Feature-length version of the documentary TV series Planet Earth is brought to the big screen by Disney nature. "Earth" is the first in a line of several movies that Disney has dedicated to the environment. In 2010 they will release the second one "Oceans" Why do we need these types of movies? Does anyone really pay attention to what is going on ? Not really. That's why a movie that is entertaining as well as informative is necessary. Earth mainly follows three families, A mother Polar Bear and her two cubs, a pack of Indian Elephants, and a Humpback Whale and her cub. The Polar Bear is my favorite animal, why? I'm not sure really, I think its the fact that the bear is really black but looks white, its one thing but looks another, and that's always intrigued me.
The movie opens with the story of the mother Polar Bear and how she spends the winter in her den with her cubs, the baby bears are playful, but the mother who hasn't eaten in months is weak. The father bear is out looking for food, and forgets he has a family to feed, such is the nature of the beast. The mother bear knowing the father will forget tries to rest her playful cubs together so they can trek to the area where the father hunts so they too can eat. Next we see the Indian Elephants as they trek across Africa's driest region looking for water. They travel hundreds of miles, the predators they face are as daunting to them as they are to the predators. In one scene a den of Lions attacks the herd, the herd protects the baby's but once the whole herd attacks even the adult elephants can't defend themselves. The next family that we see is the Humpback Whale. We learn that the mother teaches her cub to swim by swimming in more shallow waters, and once the baby picks up the ability to swim alone they travel thousands of miles to an area in the Arctic where they can eat there fill of shrimp. The journey across the globe for these huge whales isn't easy they are huge but the predators of the ocean are ferocious as well.
We see Great White Sharks in their element, and they are as scary as we can imagine them to be. This movie isn't about just these three families, we learn about others as well, we learn about forests that produce over ninety percent of the Earths oxygen, we see baby ducks getting their first flying lessons, how cute is that? Its down right adorable. One thing that is good about this movie is that it isn't all doom and gloom, they don't beat us up when they tell us what is happening. In one scene we see the father Polar Bear as the ice is breaking up and he is struggling to get traction to make it back to land, we hear that the rise in temperature is melting the ice faster every year. When the father bear is trapped and can't make it back, we know whats going to happen but we watch anyway, when he falls into the ocean and is forced to swim for several days to make it to shore we feel ourselves holding our breath. when he makes it to shore we think YES, but he is to weak from swimming for so long that he can't even get to the food, even though its right there in front of him. When he collapses from lack of food we know it's over.
This is a nature movie so be warned there are a few scenes of animals chasing down and attacking other animals, some get away, some don't. The camera doesn't shy away from the daily life of these animals, but they also don't show the death's of most of these animals. I give Earth a 4 and on my avoidance scale a 0, take your family to see this movie, it is breathtaking and informative at the same time.
Earth is rated G
Running time is 1 hr 30 mins.
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