The 2005 documentary film March of the Penguins follows emperor penguins during their annual breeding journey in Antarctica.
The film depicts emperor penguins leaving the ocean and walking inland to traditional breeding grounds. There, they court, mate, lay a single egg, and endure the Antarctic winter. After the female lays the egg, the male balances it on his feet beneath a fold of skin called a brood pouch while she returns to the sea to feed.
March of the Penguins was directed by Luc Jacquet and originally released in France in 2005. Its French title, La Marche de l'empereur, refers to the long trek made by the birds across the Antarctic ice. The English-language version became especially well known for its narration and dramatic presentation of the penguins' survival challenges.
The film focuses on emperor penguins rather than king penguins, although the two are the only living species in the genus Aptenodytes and have similar orange-yellow markings around the neck.