March of the Penguins - Limited Edition Gift Set

Brian Callaghan READ TIME: 2 MIN.

Few movies have taken Hollywood more by surprise than March of the Penguins. The 2005 documentary about Emperor penguins in Antarctica became a box office sensation when it was released several years ago, earning more than $77 million at the North American box office -- and winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Film.

A new special DVD gift set will be a popular holiday gift for penguin fans young and old.

Extras in this boxed set include:

  • Of Penguins and Men, a fascinating hour-long documentary on the making of the film. It shows how the two Frenchmen who filmed the penguins lived and survived during the 13-month film shoot. One funny, high-speed bit of footage shows them putting on their six layers of clothing in preparation for the great outdoors - as well as the horrible case of frostbite both of them suffered during the process.

  • On the Wings of Penguins is a so-so 70-minute documentary about African penguins who live off the sunny coasts of South Africa and Namibia. Most of the footage was filmed at aquariums in the U.S., including Boston's New England Aquarium, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Academy of Sciences in California.

    The piece shows African penguins being rescued from an oil spills, as well as birds saved from a New Orleans aquarium after Hurricane Katrina.

    With far less footage of animals in the wild than March of the Penguins, On the Wings of Penguins is more of an extended news feature on the tuxedoed little creatures, with lots of humans offering their insights on their behavior and chances for survival.

  • National Geographic's Crittercam: Emperor Penguins is a 23-minute documentary showing rare footage of the birds in their natural habitat. Along with beautiful footage of the southernmost continent, there are also scenes of penguins swimming under the ice with cameras strapped to their bodies.

  • The classic Looney Tunes cartoon, 8 Ball Bunny, is about Bugs Bunny's attempts to send a little penguin back home where he belongs. It even features a guest appearance by a cartoon Humphrey Bogart.

    Audio tracks are in English and, Spanish. Subtitles are in English, Spanish and French.

    The box also includes a tiny stuffed animal penguin and 8 penguin postcards.


    by Brian Callaghan

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