This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Roadside Attractions.

My Penguin Friend will quickly become your family's favorite movie this summer! It's a tale of hope, reconciliation, and endurance. Inspired by a 2011 true story, a penguin caught in an oil spill forged a relationship with the human who helped him. They quickly became friends and after being filmed by local reporters, became an international sensation! 

My Penguin Friend is set between Argentina and Brazil. A specific group of penguins lives off the Argentinian coast and has a migratory pattern at certain times during the year. This is a story that shows the penguin's journey but also shows the journey of an individual in society who needed hope, love, and reconciliation. 

How did it all happen? The penguin got lost from his pack and ended up off the coast of Brazil! Found by João, the penguin is nursed back to health and decides to make friends with the humans there. In the meantime, we learn that João is going through something deeply troubling. He's isolated himself from his friends, his family, and his community. I don't think we ever found out what troubled João or what the past circumstances were, but the penguin certainly brought joy and hope into his life! 

Allowing human interaction and touch, the penguin quickly becomes the focus of the community and becomes known as DinDim. Throughout the story we see Dindim's migratory patterns, the effects of researchers and marine biologists, and learn a bit about a small fishing community in Brazil, along with watching João trust his wife and friends again. 

Despite it's setting, the movie is in English and at 1 hr 37 minutes, is the perfect amount of time to set up the story. The PG rating is mostly for thematic content, but is well suited for any age. 

There are some great family discussions that can emerge from this film: the perils of the ocean, caring for creation, welcoming those who had isolated themselves from their communities, helping others find forgiveness, and more. It's a great family friendly film that not only is about the relationship between a penguin and human, but also about how a human learns to love and trust again. 

It's a fun movie that shows how animals help us in ways that we least expect. Animals help us to heal, to love, and to be loved by others.  We all need love & friendships, and the quirkiest of animals, even DinDim the Penguin, can help us create those. Now just remember to leave your penguins in the wild, folks! 

I hope that you will go see My Penguin Friend! 

My Penguin Friend will be released in theaters on August 16 so be sure to put it on your must-see list before heading back to school (or if you have already, this is a great way to spend a break from the madness of back to school season). 

Cast: 

• Jean Reno as João
• Adriana Barraza as João’s wife

• Directed by: David Schurmann
• Written by: Paulina Lagudi and Kristen Lazarian
• Produced by: Robin Jonas, Shaked Berenson, Patrick Ewald, Nicolas Veinberg, Steven P. Wegner, Jonathan E. Lim, and Andreas Wentz