2009 Review #33: Disney Earth (Documentary)

Disney Earth

Rated G

1 hour 30 minutes

Subject Material:
Feature-length version of the documentary TV series "Planet Earth" (2006), following the migration paths of three animal families.

Narrated By:

James Earl Jones

Critics Grade:
B

My Grade:
A+

The documentary "Earth" is a must see film in my opinion! I don't think it was the most educational documentary, which is proably the only flaw the movie has. Not all documentaries have to teach though, some are there to just show. And there is a lot to show here...a lot of magnificant beauty. A lot of sadness. A lot of wonder. And a lot that we as humans take for grantite.

This movie is narrated by James Earl Jones (Star Wars trilogy, The Sandlot) and it brings to our eyes the migration journies of three families in the animal kingdom. We also get to see other various animals in their natural habitat. We see a family of polar bears, a family of elephants, a family of whales; plus some really cool exotic birds, some feisty and hungry lions, and other wonderous creatures. The movie footage (as well as the TV specials) was used from over 4,000 hours of filming and spanned over a year or so. That alone is an incredible acheivment.

Like I said this movie wasn't so much about education as it was about not only entertainment but also about exposing us to a world that most of us choose to forget even exists. A lot of people mistreat animals or consider animals these dumb creatures only good for food, beauty products, etc. This film shows how similar to the human race these animals truly are. I was amazed by how they protected their young; how they hunted for food; how they knew when danger was around; how playful they are; how frustrated the "parent" gets at their child going off the path. It's incredible to me that most of us humans don't appreciate this enough, I'm totally guilty of that myself. These animals have genuine feelings. They get scared and nervous, they get happy and playful, they get angry. I was blown away by how this Documentarian captured all of this for us to see...and it was stunning.

This movie almost brought this big guy to tears on a few occassions. The direction of the film was flawless, and they brought these animals stories to life in such a way that we could somehow relate to. There were a few scenes of these cute animals getting killed (although they cut away once the actual kill happens) or getting lost forever. They have scenes of animals running at top speed to get away from predators and you can hear the animals cry for help and it was just so unbelievably heartbreaking. Or there was a scene where a baby elephant got lost from his mother never to be seen again. Or the part where a mama elephant was attacked by a group of lions. Then there was the tale of the papa polar bear trying to get back to his family but the ice is melting and can't get to land and he begins to starve. Devistating tale that killed me inside! But this is the cirlce of life, this is what goes on every day in the animal kingdom and this is something we just don't appreciate or realize.

There was the really neat segment showing us some exotic birds. It was adorable because there is this bizzare bird whose wings flap out...and you just have to see the picture to completely understand (pictured to the left). This segment showed how intelligent and human like animals really can be. They showed this bird cleaning his living area. He got this piece of bark, and started to scrub down the branches he lives on. He even realized he "missed a spot" and went back to clean it up. He tidied up the floor by moving leaves around. Then a female bird came over and he actually did a dance for her. It was so sweet and so stinking cute! I wish I could visit someo of these places to see these guys for real.

Other aspects of this film like the musical score were great! The score was an orchestra I believe and it added tension when animals were being chased, it added to the dread when an animal lost it's battle with a predator, and it added to some of the uplifting stories. The cinematography was some of the most sensational I've ever seen in a film. This guy captured some of the most beautiful things I've ever layed eyes on. This movie wasn't scripted. There were no special effects. This was all reality and it is a beautiful reality. I loved every second of this movie, and I wish it was a longer film. It will move you, it will make you sad, it will definitely make you smile. This is an incredible, incredible, incredible documentary that EVERYONE should see as soon as possible. If not to slap some sense into you, then to just entertain you...because through it all...entertaining this movie certainly was!