And, of course, as some post mentioned, some like Morgan Freeman.

      [4] It spread mostly by word of mouth. This is similar to the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". A small movie that made big $ because everyone told their friends to go see and how great it was. I heard about the movie from my parents then after I saw it, I recommended it to all my friends and they saw it. If everyone who see it does it - it is quite a few people..

    • Another excellent documentary is "The Blue Planet" series from the BBC. They also cover penguins, but not in as much detail, but then you get to see polar bears, whales, and the weird things deep down. It really gives an insight into the amazing variety of life on "our" planet.

      The quality of the video is stunning - it's almost as if you have a window into the undersea. ...one of the best GBP30 I spent on DVDs.

    • Re:An astonishing and moving film. Evokes emotions (Score:4, Insightful)

      by tetsuji ( 572812 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @11:04AM (#13269514) Homepage

      Yes, it was moving and wonderful an all, but I was pretty disappointed about the lack of useful factual information. I thought that the movie excessively anthropomorphized the penguins and that it didn't present the information in scientific terms.

      For example, in the movie they show the consequences of the penguins dropping their eggs and losing track of chicks, but nowhere in the film do they state what the survival rate of the chicks is. They show an albatross catching and killing a penguin chick while adult penguins stand around and do nothing, and fail to explain the lack of a response. They also say nothing about the ongoing environmental changes in the antarctic and how these may affect the penguins.

      I went in to the documentary hoping to see some science, but it turned out to be mostly pretty pictures and emotionally loaded nonsense.

  • Now you know.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Bananatree3 ( 872975 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:45AM (#13267704)
    The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love."

    Now you know why the Penguin is Linux's mascot. It is reliable, unshakable, self-sacrificing (think of all those selfless developers working night and day around the world), extreme heroism (ok, that might be taking it a little too far...)

    • Re:Now you know.. (Score:5, Funny)

      by lxs ( 131946 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:40AM (#13267857)
      That's just typical of the Slashdot audience. How can you forget the sacrifices Windows '95 made? It died for your sins. Sometimes three times a day.

    • Re:Now you know.. (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Registered Coward v2 ( 447531 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @07:58AM (#13268344)
      The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love."

      Now you know why the Penguin is Linux's mascot. It is reliable, unshakable, self-sacrificing (think of all those selfless developers working night and day around the world), extreme heroism (ok, that might be taking it a little too far...)

      and doomed to exist only in isolation on an island, where only a few heart souls seek it out?

  • Bill Gates isn't playing this in Redmond (Score:3, Funny)

    by rolfwind ( 528248 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:46AM (#13267709)
    March of the Penguins:

    http://www.ecliptic.ch/Stock/Detail/RE0908_Linux_o ver_Windows.html [ecliptic.ch]

    http://forum.osnn.net/photopost/data/508/medium/40 Linux_Penguins1024.png [osnn.net]

    Isn't that the title of the nightmares Mr. Gates has had whenever he wakes up in a cold sweat.........

  • Tag line from film (Score:3, Funny)

    by AccUser ( 191555 ) <mhg.taose@co@uk> on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:53AM (#13267734) Homepage
    In the harshest place on Earth, linux finds a way
  • Pretty good. It makes you forget your problems as the hardships facing penguins just trying to raise their chicks makes your problems seem completely insignificant.

    So, strangely enough, I would not qualify this movie as a nature documentary. For me it is genuine bona fida "escapist entertainment": 90 minutes to gawk at something so alien to your existence that it puts everything else in perspective when you emerge blinking from the theater.

    And that is exactly what movies and entertainment are supposed to do. And that explains this movies success.

    Bonus item: this movie teaches us that hundreds of thousands of years of evolution in the harshest terrestrial environment on earth has left the penguin with large rolls of belly fat as a major and important adaptation for survival (to protect the chick/ egg from the harsh cold). So eat your popcorn and drink your soda guilt free. ;-)
    • So eat your popcorn and drink your soda guilt free.

      If you plan on spending hundreds of thousands of years in the Antarctic. . .naked.

      KFG

    • Re:Just saw it tonight (Score:4, Insightful)

      by drgonzo59 ( 747139 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @05:19AM (#13267941)
      It is alien, yet people see themselves (or rather human ideals) in the penguins. Penguins overcome hardships to raise their children - that makes them like humans and humans identify with them. Penguins are monogamous (at least for the period of one mating season) - which is an ideal that many humans today don't live up to, again people identify with the penguins. Penguins are social creatures their behavior sometimes projects this "social justice" that any American likes, for example when one mother who lost her chick, tries to steal the chick from another penguin, all the females around came to protect the chick and to fight off the "thief".

      A good fantasy or sci-fi, or any story about alien places and creatures is successful (=appeals to the audience) only if they emobody human ideals in them like justice, honesty, self-sacrifice, love, beauty, overcoming adversity and other such things. In other words if you had a movie about worms that live at the bottom of the ocean, or even some alien bacteria (or just mattrasses that sit around ) from Mars or say Titan, you couldn't entice the audience as much.

  • A more important question... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 08, 2005 @03:58AM (#13267751)
    >>>The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love.

    More importantly, how do they taste? Fried, baked, or stewed? Anyone?
  • ...to capture astonishing images of thousands of emperor penguins engaging in a mating...

    SWEET JESUS! Penguin orgy pr0n! Won't anyone think of the children?

  • When it's on DVD I'll say... (Score:4, Funny)

    by amliebsch ( 724858 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:03AM (#13267760) Journal
    Oooh! There's a penguin on the television!
  • Why on earth is this filed under "Linux"?

  • incorrect statement (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:06AM (#13267773)
    from the article: "to surpass the $21.6 million for Michael Moore's anti-gun documentary Bowling For Columbine"

    Obviously whoever wrote that never watched "Bowling For Columbine" or is trying to distort what it's about. Say what you want about the documentary but any honest person can tell you it's not anti-gun.

    It you watch it, weather you agree with it or not, it's final premis is that the culture of fear and violence perpetrated by our foreign policy and the mass-media that supports it, that seems to cause the staggering amount of gun deaths in the US...not guns. In fact there are arguments made that it's not the guns (I remember the comparison to canada). Michael Moore himself is a member of the NRA.

    This may be taken as flamebait or trolling or whatever but that statement made there about "Bowling for Columbine" is simply not correct.

    • "Michael Moore himself is a member of the NRA. "

      Don't believe your own hype. The only reason Moore joined the NRA was because he wanted to run for the NRA presidency and force it to support gun control.

    • Classifying BFC as a documentary bastardizes the work of authentic documentaries that attempt to provide an objective presentation of a subject's facts.

      Documentaries exist for uncovering the preexisting conditions of a particular subject in a way that the creator's own perspective is not present. BFC's producer deliberatly and intentionally created on-camera environments that would result in an expected outcome.

      We have a responsability to preserve the legitamacy of what a documenatry is all about. If all of

      • Re:incorrect statement (Score:5, Insightful)

        by WankersRevenge ( 452399 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @09:15AM (#13268702)
        You obviously have never studied any film theory, for if you had, you would have realized that documentaries are not objective. Not one bit. Sure, some might have strive for balance, but at the end of the day, documentaries are arguments using both moving images and narration to back up their "truths". Some, like Moore's documentaries, are very obvious about it. Others, like this Penguin one, are subtle. But at the end of the day, both are making arguments.

        As a viewer, you are being shown a very small piece of "reality". You don't know what happened before or after the event. You don't what a subject said before or after the presented clip. Think about it - the mere acting of editing a conversation shows that the documentary filmmaker is being subjective. What makes him use the first part of the clip, instead of the middle part. Or even the last part? He's using it to back his argument.

        By saying you wish to preserve the "legitimacy" of the documentary is saying you want to put critical thinking aside. There is no legitimacy. Whether it appears to be subjective or not, liberal or conservative, about animals on the Savannah or men on the moon, documentaries are all arguments proporting a certain world view.
        • You obviously have never studied any film theory, for if you had, you would have realized that documentaries are not objective.

          You have a point in that every attempt at human communicatons can be viewed as an argument... an assertion of truthhood. Critical theories aside, most people use the label "objective" to characterize the manner in which the particular argument under consideration was built and presented.

          I could go on, but it would be more meaningful for this "film theory" to develop standards fo

    • Re:incorrect statement (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Momoru ( 837801 )
      It you watch it, weather you agree with it or not, it's final premis is that the culture of fear and violence perpetrated by our foreign policy and the mass-media that supports it, that seems to cause the staggering amount of gun deaths in the US...not guns. In fact there are arguments made that it's not the guns (I remember the comparison to canada). Michael Moore himself is a member of the NRA.

