Do Penguins Fly?

From the 3D World showreel: A collective of French artists braves the current glut of penguin films and even a flooding air conditioner to create this excellent film seeking the truth about those tuxedo-clad Antarctic birds

Penguins, it seems, are the oiseaux du jour in film circles. We’ve seen them thrive in the harsh Antarctic wastes, hijack oil tankers, talk, dance, and even surf. It seems these monochromatic birds can do anything but fly.

Or can they? The fantastic animated short Les Pingouins Volent-ils? (Do Penguins Fly?) asks just that question, and shows us what the sneaky little formal-clad waterfowl are really up to when no one’s looking.

A group of French artists came together to make this film. Alban Lelièvre directed the film with animator Fabrice Senia. A rendering and compositing team including Sun Limet, Sebastien Pribile, Vincent Duponchel, and Will Bissainte also worked on the film, and Jean-Christophe Bork designed the sound. Together, these artists worked under the name Planktoon to create a highly amusing film with a unique take on these tricky birds.

SYNOPSIS
An intrepid explorer sets out to discover the astonishing truth about penguins

LOOK OUT FOR
0.07 The hero arrives
0.19 Checking the skies
0.25 What he doesn’t see
0.42 Gotcha! (I think…)
0.48 A picture is worth more
1.10 The waiting game
1.35 Forcing their hand
1.56 Finally, and too late

SEE ALSO
Burning Safari (2006) Claude- William Trebutien
Why Did Dragons Disappear? (2002) Alban Lelièvre

Click here to download (42MB DIVX AVI)