The Penguin King 3D

An adventurous journey into the difficult process of becoming an adult King penguin in one of the most hazardous lands on the face of the Planet: South Georgia.

The Penguin King 3D is a truly fascinating documentary, majestically narrated by the world’s most famous natural history broadcaster, David Attenborough – who’s also on the production team alongside filmmaker Anthony Geffen – and whose vivid narrative voice perfectly embodies the intensity of the story depicted.

Following one Bachelor King penguin’s adventures after his returning to Penguin City, astonishing 3D technology takes us right into the middle of the scene, giving us the chance to have an insider’s perspective into the Bachelor King’s highs and lows, his partying at sea, his struggle to find a mate with whom to share the most exciting adventure ever: breeding.

From adolescent clumsiness to triumphant adulthood, we observe him grow in a life-threatening environment, facing daily obstacles from fearful predators such as killer whales and leopard seals, to the troubles of getting his chick safely through his first year.

The most interesting aspect of the film is the anthropomorphisation of the penguin itself, which is not a humanisation process, though, and the two must not be confused. As Attenborough points out: “It is wrong to give animals human names and attribute subjective feelings to them. But it is also absurd to think that they are machines and we have nothing in common with them. […] You have to strike a line which neither anthropomorphizes, nor becomes so scientifically objective that it has no emotional impact.” And herein lies the major characteristic of the Penguin King: the penguin’s journey is going to resonate for humans, but he will remain a penguin nevertheless.

The Penguin King 3D is an extraordinary window on one of the most fascinating creatures on Earth, dramatically caught in his natural habitat, the most isolated archipelago in the Southern Ocean.

The already BAFTA-winning duo Attenborough and Geffen (Flying Monsters) succeeds once again in striking us with the immediacy of life, heightened by wonderful 3D.

Eleonora Ricotta

The Penguin King 3D is released on Wednesday 24^th October, also featuring an exclusive Q&A with David Attenborough streamed live via satellite across participating cinemas in UK from Fulham Broadway Vue.

Watch the trailer for The Penguin King 3D here: