Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

March of the Penguins

Play trailer Poster for March of the Penguins G 2005 1h 20m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 181 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
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.
March of the Penguins

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Only the most hardened soul won't be moved by this heartwarming doc.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Aug 5, 2013
Watch them march to the very extremes of extremis, though, and it's easy to feel awe. Life must beget life, whatever the cost. Go to Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Aug 5, 2013
Some of the eggs and chicks freeze, and the parents' cries are painful to hear (probably more for us than for them). Go to Full Review Christy Lemire Associated Press Aug 5, 2013
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. Go to Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times Sep 2, 2024
4.5/5
Because of the cute factor, superb narrative choices, and stupendous photography, family audiences quickly forget they’re watching “artsy documentaries.” Go to Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film Aug 4, 2024
4.5/5
March of the Penguins is a magnificently-shot documentary, which is full of wonder, showcasing some of the most remarkable animals on Earth that have a truly unique relationship with their environment. Go to Full Review Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Nov 13, 2019
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Mickey B. @Mickerdoo Jun 7, 2026 Interesting antics from the penguins with a truly harsh cycle. Just too long. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Apr 22, 2026 The worldwide gross is $133,276,359.00 over a budget of $8,000,000.00. See more Pantera O @RT37068021 Jul 31, 2024 "This is a story about love" Los pingüinos realizan una travesía por su supervivencia. Increíble. Espectacular. Memorable. Imágenes únicas de la increíble vjda de los pingüinos, con la narración ze Morgan Freeman. Utiliza el montaje y sonido para manipular la documentación, añadiendole dramatizmo a la narración. La maravilla de la naturaleza. Nos revela la hazaña de los pingüinos, y su comportamiento social, dejando maravillado a quien lo vea. Extraño ser un niño. ¿Que estas dispuesto a hacer por amor? Los vida de un pingüino es ruda. Técnica: 9.4 Expresión: 6.8 Efecto: 8.2 Experiencia: 7.6 Calificación: 8.0/10 See more Shioka O @RT54204327 Feb 17, 2023 Wonderful documentation. Such an adorable and noble animal emperor penguin is. Dramatic. See more Thomas M @TMProofreader Nov 26, 2022 The best documentary movie ever made! See more Tony S @RT94004908 Oct 5, 2021 Touching and beautiful showcase of an annual cycle of some the most unique animals on the planet. With their elaborate quirks and ability to adapt. And although you never see them, aside from the credits, the filming crew must be commended for sticking with them, it's really hard to imagine how difficult it must have been to film this ritual, in the weather, where even some of the penguins give out. See more Read all reviews
March of the Penguins

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Luc Jacquet

Director

Morgan Freeman

Narrator

Jordan Roberts

Writer

Yves Darondeau

Producer

Christophe Lioud

Producer

Emmanuel Priou

Producer

More Like This

View All
Earth 87% 82% Earth Watchlist Deep Sea 91% 79% Deep Sea Watchlist Winged Migration 95% 88% Winged Migration Watchlist Arctic Tale 60% 61% Arctic Tale Watchlist Deep Blue 69% 80% Deep Blue Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Related Movie News

View All
All Upcoming Walt Disney Pictures Movies: Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, And Searchlight Pictures 16 Incredible Nature Documentary Series and Movies to Stream Right Now Critical Consensus: "Casino Royale" Fresh, Certified Fresh; "Happy Feet" Shows Fancy Footwork; Guess The Tomatometer for "Prison"
View All

March of the Penguins

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Luc Jacquet
Producer
Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, Emmanuel Priou
Screenwriter
Jordan Roberts
Distributor
Warner Independent, National Geographic
Production Co
Bonne Pioche Télévision, Buena Vista International [us]
Rating
G
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 24, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$77.4M
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings