Poster © Roadside Attractions. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
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GenreAdventure, Drama & Family
RatedPG
Runtime1 hr 37 mins
ReleasedAugust 16, 2024
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorDavid Schurmann
StarringJean Reno, Adriana Barraza
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My Penguin Friend (2024)
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| My Penguin Friend's Details | |
| Genre | Adventure, Drama & Family |
| Rated | PG |
| Released | 08/16/2024 |
| Streaming | See Where to Watch on this page. |
| Running Time | 1 hr 37 mins |
| Budget | Not reported |
| Box Office | Updated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| My Penguin Friend's Interests | |
| General | Fishing boats, Brazilian beaches, sardines, oil-spill cleanup, a best friend in a tuxedo. |
| Music | Fernando Velázquez. |
| Movies | March of the Penguins (2005). The documentary version of this much devotion. |
| Television | Planet Earth. For when one penguin is not enough. |
| Heroes | Dindim. Survived an oil spill, adopted a fisherman. |
| My Penguin Friend's Crew | |
| Director | David Schurmann |
| Writers | Paulina Lagudi Ulrich, Kristen Lazarian |
| Producers | Shaked Berenson, Patrick Ewald, Robin Jonas, Jonathan Lim, Nicolas Veinberg, Steven P. Wegner, Andreas Wentz |
| Cinematography | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| Music | Fernando Velázquez |
| Edited By | Teresa Font |
| Production | City Hill Arts, Content Studios |
| Distributed By | Roadside Attractions |
My Penguin Friend has no villain, no twist and no wisecracking sidekick, and it’s a little too happy to coast on one very cute bird. Jean Reno plays João, a Brazilian fisherman who spots a penguin floating by itself out at sea, injured and slick with spilled oil. He and his wife Maria, played by Adriana Barraza, nurse the bird until it’s healthy again, call him Dindim, and end up with the strangest best friend on the beach. It’s based on a true story that went viral in 2016. Reno is as steady as ever, and the penguin steals every scene it waddles into. David Schurmann directs it like an old-fashioned family film, sincere and unhurried, with no winking at the grown-ups. It holds an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 6.9 because the charm does the heavy lifting and the story barely has to. $183.23 says you scan the shoreline for a penguin on your next beach trip, no matter which ocean it is.
What works: Jean Reno is warm and reliable, the penguin is a natural scene stealer, and the film earns its emotion without any snark.
What doesn’t: There isn’t much story beyond the central friendship, so the film leans on charm to fill the stretches where little happens.
Who it’s for: Families looking for a gentle, true animal story that kids and grandparents can watch together.
Spoilers
There’s no big twist: the whole film builds toward showing that João and Dindim’s friendship lasts for life, just like the true story it’s based on.
João Pereira de Souza (Jean Reno) is a fisherman on the coast of Brazil. One day he finds a penguin floating alone in the ocean, hurt, close to death and coated in oil from a spill. He brings the little guy home, and with his wife Maria (Adriana Barraza) he nurses the bird back to health. They call him Dindim, and a very unlikely friendship begins. David Schurmann directs this true story, which went viral in 2016, with penguin scenes shot in Patagonia. Ninety-seven minutes, one tuxedo.
Anyone who would pull over for a stranded animal. Dindim says thanks.
| Jean Reno | João Pereira de Souza |
| Adriana Barraza | Maria |
| Ravel Cabral | Paulo |
| Rocío Hernández | Stephanie |
| Nicolás Francella | Carlos |
| Alexia Moyano | Adriana |
| Thalma de Freitas | Calista |
| Pedro Urizzi | young João |
- (cur | prev) 14:30, 20 October 2026 DataBot +440 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $5.2M; Domestic box office $2.8M; Opening weekend $1M; profit note now waits on a budget; Rotten Tomatoes 85%; box office chart updated; Rotten Tomatoes critics 85% (55 reviews); Metacritic 70 / 100; Rotten Tomatoes audience 96% (250+ verified ratings); IMDb users 6.8 / 10 (7,996 votes); movie.guru score 7.4.
- (cur | prev) 12:00, 20 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.