      Well in a way the parent was correct because Moore does a terrible job making a coherent point in the movie.

  • Grand Movie for a Grand Movie Theater (Score:3, Informative)

    by SoupIsGood Food ( 1179 ) * on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:09AM (#13267779)
    None of the big chain theaters have picked this film up here in Newport, RI, so the Jane Pickens Theater [cinematreasure.com], one of the last of the single-screen Movie Houses from the golden age of movies, gets to cash in.

    It's got an enormous screen, bazillions of seats (including a balcony!) and a Dolby surround-sound system that became the prototype for the one found in most theaters today. It was one of the only places film conservators could show acetate-based films before restoration, because the projection booth still had all its steel fire-shutters from the '20s operational. (An equipment change in the late '90s, and the growing trend to preserve, duplicate and restore before screening, ended the practice.) They sometimes still show cartoon shorts before the movie, on reels they've had since the '60s.

    The Pickens also ran Farenheight 9/11, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Chicago and The Nightmare Before Christmas when none of the chain multi-plexes would take the chance.

    Support your local movie house!

  • In other news... (Score:4, Funny)

    by jtbauki ( 838979 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:10AM (#13267785)

    ...President George W. Bush vows to fight anti-freedom around the world.


    "Who do these penguins think they are? Calling themselves 'Emperors'? We, in America, do not tolerate such anti-democratic policies. Let the penguins have their rights. These penguins are part of the axis of evil..."

  • Anti-gun? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by skingers6894 ( 816110 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:10AM (#13267786)
    I'm not sure "Bowling for Columbine" was simply "anti-gun". I seem to remember that it went a little deeper than that. If I remember correctly the movie asked why the per capita gun-related murders in the U.S. were higher than Canada even though the per-capita gun ownership was lower.

    Something like that. While it was a gun related documentary I don't think it was imply "anti-gun".

    Anyway, no such controversy with the penguin movie - it's pro penguin alright.
    • Yeah, that's the thing about BfC, despite the posing of various groups and people, it's not really anti-gun at all.

      If it's anti-anything, it's anti-NRA, a group that likes to identify itself as closely with guns as possible. And it's anti- U.S. media fueled culture of hysteria. (And at the end, it's anti-Charlton Heston. I won't defend that segment, but the rest of the movie overcomes it.)
    • **Anyway, no such controversy with the penguin movie - it's pro penguin alright.**

      that's too bad. imagine the fun we could have had watching penquins acting all mean and invading some poor country and kicking some poor sods in the balls.
    • No, it just wasn't anti-gun. I'm not a fan of that guy (lol, don't even remember his name!) but he made a good point - he went up to Canada to find out why they had less crimes and he expected the answers to be less guns and it wasn't so - they had more guns per capita IIRC. And so he was looking around and was surprised to hear that people even left their doors unlocked (he tested several:) He wondered why until watching the 6 o'clock news where he saw a much less sensationalist and fear-mongering media
      • It's not the subject matter of his movies that are bad, or even that the point he's trying to make is wrong. It's the process he employes; the editing to twist people's words around, the ambush interviews under false pretenses, and the conclusions he reaches under falatious logic.

        He pisses off conservitives because he uses lies and deception to support a point they don't agree with.

        He pisses me off (and I'm pretty liberal) because he uses lies and deception to support a point I do agree with.

        If Moore trie

        • Re:Anti-gun? (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Tiroth ( 95112 )
          What you say is very true -- Moore is certainly not a journalist in that he abandons even a veneer of objectivity. However, I think his message is powerful for precisely that reason -- he is a subversive*, not another cog in the machine of mass-market media.

          In a time when the rich and powerful have insulated themselves from criticism or comment, he has had some success in forcing powerful individuals and corporations to pay attention to the smaller people, and embarrassed them in front of a large audience.

        • Re:Anti-gun? (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Jah-Wren Ryel ( 80510 )
          If Moore tried to employ a little journalistic integrity or even simple objectivity (which even he admits he doesn't do), he could be a powerful voice.

          No, he would be just another documentary film-maker that no one has ever heard of and no one will ever see any of his films. Just like thousands of other documentarians with more "journalistic integrity."

