Parents' Guide to

March of the Penguins

Movie G 2005 80 minutes
March of the Penguins Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Cynthia Fuchs , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 6+

Stunning, loving documentary; some intense peril.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 6+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 6+

Based on 10 parent reviews

age 18+

Don't let your kids watch this!!!

I am baffled by the reviewers who this this movie is appropriate for 5 year olds. We had to turn it off and both my kids were crying hysterically after they showed a pile of dead baby penguins. I don't know how I'm going to get my kids to bed tonight. My oldest is almost 10 and she's too upset to go to bed.
age 4+

Inspirinh

Great movie to watch with an old 4 and 6 year old.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (16 ):

This is a gorgeous, inspiring documentary for families with kids old enough to handle the peril. It's incredible to think that this annual journey to find a mate and start a family has been going on for centuries and that the penguins make the dangerous trip completely out of instinct. These animals are amazingly dedicated parents; if only all humans could be this devoted to their children.

The French-language version of Luc Jacquet's March of the Penguins reportedly featured voices for individual penguins, articulating joy and sadness. The U.S. version has Morgan Freeman narrating, with a script that occasionally gets a bit dramatic: "It's a story of survival, a story of life over death. It's a story about love." You see the penguins endure any number of hardships, look charming or awkward as they waddle, and even remarkably graceful when they crane their necks over one another or exchange gentle, seemingly loving beak-taps. It's a fantastic way to introduce older kids to documentaries; while the genre may have a "dry" reputation, there's nothing boring about this engrossing animal adventure.

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