Secrets of the Penguins on Disney+ trailer – This Earth Day, embark on an unforgettable adventure with Emmy® and BAFTA Award-winning Nat Geo Explorer Bertie Gregory (@BertieGregory) in SECRETS OF THE PENGUINS!
Executive produced by National Geographic Explorer-at-Large and Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Cameron and Emmy and BAFTA winners Ruth Roberts and Martin Williams from Talesmith, this latest installment in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning “Secrets of” franchise takes viewers of all ages to the farthest corners of the world to witness penguin behaviors captured on film for the first time—showcasing the cute and fluffy flightless birds as they brave some of the most extreme environments on Earth. Narrated by Blake Lively (“Another Simple Favor”) all episodes streaming April 21 on Disney+.
While many documentaries have explored penguins, SECRETS OF THE PENGUINS takes it to a whole new level. Talesmith’s team, led by Bertie and over 70 world-class scientists and filmmakers, embarked on a two-year, globe-spanning adventure—from the rocky beaches of Cape Town and the icy shores of South Georgia Island to the tropical Galapagos and Namibia’s desert caves—capturing penguins like never before.
Pushing the boundaries of wildlife filmmaking, a three-person crew endured an astonishing 274 days filming on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica, home to a colony of 20,000 emperor penguins. Facing one of the planet’s harshest environments, they captured never-before-seen moments like a bonded pair of emperors practicing egg transfers with a snowball to hone their skills for the moment they would need to transfer a real egg, tenacious chicks navigating brash ice amid climate change, and young penguins using their beaks to hoist themselves out of a crevasse.
With breathtaking, award-winning cinematography and cutting-edge camera technology, the series captures even more never-before-seen and rare moments in the wild.
For the first time, witness healthy “rockaroni” chicks—a rare hybrid of rockhopper and macaroni penguins—offering a fascinating glimpse into potential evolution and adaptation. Other remarkable scenes include a brave rockhopper fending off a southern sea lion, the first-ever footage of a hidden cave colony of African penguins, and clever Galapagos penguins teaming up for a daring heist: stealing fish straight from pelican beaks and skillfully herding sardine bait balls.
In April 2024, Nat Geo unveiled breathtaking emperor penguin footage captured by Bertie at the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica for the series.
A television first, the crew recorded an astonishing sight: hundreds of emperor penguin chicks leaping from a 50-foot cliff into the icy ocean below, emerging unscathed. The series will showcase the full spectacle of this remarkable behavior, along with new footage that was not initially included in the viral video. To date, the clip has garnered 74 million views on Nat Geo’s TikTok account—its best-performing video ever—and has received over 165 million views across all of Nat Geo’s social platforms.
Bertie’s natural history filming resonates so much with viewers that he has captured some of the most-viewed videos on Nat Geo’s Instagram account this past year.
The emperor penguins video has nearly 63 million views, while the second highest is Dzanga-Sangha National Park sweat bees with 34 million views, followed by B1 Antarctic killer whales with 23 million views, both from his Disney+ Original series from Nat Geo ANIMALS UP CLOSE WITH BERTIE GREGORY, currently filming its second season.
The family-friendly series taps into the passion and expertise of world-renowned scientists and conservationists, including National Geographic Explorer and marine biologist Dr. Pablo Borboroglu, conservation biologist Dr. Michelle LaRue, African penguin expert Dr. Andrea Thiebault, doctor of veterinary medicine Dr. Gustavo Jiménez Uzcátegui, penguin expert Dr. Jessica Kemper, and marine biologist Dr. Katta Ludynia.
Episodes include the following:
- “Heart of the Emperors” The emperors are the largest and strongest penguins, living in the coldest and most extreme environment on Earth. Embedded with an Antarctic colony, National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory encounters social skills never filmed before, discovering bonds forged from birth between family, friends and strangers are the difference between life and death.
- “Survival of the Smartest” Millions of years ago, a group of penguins left the ice, riding powerful currents and arriving in strange new lands. They reshaped traditions for deserts and tropics—and even to live among humans. Tested to the extreme, they became perhaps the smartest of all penguins. National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory discovers the penguins’ problem-solving, “talking” and enduring search for new worlds.
- “Rebels with a Cause” It takes a special type of courageous penguin to survive the fierce Southern Ocean, but 40 million crowd its isolated, rocky outposts, and they are some of the most successful penguins on Earth. National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory follows the rockhoppers, gentoos and macaronis to discover a world of risk-takers, rebels and unconventional parents.
Previous “Secrets of” seasons include SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS, narrated by Paul Rudd; SECRETS OF THE ELEPHANTS, narrated by Natalie Portman; and Emmy-winning SECRETS OF THE WHALES, narrated by Sigourney Weaver. All instalments are currently streaming on Disney+.
SECRETS OF THE PENGUINS is produced by Talesmith for National Geographic. Emmy Award-winners James Cameron and Maria Wilhelm for Lightstorm Earth are executive producers. BAFTA and Emmy Award-winner Bertie Gregory serves as lead storyteller, cinematographer and producer.
For Talesmith, Emmy and BAFTA-winning executive producers are Ruth Roberts and Martin Williams. Series producer is Serena Davies. Pam Caragol is executive producer for National Geographic.
Secrets of the Penguins on Disney+ – 21 April, 2025
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Secrets of the Penguins on Disney+ trailer
