Earth

(2009)

Directed by

Alastair Fothergill & Mark Linfield

Review by Terry Plucknett

Earth is the first film from the DisneyNature division of Disney, and after viewing it, I am so glad it is not the last.

This documentary, which was released on Earth Day, is an hour and a half long nature video from the makers of the Planet Earth series from TV.  Starting in the Arctic, and working its way down all the way to the Antarctic, the scope and scale of the footage is simply jaw-dropping.  The shots of African savannahs with the sun blacked out by a huge flock of birds, or the shots that take you through every angle around a waterfall just take your breath away.  Although the film spans the globe throughout, it focuses on three families that represent the primary areas covered.  It starts in the Arctic with a family of polar bears searching for food after the winter hibernation, and then moves to the African desert as a family of elephants follows the herd to a savannah for some water.  It ends by following two humpback whales on their 4000 mile journey from the tropics to Antarctica for feeding.  Each story is touching and moving as you see true wildlife in all its majesty on the big screen with the story brought to you by the only voice that could do it all justice: James Earl Jones.

This film brings some of the most beautiful and majestic shots of our beautiful planet ever put on recorded.  The two directors seem to have an incredible eye for shooting this great landscape.  The editors did an amazing job at taking their beautiful footage and telling a story with it.  Then James Earl Jones brings his unmistakable voice to the table to bring the stories to life and make them feel much more profound than they probably are.  It all comes together perfectly and works in every way.  This is something the film genre should be used for: bringing not only the beauty of our planet to the masses, but also awareness of the fragility of our planet.  Throughout the film, there were small references to the issue of global warming, not as a soap box issue, but simply as a fact of how it effects the animals portrayed.  It doesn’t say how we can make a difference in preventing global warming, but it says how global warming is melting ice faster in spring in the arctic making it harder for polar bears to feed.  It doesn’t make a political statement, but simply a fact of life for the creatures on our planet.  However, there is no mistake that this film was released on Earth Day.

There is something in this movie for all ages.  The little kids will be in awe of the wildlife just as much as the adults.  All will giggle as the ducklings attempt to take their first flight and land softly on the leaves below.  All will be sad as the classic story is told of hunter taking down the hunted.  All will enjoy and love this absolutely beautiful film.  If you can, go see it in theatres.  It is one that is meant to be seen on the big screen.  This movie will be the shortest hour and a half you spend in the theatre.  I loved every minute of it and can’t wait for the next DisneyNature movie to come out next Earth Day.

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