Disney's Earth - Beautiful, but not Original

A Look at the Documentary that Does not Fulfill the Expectations

Sep 14, 2009

Although the documentary "Earth" easily can be breathtaking, it does not offer anything new and interesting about the earth and its eco-systems in this changing climate.

Disney’s family friendly documentary Earth was expected to surpass most of the previously done documentaries that focus on nature and the animals that live within. However, the lack of originality and footage causes this documentary to fall flat and fails to separate itself from the competing documentaries already completed by National Geographic and the like.

Traits of Disney

Despite being similar to other worldly documentaries, this one is very well edited in hopes of telling the stories of four different species of animals that hover on this earth. The first animal that is introduced is the polar bear and its cubs that playfully entertain themselves on the cold Antarctica.

The other stories introduced in this family friendly documentary include a herd of elephants and their struggles in the dry desert, the flight of birds and their conquest to reach their destination through rough winds and predators, and finally, a whale and her baby, making their journey from the equator to the edge of Antarctica, attempting to avoid the dangers of the great white shark.

Following the Disney structure, there is a strong focus on the intimate relationship between parent and child throughout the documentary, not just in the case of the polar bear, but also with an abandoned elephant and the protective parents from approaching predators. Similarly, several shots have been added of a bird protecting her young when they leave the nest and monkeys carrying their babies across a river.

The focus of the documentary, however, is not simply to show the family dynamics between parent and baby. It is to demonstrate how the different species survive in their naturally given habitat and how the immense climate changes, such as global warming, affects their food supply and their habitat on earth.

It also draws attention to the drastic domination conflicts that occur between species, demonstrated by the conflicts between lions and elephants and how the power balance shifts due to the desperation for nurture and wellness. It is not a fairy tale documentary that simply informs the audience of different species – it demonstrates how the changing climate affects the animal kingdom and how it has become a fight for survival.

Fails to Fill the Shoes

Although the documentary does an extraordinary job showing the beauty of the globe and its many unknown elements and natural occurrences that remained unexplainable, it fails at delivering an original message. It simply becomes a repetition of material already published in other documentaries or mini-series, such as the impact of a growing society on the eco-systems and the struggle of species during the global warming crisis. Because it is a Disney creation, one could argue that the goal of the remake is to present the material in a user friendly manner for a younger audience.

Although it focuses on the four stories of survival, it does not offer something new and exciting knowledge in terms of the earth’s eco-systems. If one expects to see any new material that has not already been used in National Geographic documentaries, then the documentary will disappoint. However, if one is unaware of the previous documentaries and wants to inform a younger audience of the ever-changing earth and the consequences of global warming, this heart-warming version might be a quite pleasurable experience of earth and its great creatures.

The copyright of the article Disney's Earth - Beautiful, but not Original in Science & Nature Documentaries is owned by Malene Jorgensen. Permission to republish Disney's Earth - Beautiful, but not Original in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.