Yona Yona Penguin at the Jurong Bird Park's Pools Amphitheatre

Our family had never experienced the magic of an outdoor movie, and we had often heard folks talking about how much they missed the nostalgia of it.

So we took a journey down memory lane at the Jurong Bird Park on 27 February and were amongst the first island-wide to catch Yona Yona Penguin. Debuting in Singapore, Jurong Bird Park screened Yona Yona Penguin at the Pools Amphitheatre for a special one-evening only preview.

Directed by Japanese animator Rintaro, director of Metropolis, Yona Yona Penguin is a Japanese animated movie with English subtitles about the amazing adventures of Coco, a small girl with a penguin coat, as she journeys through a world of fantasy and magic to save her friends from the Emperor of the Dark.

Princess Chelsea joined her and her friends in this heart-warming tale where they discover friendship and courage for the first time in their lives. As the entire film is in Japanese, Princess relied on Daddy Tiong’s explanation in order to understand the story.

We entered the park at 6.30pm and got up close to a colorful array of feathered friends from the Bird Park as they thrill us with their antics. We also learnt more about them and their diet from their keepers, who brought them out for a special evening.

~ Taken near the entrance ~

We also visited some endearing tuxedoed friends at Penguin Expedition. Occupying 1,630 square metres, Penguin Expedition is home to five species of penguins, namely the Humboldt, the Rockhopper, the Macaroni, the Fairy and the majestic King Penguin.

A 30-metre long viewing gallery provides ample opportunities for a panoramic view of these fascinating birds as they ‘fly’ underwater. The kids also took some pictures with a penguin.

If this were to take place in a cooling place, it would most certainly make a most enjoyable evening, but unfortunately, the weather man was up to annoy us.

The humid unbearable weather makes it hard to focus on the movie. Prince Christian was one of the ones who went for many a walks. Mummy Eliz had to bring him to the World of Darkness [where we can see the owls] and the Penguin Expedition every now and then for some air-con.

Many parents with little ones were also seen leaving early, before the end of the show.

Nevertheless, as usual, Japanese Animation never disappoints, their plot would always be refreshing, and to Princess, it was a great evening.