If you’re having a bad body image day don’t despair; here is a place where being fat has its advantages! These are birds as imagined by Botero - wide, waddling bodies with short, squat appendages. But the Obesity Police need not worry; in the process of gathering, pairing and coddling their eggs through the harsh Antarctic winter in their ancestral breeding grounds these Emperor penguins endure a starvation diet, losing about half their body mass. Amazingly it's the males who take on the egg-sitting, clustering together in a giant mass during the worst conditions while their mates go off to hunt.

Later after the chicks are born the mothers return, laden with life-sustaining fish in their stomachs. Then it's the fathers' turn to feed. This happens several times, until the young ones are big enough to go to sea on their own.

The cinematography is stunning. These black-and white marvels draw you in. They fly not in the air but through the water - the undersea shots alone are worth the price of admission. Some reviewers have accused the filmmakers of anthropomorphizing their subjects. But it’s hard not to do so when one sees these creatures’ determination and depth of devotion in this extreme climate. Watching them you can believe that Mother Nature has a sense of humor.

A special note must be made of the music. It is excellent, adding to but never getting in the way of the film. Alex Wurmen utilizes a minimalist synth and orchestral palette. There was an earlier score in the French version which also included dubbed voices from the birds’ point of view. In my opinion Morgan Freeman’s warm-voiced telling of this cool story is a great improvement. I would not be surprised if both the U.S. score and narration got nods at Oscar time.

The DVD contains the movie (widescreen or fullscreen, according to which one you buy), French/English/Spanish subtitles and a still menu that plays a clip of music from the film. The extra features consist of an “Of Penguins and Men” diary that, showing more of the penguins’ and film crew’s hardships, is grittier and more adult-oriented. At an hour it is almost as long as the film itself. The “Crittercam” National Geographic feature is a more manageable 30 minutes. The Loony Tunes cartoon short “ 8 Ball Bunny” looked (and sounded) grainy, but would probably entertain the youngest in the audience.

In fact, there are a few more things aimed at the kid set. The first clip you see when you pop in the DVD is an animated dancing penguin chick promoting the upcoming 2006 film HAPPY FEET. More previews (for POLAR EXPRESS, National Geographic’s ANIMAL HOLIDAY and DUMA) follow. Apparently Hollywood producers are eager to cash in on MARCH OF THE PENGUINS’ success....


Recommended: Yes