          There is a reason F9/11 was the largest grossing documentary of all time -- he made it entertaining, he worked the system to get as much play as he could. I

      • Re:Anti-gun? (Score:3, Funny)

        by digidave ( 259925 )
        "surprised to hear that people even left their doors unlocked (he tested several)"

        Incidentally, those particular people now lock their doors :)

    • Re:Anti-gun? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by OSXCPA ( 805476 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @07:27AM (#13268241) Journal
      Bowling for columbine was not, in my opinion, 'anti gun'. The thing I got from the film that I think transcends anything Moore has caught hell for, is the sheer magnitude of the effect fear has on a culture. Those of you who spent adolescence in a state of hormonal turmoil whipped by abject fear, you know exactly what I mean. American media subscribe to the 'it bleeds, it leads' and as a result, despite decreasing rates of violent crime (go google it) from 1970-2000, reporting on crime went way up. Consequence - we don't let our kids play outside unless there is a fleet of adults around, because 'something bad' might happen. And it might, but it is no more likely today than it was in 1975, when I was running around outside alone. A kid today would be safer than I was, but fear doesn't let us (Americans) accept that. I'm curious what expats living in the US think.

  • Which penguins? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by mmj638 ( 905944 )
    When I noticed an article on Slashdot with the title 'March of the Penguins Tops Box Offices' I really did assume that 'March of the Penguins' was a documentary about Linux distributions (and their brave struggle against the elements of er, MS, I guess).

  • You might also like.. (Score:5, Informative)

    by dasdrewid ( 653176 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:24AM (#13267822)
    I don't know if anyone has mentioned this or not (/me is lazy), but if you liked this film, you might wanna also check out Winged Migration [imdb.com], by Jacques Perrin [imdb.com]. It's good on details, and incredibly beautiful. If you suffer a bit from add (/me again), you'll like it cause it's split into regions of the world, so you can take it bit by bit, if you don't think you can stand 2 hours straight of birds flying...

  • Anthropomorphization (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TomHandy ( 578620 ) <<tomhandy> <at> <gmail.com>> on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:42AM (#13267864)
    The footage in this movie is incredible, no doubt. However, I think one valid concern that has been raised about it is its tendency for anthropomorphization of the penguins. The narration often ascribes various human emotions and motivations to the footage that is shown, and realistically, this probably isn't accurate and probably leaves a lot of audiences with the wrong impression. It's certainly understandable why this was done (if nothing else, penguins especially are prone to anthropomorphization anyway), but when this does come out on DVD, I think it might be nice to be able to just watch the footage and turn off the narration.
    • The footage in this movie is incredible, no doubt. However, I think one valid concern that has been raised about it is its tendency for anthropomorphization of the penguins. The narration often ascribes various human emotions and motivations to the footage that is shown, and realistically, this probably isn't accurate and probably leaves a lot of audiences with the wrong impression. It's certainly understandable why this was done (if nothing else, penguins especially are prone to anthropomorphization anyway

  • Jacquet and his crew also braved (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 08, 2005 @04:51AM (#13267882)
    Thirteen months of EXTREME CUTENESS!!! Oh my god! Mother of Hello Kitty in a hand basket! belly sliding, wing flapping, fuzzy little baby penguin extreme cuteness as far as the eye can see! And the waddling!! Oh! the waddling!!!
  • I guess the nights sure are long and lonely for those camera men !
  • I use the metric system you insensitive clod! Oh... and saw the movie six months ago... it's really nice, really beautiful but the voice-over really sucks !
  • Go find daemons out there to film now.
  • When this movie does so well, Hollywood execs spend years trying to copy it's box-office success, spawning Polar Wars II - attack of the Penguins, Lord of the Icebergs, Antarctic Park...
  • I posted about this the week it came out -- (same week as "Fevenge of the Sith"). Some reviewer on the CBC [www.cbc.ca] noted that that 'March of the Penguins' was the only other movie to debut that weekend.
    ..... "Only penguins would go up against Darth Vader"
    Now they're going up against 'The Corporation', too.
  • It was a great movie.

    braved Antarctic temperatures as low as 70 degrees below zero - and winds up to 150 mph

    How about the penguins? They did this while naked.

  • Oh really? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Solder Fumes ( 797270 ) on Monday August 08, 2005 @06:21AM (#13268068)
    The Penguins are a miraculous species, capable of extreme heroism, self-sacrifice, sorrow and unshakable love.

    Or at least, that was the end goal of the camerawork and the filtering of the hundreds or thousands of hours of penguin footage in the editing room.

    Call me cynical, but with enough footage you could probably make a pile of beercans express anthropomorphic emotions.

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