ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

nature documentary

Welcome to Earth -Our amazing home

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In Welcome to Earth, from National Geographic and streaming on Disney+, Will Smith tells us of some of the things he’s never done, then goes on to do some of them. Smith is our guide to experience our planet in new ways. The limited series has brought together various explorers (some who are differently-abled) who take us around the world to see, hear, and discover things we may never knew was happening around us.

There are six forty-minute episodes in the series, each with a different focus. There is one about sight, one about sound, and one about scent that focus on the sensory aspects of the world. But are also episodes that focus on the nature of swarm mentality, the things that are too fast or too slow for us to notice, and one about overcoming our fears to discover the world. The episodes are structured around Smith heading off with one of these explorers, then bringing in other examples of the theme from other explorers.

The series takes us under the sea, into a volcano, into deserts, deep into caves, to the Arctic, and the Serengeti. In each location we are encouraged to be amazed at the amazing planet we live on, and the other creatures we share it with.

Among the wonders we encounter are watching sea anemones marching across the seabed, bees shifting their bodies to frighten invaders, sharks and turtles seeking a particular island in the Great Barrier Reef, whales making the loudest noise made by animals, and (perhaps coolest of all) a moonbow.

The discoveries we make along the way may not be mind-blowing, but they are engaging. They are presented in easy-to-understand ways. But the real purpose isn’t really to surprise us; it is to help us shift our perspective to the world around us. It is to encourage us to do our own exploration of all things great and small. And at times, it asks us to explore ourselves and how we relate to this world we are in.

Religions often look at a creator of this world. Often times we may think that speaks to the great power of the creator. We may use the world and nature to tell us about God. We may discover that there is such diversity in the world around us that we will need to expand our notions of God and creation. That is always a good thing.

Photos courtesy of National Geographic and Disney+.

Penguins – Befuddled Father

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This is the 10th anniversary of Disneynature creating documentary films about our planet and its inhabitants. This year’s offering (as always, being released for Earth Day) is Penguins. And as with previous Disneynature films, they will make a donation to Wildlife Conservation Network for every ticket sold during the opening week (April 17-23).

The Disneynature films take a more relaxed and anthropocentric approach to the nature films than something like the Oscar-winning March of the Penguins, so it isn’t really fair to compare them side by side. But still, this film is the culmination of three years of trips to Antarctica to capture all the footage, both on land and underwater that they use to tell the story.

The film creates a narrative focused on a young Adélie penguin named Steve, now five years old, making his first trip back for the purposes of breeding. Steve is something of a dim bulb. He’s late getting to the colony, gets lost among a colony of Emperors (where the chicks are bigger than he is), and generally is bumbling as he builds a rocky nest to attract a female. He does find a mate (Adeline) with whom he hatches and cares for two chicks. All of this is set amidst the rugged landscape, terrible weather, and the dangers in the sea (orcas and leopard seals) that could eat Steve or his chicks.

The dangers take up only a small part of the story, but the filmmakers are honest about the risks that the penguins and their chicks face. This is especially true with the leopard seals, which camera angles make look especially threatening and almost serpent-like as they seek to devour the vulnerable penguins. And a mild warning for parents taking small children: some penguins, including chicks, are caught and eaten.

The story (narration and Steve’s voice supplied by Ed Helms) is humorous, entertaining, and of course the penguins are cute. But rather than being a straight forward nature story, it becomes a fable about parenting—especially first-time parenting.

Steve, like many new parents, is a bit overwhelmed with it all. The preparation, the childcare, having to provide food and safety. His clumsiness and occasional befuddlement mirrors what many humans go through in the early days and months of parenthood. He is far from the perfect father—or even the perfect partner for Adeline, but he keeps trying to do it as best he can. As such this serves as encouragement for parents who feel inadequate and overwhelmed. Even in nature, parents are not perfect. It’s not perfection that children need; it’s parents who are willing to keep at it even when it seems too much.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Born in China – This year’s Earth Day gift from Disneynature

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Family is the central theme of Born in China, this year’s Earth Day offering from Disneynature. The last few years they have focused on a single kind of animal (Monkey Kingdom, Bears, African Cats) and shown their lives and environment. This year they take us to various places in China to meet a wide range of animals that are a part of that country. There are four main animals that we get to meet and learn about: giant pandas, golden snub-nosed monkeys, snow leopards, and chiru antelope. The film flows back and forth between these animals as season moves to season. And since these animals are all from different regions, we get to see parts of the Chinese landscape that are not on most tourist agendas.

The panda sections focus on Ya Ya and her baby Mei Mei. Obviously, panda mothers find panda babies as adorable and cuddly as the rest of the world. Ya Ya seems to cherish hugging and playing with her young daughter. All the while, Mei Mei is also trying to learn the skills (such as tree climbing) that will allow her to live independently. Is Ya Ya really an overprotective helicopter mom?

Tao Tao is a young monkey who has been displaced as the family’s baby by a younger sister. He heads off to join the “Lost Boys” a group of adolescent monkeys who get into the kind of trouble we would expect. These sections of the film go a bit overboard in anthropomorphism. Tao Tao and all the familial issues seem a bit too human for groups of monkeys living in the wild.

The snow leopard sequences deal with Dawa and her two cubs. Mostly it is about the difficulties she faces in trying to provide for them. As season moves to season, and other animals compete for food, Dawa’s task becomes more and more desperate. [Spoiler: This section of the film does not have a happy ending. In a desperate attempt to get food for her cubs, Dawa suffers fatal injuries. Although the film doesn’t dwell on what happens, it is a reminder that survival for these animals can be very precarious.]

Among the chiru, none of the animals have a name. Perhaps this is because they live as a herd. Although mothers and offspring bond, the community is a way to provide safety. The parent/child aspect is diminished in favor of the larger group as the real family.

These stories are bookended by scenes of red-crowned cranes, birds that carry a mythic symbolism in Chinese culture. It is said that when something dies, the cranes carry its spirit to the next world and new life.

Each animal shown gives us a different insight into family. For Ya Ya and Mei Mei there is a sense of physical love between the mother and the baby. Tao Tao reminds us that family is a place of belonging—and of responsibilities. Dawa shows us the extreme action a parent can take for her children. The chiru show us the wide meaning of family and that it is not necessarily limited to biology. Families will be able to identify with some of these various insights. Just as the film anthropomorphizes some of the animals, viewers will do their own interpretation of the ways the animals in each family relate to each other and how it is the same as our own experience.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios