This is truly a wonderful film. Perhaps the film can be criticized for being a bit too anthropomorphic; but even this characteristic only helps audiences to engage - and thus to more fully identify with these small and wonderful creatures. Unfortunately, there is now a disturbing 'political' trend, as reported in today's (September 13, 2005) New York Times. Both the film, and its diminutive heroes, are being heralded as a clear example of 'conservative' values. Conservative critics and commentators are seeing a variety of values and virtues in the film such as: 'the beauty of life and the rightness of protecting it'; 'a strong case for intelligent design'; 'most passionately affirms traditional norms like monogamy, sacrifice and child rearing' 'a winning argument for the theory that life is too complex to have arisen through random selection'; 'Some of the circumstances they (the penguins) experienced seemed to parallel those of Christians'. All of these values and virtues are perhaps laudable. But aren't these critics and commentators really missing the point? The film is an entertainment; and a great entertainment at that. But the film is about birds; cute and cuddly birds - but still birds, not people. As entertainment, the film attempts to tell a simple, albeit inspiring, story about the mating habits of one species of penguin. If the makers of the film had truly wanted to expand the film into a fuller depiction of conservative values, a further habit of penguins could have been included. There is one less 'cute and cuddly' example of social behavior which penguins are prone to use. Whenever possible, penguins will maintain a small hole in the ice so that they can easily enter and exit for feeding. Being creatures of the water, they can, of course, sense when sharks are in the area. The penguins intuitively understand that until the sharks' appetites are sated - or until they just leave the vicinity - it is not safe to go into the water. However, hunger is a strong motivator, and so, in order to solve this problem, penguins will, as a group, 'crowd' the hole. Eventually, the weakest of the penguins will be forced through the hole and into the water. It is generally only a short time, once the sharks have fed and left the area, that the stronger group of penguins can again go in and feed. Perhaps this is just one more 'virtue' that the 'political' conservatives have already learned from the penguins. 