I guess some groups have latched onto the movie March of the Penguins as an example of family values. I've just been skimming it not really wanting to bring attention to it but today Non Birding Bill pointed me to a blog by Jim Emerson with some disturbing news about the origional French version of the movie:

Two of the dumbest things that human beings habitually do are: 1) attribute human characteristics to natural phenomena (the “pathetic fallacy” – e.g., that Tropical Storm Rita has “furious winds,” when a swirling mass of wind and vapor experiences no emotion whatsoever); and 2) attribute human characteristics to animals (anthropomorphization -- like the syrupy advertising tagline for “March of the Penguins”: “In the Harshest Place on Earth, Love Finds a Way”). I want to throw up every time I see that. (But at least they took out the talking penguins in the original French version and replaced them with a voiceover by Morgan Freeman.)

Okay, did you catch that last part about the penguins talking to each other in the French version?!? What the heck? What would they say? Imagine the following in a french accent:

Penguin 1: Zut Alors! C'est very cold out today, mon ami!

Penguin 2: Hon hee hon hon hon. C'est la vie! When do ze lovely lady penguins come back to us to keep us warm?

Penguin 1: I have no idea, but I could really go for a baguette.

Penguin 2: Moi aussi!