Directed by Luc Jacquet; written by Luc Jacquet, Michel Fessler, and Jordan Roberts; 80 minutes; documentary; MPAA rating: G (all ages).
This fascinating documentary about emperor penguins in Antarctica, narrated by Morgan Freeman, tells of how they travel 70 miles, by foot or by belly, each year from the ocean to breed in a special area that's protected somewhat from harsh winds by high ice walls and has ice thick enough beneath the penguins' feet that it never melts or cracks all year round. After the penguins mate and the female gives birth, the male takes responsibility for keeping the egg safe and warm while the female travels 70 miles back to the ocean to feed herself—she hasn't eaten in two months by this point—and gather enough food in her stomach so she can feed her baby when she returns.
Spellbinding cinematography drives home the sensation that March of the Penguins is showing the viewer something truly unique. Antarctica looks breathtaking, as in "Its natural beauty will take your breath away" and "It's so cold you'll stop breathing." Some tween viewers may be wary of watching documentaries on nature at this stage in their lives, but they'll warm up (no pun intended) to this one once they see the penguins on their march, waddling back and forth. Plus, baby penguins are mighty cute.
For further viewing, check out Happy Feet (2006), an animated song-and-dance story about penguins.
Directed by Marilyn Agrelo; written by Amy Sewell; 105 minutes; documentary; MPAA rating: PG ("for some thematic elements," but appropriate for ages 9 and up, if you ask me).
In 1994 the New York City public school system introduced a ballroom dance program for fifth graders. Within ten years it expanded from two schools to 60, with 6,000 students required to take part in the ten-week course. School administrators can then choose whether or not to participate in an annual citywide competition, where only one school will be named the winner. Mad Hot Ballroom follows students from three of these schools, in the neighborhoods of Bensonhurst, Tribeca, and Washington Heights, revealing bits of their personalities and their dreams through footage of their dancing.
I think tweens would get a kick out of watching their peers learning the foxtrot, the merengue, and swing, but maybe it'd be too painful to see your insecurities about the opposite sex and your own body reflected back at you. As an adult who was introduced to ballroom dancing in college, however, I was tickled to see how these fifth graders reacted when forced to touch each other in various dancing poses (safe touching, of course, which isn't a bad lesson to learn at the age of 11) and let their feet and hips do the talking instead of their overactive mouths. I can't wait to see how my nieces will react to Mad Hot Ballroom.
For further viewing, check out the Oscar-nominated documentary Spellbound (2002).
