Which 2005 documentary about emperor penguins was a surprise box office hit?

The 2005 documentary about emperor penguins that became a surprise box-office hit is “March of the Penguins.”

Directed by Luc Jacquet, the French nature documentary follows emperor penguins as they leave the ocean, march inland to ancestral breeding grounds, court, lay eggs, and protect their chicks through the Antarctic winter. The adults repeatedly travel between the colony and the sea to obtain food for their offspring.

The film was shot over roughly a year near the French scientific base Dumont d’Urville in Adélie Land. Its success grew far beyond the usual documentary audience, especially after the English-language version was released in North America with narration by Morgan Freeman. The film earned more than $127 million worldwide.

“March of the Penguins” won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 78th Academy Awards in 2006. It is sometimes confused with “Winged Migration,” another acclaimed nature documentary, but that film focuses on birds’ long-distance journeys rather than emperor penguin breeding colonies.