*In an exclusive interview with the filmmakers of Disneynature’s “Penguins,” they told EURweb the importance of their latest adventure in theaters April 17. In addition to its extraordinary and exceptional cinematography, Penguin’s character Steve has a voice.
Director Alastair Fothergill (“African Cats,” “Chimpanzee,” Netflix original series “Our Planet”), a critically acclaimed documentarian described as “the Spielberg of nature films,” says they set out to do things a bit different this time around. “We really felt in [the penguin] Steve, voiced by Ed Helms, we had a chance to make a comedy from beginning to end just because penguins are such comedic animals. Also, we thought it would be wonderful telling a father—son’s story because this type of filmmaking is always mother and offspring. In this particular case, the idea of being able tell a dad’s story was really exciting.”
Born in the U.K. and raised in Kenya, director/producer Jeff Wilson (“Planet Earth,” “Monkey Kingdom,” “Snowdonia-A Year in the Wild”) explained some of the challenges making “Penguins.” “It was extremely cold. Temperatures dropped to nearly minus 70 degrees and the winds got up to 150 miles an hour. It’s really a difficult place to work in and possible one of the most difficult places that we had to make a Disneynature film.”
Although “Penguins” is first-rate family entertainment, producer Roy Conli (“Big Hero 6,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Hercules”) points out the significance of the film. “I think it’s really important for us that audiences leave with the understanding of how important the environment is and feel like they contributed to the conservation of the planet. Money from ticket sales opening weekend will go to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere.”
“Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about Steve, an Adélie penguin that joins hundreds of thousands of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially since he’s targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals. Steve does get a hot soundtrack that includes Patti LaBelle, The Average White Band, and Whitesnake as he journeys to his destination.
Hoping to see a sequel, I ask will there be one? “It would probably be the revenge of Steve,” Alastair laughs.
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