Summary
Each summer season, a colony of Penguins comes to a Beachy Town in South Africa as they find love, find a nest and keep their species alive. This series follows their adventures, including being cute and causing trouble.
Netflix docuseries Penguin Town was released on the streaming service on June 16, 2021.
There has definitely been an obsession around penguins over the last years, and I’ve never really gotten it until now. These quirky little guys managed to steal my heart in the new Netflix series Penguin Town. This humorous and insightful docuseries follows a colony of African penguins as they descend on the seaside resort of Simon’s Town in South Africa in order to nest. With a varied soundtrack mixed with creative, comedic commentary, this is not your typical documentary about penguins.
Over the summer season, we witness the penguins building a home, raising their young, making friends, mingling, causing havoc for the locals — basically living their best life. They are given cute character names and storylines, such as The Bougainvilleas, Mr. and Mrs. Culvert, and Junior the Misfit. Although, what I enjoyed the most was the balance between comedy and reality. The reality is, if these endangered birds don’t/aren’t able to mate, they will go extinct.
In previous films or documentaries, we follow their life with a serious undertone and commentary. This series definitely has a new, fresh vibe. Penguin Town is narrated by Patton Oswalt, whose past credits include narrating for the sitcom The Goldbergs, and he voiced Remy in the 2007 film Ratatouille. He has a great voice and with his well-practiced comedic timing, he brings some great moments in the series, adding both sarcastic and zany humor.
I learned a bit of trivia from the series: African penguins are also called jackass penguins because of their donkey-like bray, but I think it’s because they are really mischievous. Their numbers are vastly declining thanks to over-fishing, habitat loss, and coastal development. This series opened my eyes a lot to how penguins live and how we can live amongst them.
If you’re looking for something fun and educational for yourself or the family, this is definitely worth it. All eight of the 25-minute episodes are available to watch now. Check out the official trailer here:
