Disney Nature Presents Penguins | Q & A w/producer Roy Conli

April 16, 2019July 11, 2020 3 min read

Thank you Disneynature for inviting us to screen Penguins and for the Q & A with Roy Conli.

Disneynature’s all-new feature film “Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who 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 considering he’s targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after.

We screened Penguins at Disney Studios and it was the perfect backdrop to witness a day in the life of the Adélie penguin. Afterward, Academy Award-winning producer Roy Conli answered our many questions about the film.

Here are a few Facts from our Q & A with Producer Ron Conli:

Disneynature Penguins was completely filmed in the Antarctic over 900 days!
Cinematographers had to travel up to two weeks to get to some locations because of the icy conditions and YES, this was the most challenging nature film made by Disney to date.
Filming took 3 years to get various shots. Areal views, which took about a year, are shot separately from land and the colony filming was filmed in a batch.
Penguins are more curious about humans than afraid, therefore making filming them fairly easy.
Disneynature’s Penguins focus is on the Adélie penguin which stands about 27 inches tall and weighs 6-13 lbs.
Steve, discovered at Cape Crozier and the star of Penguins, is set out to become a first-time dad and is shown building a nest, selecting his mate and sharing parenting responsibilities like keeping the eggs warm, watching the young while his mate fetches food and even feeding them!
Within one month, baby penguins grow as big as their parents.
No one has ever filmed a penguin eating!
Cinematographers kept a safe distance and did not enter the colony or nesting areas. The close-ups were filmed with long lenses.
The Adélie penguin lives amongst the most difficult weather conditions on the planet in Anartica, traveling upto 3000 miles during winter migration with temperatures as low as -40 degrees!

According to director Alastair Fothergill, not all penguins are created equal. “The Adélie penguin is by far the most characterful penguin on the planet,” he says.

“People may be more familiar with Emperor penguins, but they’re actually pretty mellow. I like to say that Emperor penguins are the California surfers and Adélie penguins are New York City taxi drivers. They have attitude. They’re feisty. They have an extraordinary amount of expression in their eyes. They almost look animated. And I knew—with their big personalities—the film would have a lot of comedy.” – Ed Helms

“Even though they’re birds, they’re really aquatic creatures, and in the water they’re unbelievably graceful and elegant, fast and agile. But on land, they’re so awkward; they walk with this sort of weird wobble. And yet, they have such spirit and moxie because they persevere in these crazy Antarctic conditions.” ~ Ed Helms, film narrator

“Penguins” continues Disneynature’s conservation tradition: for every ticket sold opening week (April 17-23, 2019), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere.