Ed Helms Announced as Narrator for Disneynature Penguins
Ed Helms (“The Office,” “The Hangover” trilogy, “The Daily Show with John Stewart”) is diving in with “Penguins” this spring as narrator of Disneynature’s upcoming theatrical feature. The coming-of-age story follows an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions 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.
“Disney movies are filled with poignancy and real emotion, but also are extremely funny and relatable—this movie is no different,” says Helms. “It’s a true life adventure with real footage of penguins in Antarctica, but told in a way that tugs at your heart strings a little and also has quite a few chuckles. For me, this movie is a very cool mash-up of narration and character work. I get to voice Steve’s inner monologue as well as straight narration. It was a really fun challenge for me—a privilege getting to imagine what this penguin might be thinking—and I’m really excited about it.”
Penguins
Disneynature
U.S. Release Date: April 17, 2019
Narrator: Ed Helms
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson
Producers: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield, Keith Scholey, Roy Conli
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
NOTES:
- Disneynature celebrates 10 years since its first feature film hit theaters. The first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in more than 60 years, Disneynature was launched to bring the world’s top nature filmmakers together to capture a variety of wildlife subjects and stories.
- “Penguins” is the eighth theatrical release for Disneynature. The first seven theatrical releases, “Earth,” “Oceans,” “African Cats,” “Chimpanzee,” “Bears,” “Monkey Kingdom” and “Born in China,” are seven of the top eight highest grossing feature-length nature films to date, with “Chimpanzee” garnering a record-breaking opening weekend for the genre.
- Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True Life Adventure motion pictures between 1948 and 1960, including “Seal Island” (1948), “Beaver Valley” (1950), “The Living Desert” (1953) and “Jungle Cat” (1958). The films earned eight Academy Awards®.
