Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Penguin Highway Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 6, 2019

With a title such as “Penguin Highway” and marketing that puts the titular animals all over trailers and posters, there’s an implicit promise made for something adorable, even silly, to be offered to audiences. However, this picture is far from cuddly. Instead of putting together a romp starring a collection of runaway birds, director Hiroyasu Ishida tries to dig into the trials of maturation, overseeing this adaptation of Tomihiko Morimi’s novel, which touches on the experience of a fourth-grader coming into contact with a fantastical event, only calmed by friendship, science, and the growing allure of female breasts.

“Penguin Highway” is such a peculiar picture, but it does manage to tap into the realities of begin young and slowly growing aware of life experiences. However, instead of assembling a melodrama concerning the ups and downs of a pre-teen on the loose, Morimi aims for something grander, using the strange arrival of penguins in a small Japanese town to trigger more enigmatic events, with some potentially apocalyptic in design. There’s cuteness with the kids, who deal with friendships, bullies, and education, and there’s mystery with a dental assistant who may or may not be tied to the arrival of an oceanic sphere in a nearby meadow. “Penguin Highway” isn’t entirely devoted to creating a concrete narrative to follow, with Ishida more interested in the surreal, striving to translate impossible fantasy on the page to the fluidity of the screen. And he makes room for close-ups of breasts. So many breast shots.

Penguin Highway Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.19:1) presentation enjoys the general brightness of the animation, which delivers crisp blue skies and greenery, making outdoor visits the artistic highlights of the movie. Interiors also satisfy with more naturalistic hues, and characters enjoy varied outfits and hair color. Detail is adequate, capturing animated artistry and dimension, while decoration is easy to survey, scanning school rooms and restaurants. Delineation is communicative. Some banding is found during select moments of the feature.

Penguin Highway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix comes through with authority, offering loaded surround atmospherics during the adventure, which encounters breezy open worlds and aquatic entanglements. Dialogue exchanges are precise, capturing all offerings of dialogue. Low-end has moments of power, especially when grander acts of fantasy are explored, offering a sense of weight with the expanding sphere.

Penguin Highway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (21:06, HD) with director Hiroyasu Ishida almost seems like a parody at first. The helmer is incredibly anxious about the release of "Penguin Highway," putting on a full-body display of nerves as he answers questions during a stop on the press junket. There's an overview of his past shorts, with Ishida explaining his progression as a filmmaker, leading him to make his feature-length debut. Production challenges are detailed along with favorite scenes, and he shares his personal connection to the story and characters. Penguin preferences are reveled, and Ishida closes with casting accomplishments, the meaning of the title, and his excitement over the theme song.

• Interview (11:51, HD) sits down with author Tomihiko Morimi, who initially offers his reaction to the film version of "Penguin Highway." Childhood fantasies are shared, helping to inform his vision for the characters, and an explanation of the title is offered. Morimi is not facing curveballs here, answering questions concerning his appreciation of graph paper, favorite scenes, and his thoughts on the adult nature of the material, which is being marketed to family audiences. There's a cast overview, an impression of Ishida, and some insight concerning the tale's obsessions with female breasts, helping to clarify some of the stranger aspects of the original work.

• Past Works Promo (2:17, HD) is a director's reel for Ishida.

• "Good Night" (2:08, HD) is a music video for "Penguin Highway."

• And a Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Penguin Highway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Penguin Highway" isn't a title for a casual watch, offering an excessive run time and a few bewildering turns of plot. It's a gorgeous film for sure, presenting naturalistic and dreamlike sights and lively character designs, but it gets a little lost at times as Ishida tries to balance outer and inner worlds.