My Penguin Friend

My Penguin Friend is a 2024 English-language Brazilian/American family adventure film directed by David Schurmann, written by Paulina Lagudi Ulrich and Kristen Lazarian, and starring Jean Reno and Adriana Barraza. It is based on the true story of fisherman João Pereira de Souza and Dindim the penguin, which went viral in 2016. It was first released in France on August 7, 2024, and was released in the United States on August 16, 2024. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.
== Plot ==
Brazilian Fisherman João Pereira de Souza discovers an injured penguin drifting alone in the ocean, near death and covered in oil from a spill. João rescues the animal and rehabilitates it, forging an unconventional lifelong friendship.
== Cast ==
== Release ==
The trailer was released on May 17, 2024. The film was first released in France on August 7, 2024, and was released in the United States on August 16, 2024.
===Popularity on TikTok===
On August 11, 2024, TikTok user KindPenguins (@pudgykindness) posted a video in which he randomly joined the livestream of Twitch streamers with no live viewers. During this, he came across the livestream of producer Jonathan Lim. Lim went on to discuss his professional background and what led to him producing the film.KindPenguins [@pudgykindness] (August 11, 2024). "out_on_a_lim ❤️". via TikTok. Retrieved on August 16, 2024. The video went viral, garnering thousands of comments and shares, 11.2 million likes and 58.2 million views, as of August 16, 2024.The Collision (August 14, 2016). "'My Penguin Friend': A Conversation with Jonathan Lim (Producer & Founder of City Hill Arts)". via YouTube. Retrieved on August 16, 2024. It also brought Lim's personal TikTok account from less than 100,000 followers to over 1.3 million.out_on_a_lim TikTok Stats Summary Profile. Social Blade. Retrieved on August 16, 2024.
== Reception ==
===Box office===
In the United States and Canada, the film made $1 million from 1,083 theaters in its opening weekend.
===Critical response===
 
Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "There's something radical about the old-fashioned approach of My Penguin Friend. It's an earnest, crowd-pleasing family film – nothing snarky or self-referential, no on-the-nose needle drops - just a sweet, beautifully made movie that earns the emotion it'll surely draw from its viewers."
== External links ==
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== References ==
Category:2024 films
Category:2024 adventure films
Category:Brazilian adventure drama films
Category:American adventure drama filmsCategory:American films based on actual events
Category:English-language Brazilian films
Category:Films about penguins
Category:Roadside Attractions films