Movies like Penguins: Life on the Edge (2020)
The best movies like Penguins: Life on the Edge (2020) are Elephant (2020), Polar Bear (2022) and David Attenborough's Tasmania (2018). If Penguins: Life on the Edge hooked you with its documentary and adventure, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedEarth (2007)7.7/10 from 388 votes
- NewestCheetahs Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)Released 2026
Elephant (2020)
Disneynature’s Elephant follows African elephant Shani and her spirited son Jomo as their herd make an epic journey hundreds of miles across the vast Kalahari Desert. Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family faces brutal heat, dwindling resources and persistent predators, as they follow in their ancestors’ footsteps on a quest to reach a lush, green paradise.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPolar Bear (2022)
A new mother’s memories of her own youth prepare her to navigate motherhood in the increasingly challenging world that polar bears face today.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDavid Attenborough's Tasmania (2018)
Tasmania lies on the Australian continent, but is a world apart. It is home to an extraordinary cast of black devils and white wallabies. Trees here tower to one hundred metres and green lights dance in the southern sky. As the last landfall heading south before Antarctica, Tasmania's isolation, cooler climate and distinct seasons influence everything.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal (2018)
In Namibia, conservationist Maria Diekmann found herself on the frontline of the battle to save these wanted animals after unexpectedly becoming a surrogate mother to an orphaned baby pangolin named Honey Bun. On an emotional journey, Diekmann travels to Asia to better understand the global issues facing pangolins, before joining forces with a Chinese megastar to help build a campaign to bring awareness to the plight of these surprisingly charming creatures.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Brothers in Blood: The Lions of Sabi Sand (2015)
This is a powerful documentary, filmed over a 16 year span, about the rise of a Coalition of six lions, branded The Mapogo Lions, and their takeover of the largest territory by a pride.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
The Penguin King (2012)
South Georgia - alone in a vast ocean. 900 miles from Antarctica, and a mere 100 miles long. A wild rugged landscape with mountain ranges, vast glaciers, windblown plains half buried beneath snow and ice. Three years ago, the Penguin King left home. Now he is returning to the place where he was born and raised: Penguin City. One of the most densely-packed, sought-after pieces of real estate in the entire southern hemisphere and somehow he must establish his own place in it. He must find a mate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both family & documentary
Seasons (2016)
Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud travel throughout Europe to film brown bears, wild horses, wolves and other animals in their natural habitat.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRussia's Wild Tiger (2022)
Records the battle for the survival of the big cats and reveals intimate details of their lives. The animals they prey on are also in the film: tigers couldn’t survive without sika deer, Altai wapiti, wild boars and Asian black bears. Guiding the viewer through the film, an elder tiger tells the story of his cub, born in a conservation area, the year after he leaves his mother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step (2017)
A young penguin, driven by his instinct, embarks on his first major trip to an unknown destination.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJane Goodall: The Hope (2020)
The story of one remarkable woman who became a global icon in animal welfare and conservation who not only hoped for a better world, she achieved it! This sweeping documentary celebrates the vast legacy of Dr. Goodall’s four decades of advocacy work for chimpanzees and depicts the next chapter for generations to come.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & adventure
Cheetahs Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026)
Bertie arrives in the Serengeti as the spectacular wildebeest migration kicks off. He’s here to film the fastest land animal on Earth: the cheetah. As he gets close to a mother caring for her tiny cubs and a young group of males executing phenomenal hunts as a team, he learns about the unexpected challenges the species endures.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
A Reindeer's Journey (2018)
Narrated by Golden Globe winner, Donald Sutherland, this is the incredible story of Ailo, the little reindeer. This uplifting tale follows the journey of baby Ailo as he navigates his first year of life in the snowy landscapes of a picturesque Lapland. Frail and vulnerable, Ailo must learn to walk, run, leap and hide to ensure he survives the long, treacherous journey with the herd. Ailo’s Journey is an inspirational story, in which a bleak wilderness is warmed by a mother’s endless love as she watches over Ailo in his incredible adventures with other creatures of the Arctic.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWild Karnataka (2019)
An unprecedented UHD film on Karnataka's rich biodiversity narrated by David Attenborough. Portraying the state with highest number of tigers and elephants using the latest technology - a masterpiece showcasing the state, its flora, fauna.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Puff: Wonders of the Reef (2021)
A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPandas (2018)
In the mountains of Sichuan, China, a researcher forms a bond with Qian Qian, a panda who is about to experience nature for the first time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPolar Bear: Spy on the Ice (2011)
Shot mainly using spy cameras, this film gets closer than ever before to the world's greatest land predator. As the film captures its intimate portrait of polar bears' lives, it reveals how their intelligence and curiosity help them cope in a world of shrinking ice.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Penguins (2019)
The story of Steve, an Adélie penguin, on a quest to find a life partner and start a family. When Steve meets with Wuzzo the emperor penguin they become friends. But nothing comes easy in the icy Antarctic.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoing Nuts: Tales from the Squirrel World (2019)
Squirrels are among the most widely known and recognized mammals. In many parts of the world they gladly join us for our lunches in city parks, amaze us with their acrobatics and entertain our children as cartoons on TV. Squirrels live in an extraordinarily diverse range of habitats. Some can fly, some can swim, some live in trees or underground, others love icy wastelands or burning hot deserts. But don’t let their cuteness fool you! They may be small, but squirrels are one of the most successful species on the planet. And they have big families. This blue-chip documentary explores some of the most fascinating squirrel species and shows how they became so successful dealing with extreme environments and curious (human) neighbors. 'Going Nuts' unveils the enchanting world of one of the “most watched” mammals on the planet.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Dolphin Reef (2018)
Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSnow Leopard: Beyond the Myth (2008)
BBC The Natural World. In 2004, a team from the Planet Earth series captured the first ever film of a wild snow leopard in the mountains of Pakistan. For Nisar Malik, who led the expedition, these images sparked a passion that compelled him to return. With cameraman Mark Smith, he spent two years documenting the snow leopard's daily life, finally lifting the veil on the most elusive of all cats.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Earth (2007)
An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in EARTH. Disneynature brings you a remarkable story of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants and humpback whales.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNational Parks Adventure (2016)
Narrated by Academy Award winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation’s awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Immersive IMAX 3D cinematography takes viewers soaring over red rock canyons, hurtling up craggy mountain peaks and into other-worldly realms found within America’s most legendary outdoor playgrounds, including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, and Arches. Celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the national parks with world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb and explore their way across America’s majestic parks in an action-packed expedition that will inspire the adventurer in us all.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Winged Seduction: Birds of Paradise (2012)
Tim Laman a photographer for National Geographic and ornithologist Ed Scholes have been traveling to some of the most remote jungles the world has to offer in search of observing and photographing all 39 species of tropical bird. This particular group of birds are entitled as the “Birds of Paradise” and can be found in some of the last truly wild locations of New Guinea.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
In the Footsteps of Elephant (2020)
Follow filmmakers as they capture the epic journey of African elephants across the Kalahari desert. The team faces extreme weather, inaccessible terrain, crocodile-infested waters and close encounters with lions in order to shine a light on these remarkable creatures and their ancient migrations.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Wild Life (2023)
From Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, "Wild Life" follows conservationist Kris Tompkins on an epic, decades-spanning love story as wild as the landscapes she dedicated her life to protecting. After falling in love in mid-life, Kris and the outdoorsman and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins left behind the world of the massively successful outdoor brands they'd helped pioneer like Patagonia, The North Face, and Esprit, and turned their attention to a visionary effort to create National Parks throughout Chile and Argentina. "Wild Life" chronicles the highs and lows of their journey to effect the largest private land donation in history.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Wild Japan: Snow Monkeys (2014)
In the frigid valleys of Japan's Shiga Highlands, a troop of snow monkeys make their way and raise their families in a complex society of rank and privilege where each knows their place. Their leader is still new to the job and something of a solitary grouch. But one little monkey, innocently unaware of his own lowly social rank, reaches out to this lonely leader, forming a bond with him that manages over time to warm his less than sunny disposition. It is a rare and remarkable gesture that alters both their lives. Changing seasons bring new babies to care for, a profusion of insects and blossoms to eat, family disagreements to squabble over and tragedies to overcome. Mating season brings competition for females, as the days grow shorter and colder in a rush toward winter. But with their now confident leader to guide them and their families to shelter and care for them, this troop of snow monkeys is ready to face the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Chimpanzee (2012)
A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. Through Oscar, a little chimpanzee, we discover learning about life in the heart of the African tropical forest and follow his first steps in this world with humor, emotion and anguish. Following a tragedy, he finds himself separated from his mother and left alone to face the hostility of the jungle. Until he is picked up by an older chimpanzee, who will take him under her protection.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDolphins Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2025)
Bertie Gregory heads to the Azores, a vital marine sanctuary and seasonal hotspot for migrating ocean predators. During feeding season, thousands of elusive hunters gather to feast on massive bait balls. Battling storms and scanning vast seas, Bertie races against time to capture the most epic feeding frenzy of his career.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary
Born to Be Wild (2011)
Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & adventure
Worth the HypeMovies like thisArctic Tale (2007)
Arctic Tale is a 2007 documentary film from the National Geographic Society about the life cycle of a walrus and her calf, and a polar bear and her cubs, in a similar vein to the 2005 hit production March of the Penguins, also from National Geographic.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both documentary & family
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Penguins: Life on the Edge?
The closest matches to Penguins: Life on the Edge are Elephant (2020), Polar Bear (2022) and David Attenborough's Tasmania (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Penguins: Life on the Edge?
People who watched Penguins: Life on the Edge most often go on to Elephant (2020), Polar Bear (2022) and David Attenborough's Tasmania (2018).
What is the highest-rated movie like Penguins: Life on the Edge?
Earth (2007), rated 7.7/10 by 388 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Penguins: Life on the Edge?
Cheetahs Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Penguins: Life on the Edge?
Yes: Elephant (2020), Polar Bear (2022) and David Attenborough's Tasmania (2018).
How are movies similar to Penguins: Life on the Edge chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Penguins: Life on the Edge, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.