Earth (2007)

Disneynature's Earth, at $40 million the most expensive documentary ever made, opened in the theaters on Earth Day 2009 with record revenues (for a documentary) of $4 million. Although I wasn't aware when I saw it last night that this 1.5-hour movie is a compilation from the astounding 11-hour Discovery/BBC series Planet Earth, I remain extremely satisfied with my viewing experience. Earth is a reimagined and integral whole that will continue to have massive appeal to families and nature lovers. Make no mistake: The high-definition cinematography is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This valentine to Earth will make you fall in love with our planet (if you weren't already). Time-lapse photography is used occasionally to beautiful effect (even when showing slime mold growth in the tundra). The aerial photography is thrilling and the night-vision photography of an elephant/lion smackdown is impressive. James Earl Jones as narrator lends his stentorious tones to a script that (being Disney) threads a "family" theme throughout -- even though the fathers are absent in the scenes that develop the stories of a polar bear and her cubs, an elephant and her calf, and a humpback whale and her calf. (The polar bear father forms a separate narrative since -- as Jones intones, "he isn't going to be much help" in hunting for survival -- male polar bears are solitary and fend for themselves.) Earth has gentle humor (esp. polar bear cubs navigating a slope and bird-of-paradise mating dances) but also implied death. (Three animals are seen being brought down in slow motion, other animals are attacked but escape, and two animals are left in mortal condition. No one gets the coup-de-grace on camera though.) In summary, the family theme helps anthropomorphize and focus the narrative for kiddos but I wouldn't advise letting children age 5 and under witness the "circle of life" scenes in the tundra, desert, and ocean. Discounted a half-star for being "too cute" to 4.5 stars.