Documentary reviews: The best animal films

Exploring the natural world and the fascinating lives of animals through the lens of a documentary can be a profoundly moving and enriching experience. From breathtaking aerial shots of migrating herds to intimate glimpses into the daily struggles of a single creature, animal documentaries offer a window into worlds we might otherwise never see. This delves deep into some of the most impactful and critically acclaimed animal documentaries, highlighting their unique strengths, key takeaways, and why they deserve a spot on your watchlist.

Table of Contents

1. The Epic Scale: “Planet Earth” and its Legacy
   • “Planet Earth” (2006): Pioneering High-Definition Filming
   • “Planet Earth II” (2016): A Focus on Animal Perspectives
   • “Planet Earth III” (2023): Adapting to a Changing World
2. Intimate Portraits: Focusing on Individual Animals
   • “My Octopus Teacher” (2020): A Deep Connection
   • “Grizzly Man” (2005): A Cautionary Tale
   • “The Wolfpack” (2015): Humans as Captured Animals
3. Highlighting Conservation and Environmental Issues
   • “Blackfish” (2013): Exposing the Dark Side of Captivity
   • “The Cove” (2009): A Hidden Slaughter
   • “Chasing Ice” (2012): Visualizing Climate Change
4. Conclusion: A Window into the Wild

The Epic Scale: “Planet Earth” and its Legacy

It’s impossible to discuss animal documentaries without acknowledging the behemoth that is the BBC’s “Planet Earth” series. The original “Planet Earth” (2006) and its subsequent installments, “Planet Earth II” (2016) and “Planet Earth III” (2023), are masterclasses in filmmaking and natural history storytelling.

“Planet Earth” (2006): Pioneering High-Definition Filming

The original “Planet Earth” was groundbreaking for its time, being the first nature documentary series filmed entirely in high-definition. This innovation allowed audiences to witness the natural world in unprecedented detail, from the shimmering scales of a fish to the intricate patterns on an insect’s wings.

• Key Strengths:
  • Unmatched Visuals: The cinematography, capturing vast landscapes and intimate animal behaviors with striking clarity, remains stunning even by today’s standards. Techniques like high-speed cameras to capture hummingbird flight or remote cameras placed amongst wildlife were innovative at the time.
  • Global Scope: The series takes viewers on a journey across the globe, exploring diverse habitats like mountains, deserts, oceans, and forests. Each episode focuses on a specific biome, showcasing the unique challenges and adaptations of the animals that inhabit it.
  • Narrative Flow: Narrated by the iconic Sir David Attenborough, the series weaves compelling narratives around the lives of various animals. It’s not just a showcase of beautiful images; it tells stories of survival, migration, and the delicate balance of ecosystems.
• Specific Details:
  • The “Mountains” episode features incredible footage of snow leopards in the Himalayas, a notoriously elusive species. The challenges of filming at high altitudes and obtaining such intimate glimpses of these magnificent cats were immense.
  • The “Shallow Seas” episode includes a memorable sequence of bottlenose dolphins using a technique called “strand feeding” to herd mullet onto beaches in South Carolina. This complex cooperative hunting strategy is a testament to their intelligence.
  • The “Caves” episode showcases the unique and sometimes bizarre life found in underground environments, including the blind cave salamander.

“Planet Earth II” (2016): A Focus on Animal Perspectives

Building upon the success of the first series, “Planet Earth II” introduced a new level of intimacy by focusing more on individual animal perspectives. The use of mini-cameras and drones brought viewers closer to the action than ever before.

• Key Strengths:
  • Immersive Experience: The use of more dynamic camera work, including drone shots that follow migrating birds closely, creates a more immersive and exciting viewing experience.
  • Focus on Urban Wildlife: The “Cities” episode was a particularly innovative addition, highlighting how animals are adapting and thriving in urban environments. This shifted the focus from purely wild habitats to the complex relationship between humans and nature.
  • Memorable Sequences: The series features some of the most iconic and talked-about nature documentary sequences of the past decade, such as the marine iguana chase in the Galapagos in the “Islands” episode.
• Specific Details:
  • The aforementioned marine iguana chase, a tense and dramatic sequence involving hatchling iguanas attempting to evade racer snakes, quickly became a viral sensation. It highlighted the brutal realities of survival for vulnerable young animals.
  • The “Deserts” episode includes fascinating footage of golden eagles hunting houbara bustards, showcasing the incredible speed and agility of both predator and prey.
  • The “Jungles” episode features a unique look at the world of sloths, often perceived as slow, and reveals their surprisingly complex social behaviors and surprising speed when necessary.

“Planet Earth III” (2023): Adapting to a Changing World

The most recent installment, “Planet Earth III,” continues the tradition of stunning visuals and compelling storytelling while also placing a greater emphasis on the impact of climate change and human activity on the natural world.

• Key Strengths:
  • Environmental Awareness: The series makes a conscious effort to highlight the challenges faced by animals in a rapidly changing environment, making it a more relevant and timely viewing experience.
  • Innovative Technology: Utilizing the latest camera technology, including specialized low-light cameras and remotely operated vehicles, the series captures behaviors and environments that were previously impossible to film.
  • Stories of Resilience: Alongside the challenges, the series also showcases incredible examples of animal resilience and adaptation in the face of adversity.
• Specific Details:
  • The “Ocean” episode features breathtaking footage of blue whales, the largest animals on Earth, and highlights the impact of plastic pollution on their environment.
  • The “Humans” episode specifically focuses on the complex relationship between humans and wildlife, showcasing both the challenges and the successes of conservation efforts. This episode is a departure from purely observational nature documentaries and directly addresses human impact.
  • The series includes footage of specific, often rare, animal behaviors, such as the mating dance of the iridescent manakin bird in the Amazon rainforest, captured in stunning detail.

Intimate Portraits: Focusing on Individual Animals

While the “Planet Earth” series excels at showcasing the grand scale of nature, other documentaries delve deeper into the lives of individual animals, offering more intimate and emotional perspectives.

“My Octopus Teacher” (2020): A Deep Connection

This Oscar-winning documentary tells the extraordinary story of filmmaker Craig Foster’s unlikely friendship with a wild octopus in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa.

• Key Strengths:
  • Emotional Connection: The film fosters a deep emotional connection with the octopus, revealing her intelligence, curiosity, and vulnerability. It challenges traditional views of marine invertebrates.
  • Filmmaker’s Journey: The documentary is also a personal journey for Foster, highlighting the therapeutic and transformative power of connecting with nature.
  • Unique Perspective: It offers a unique perspective on animal behavior, not through scientific analysis, but through direct observation and emotional understanding.
• Specific Details:
  • The film documents various intelligent behaviors of the octopus, including her ability to camouflage herself, use tools, and navigate complex environments.
  • It shows her playful interactions with Foster, including instances where she reaches out to touch him and even brings him gifts.
  • The documentary also doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life in the ocean, including predation and the fragility of the octopus’s lifespan. The film poignantly captures the natural life cycle, including the octopus’s final days after laying her eggs.

“Grizzly Man” (2005): A Cautionary Tale

Werner Herzog’s controversial documentary explores the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, a bear enthusiast who lived among grizzly bears in Alaska and was ultimately killed by one.

• Key Strengths:
  • Complex Protagonist: Treadwell was a complex and often contradictory figure, and the film explores his motivations, his relationship with the bears, and the ultimately tragic outcome.
  • Herzog’s Commentary: Herzog’s distinctive narration and philosophical reflections add another layer of depth to the film, raising questions about the nature of our relationship with wild animals.
  • Unfiltered Footage: The documentary incorporates Treadwell’s own extensive video footage, offering an unvarnished look at his interactions with the bears, both exhilarating and concerning.
• Specific Details:
  • The film includes raw and sometimes disturbing footage of Treadwell’s close encounters with grizzly bears, highlighting his disregard for established safety protocols.
  • Herzog interviews various people who knew Treadwell, including friends, family members, and park rangers, offering different perspectives on his life and actions.
  • The documentary famously includes the translated audio recording of the bear attack that killed Treadwell and his girlfriend, although the actual attack is not shown. This unsettling element underscores the inherent danger of interacting with wild predators.

“The Wolfpack” (2015): Humans as Captured Animals

While not strictly about “animals” in the traditional sense, this documentary about a family of brothers who were confined to their New York City apartment by their overprotective father is often discussed within the context of nature documentaries. Their only connection to the outside world was through watching movies, and they often reenacted scenes from films, particularly those about wildlife, to understand the world.

• Key Strengths:
  • Unique Social Experiment: The film is a fascinating and unsettling look at the impact of extreme isolation on human development and social skills.
  • Power of Storytelling: It highlights the power of movies and stories in shaping our understanding of the world, even for those who have no direct experience of it.
  • Unconventional Animal Study: By observing how these brothers interpret and mimic the behaviors seen in nature documentaries, the film offers an unconventional perspective on what drives and shapes behavior, even in humans.
• Specific Details:
  • The brothers had an extensive collection of films and often spent hours recreating costumes and props to fully immerse themselves in their favorite movie scenes.
  • Their knowledge of the outside world was largely informed by the movies they watched, leading to some interesting and sometimes naive interpretations of reality.
  • The documentary follows their tentative steps into the outside world as they begin to defy their father’s restrictions, showcasing their initial struggles with social interaction and navigating everyday life. Their fascination with animals and nature documentaries often serves as a touchstone for understanding the world beyond their apartment walls.

Highlighting Conservation and Environmental Issues

Many impactful animal documentaries go beyond simply observing animal behavior and delve into the critical issues of conservation, habitat loss, and the impact of human activity.

“Blackfish” (2013): Exposing the Dark Side of Captivity

This powerful and disturbing documentary examines the consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity, focusing on the story of Tilikum, a bull orca involved in the deaths of three people.

• Key Strengths:
  • Investigative Journalism: The film combines interviews with former SeaWorld trainers and marine biologists with archival footage to build a compelling case against the practice of keeping orcas in captivity.
  • Ethical Considerations: It raises serious ethical questions about the treatment of intelligent and complex social animals for entertainment purposes.
  • Significant Impact: “Blackfish” sparked widespread debate and significantly impacted public perception and attendance at marine parks that feature captive orcas.
• Specific Details:
  • The film meticulously details the lives of killer whales in the wild, highlighting their complex social structures, vast territories, and intelligence, contrasting this with the cramped and unnatural conditions of captivity.
  • It recounts the history of capturing wild orcas and the traumatic experiences of the animals and the people involved.
  • The documentary focuses heavily on the history and behavior of Tilikum, illustrating how the stresses of captivity may have contributed to his aggressive behavior and tragic incidents. It delves into the specific details of each of the deaths associated with him.

“The Cove” (2009): A Hidden Slaughter

This Oscar-winning documentary exposes the brutal annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan, where thousands of dolphins are driven into a secluded cove and slaughtered.

• Key Strengths:
  • Undercover Investigation: The filmmakers, led by former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, use covert tactics including hidden cameras and sound equipment to document the secret hunt.
  • Emotional Appeal: The film is emotionally resonant, highlighting the intelligence and sentience of dolphins and the cruelty of the hunt.
  • Global Impact: “The Cove” brought international attention to the Taiji dolphin hunt and has contributed to increased pressure on the Japanese government to end the practice.
• Specific Details:
  • The film shows the process of driving the dolphins into the cove using acoustic barriers.
  • It highlights the dichotomy between the capture of some dolphins for the live dolphin trade (providing a substantial financial incentive) and the mass slaughter of the remaining animals for meat.
  • The documentary uses stunning and heartbreaking underwater footage of dolphins in the wild to emphasize what is being lost through the hunt. It also includes interviews with local fishermen and officials, highlighting the cultural and economic complexities surrounding the practice.

“Chasing Ice” (2012): Visualizing Climate Change

While not solely focused on animals, “Chasing Ice” documents the work of photographer James Balog as he captures images of rapidly melting glaciers. The dramatic visual evidence of climate change presented in the film has significant implications for animal habitats and survival.

• Key Strengths:
  • Powerful Visual Evidence: The film uses time-lapse photography over several years to create stunning and undeniable visual proof of glacial retreat.
  • Personal Dedication: It highlights Balog’s personal commitment and the logistical challenges of capturing these images in extreme environments.
  • Connecting Science and Art: “Chasing Ice” effectively combines scientific data with compelling visual storytelling to make the abstract concept of climate change more tangible and impactful.
• Specific Details:
  • The film focuses on specific glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska, showcasing the dramatic scale of their melting.
  • Balog faced significant technical challenges, including developing cameras that could withstand extreme temperatures and solar power systems that could operate autonomously for extended periods.
  • The film includes a particularly moving sequence called the “iceberg calving event,” where a massive chunk of glacier breaks off, an event of unprecedented scale captured by Balog’s cameras. This event directly illustrates the rapid pace of change affecting cold climate ecosystems and the animals that depend on them, such as polar bears and seals.

Conclusion: A Window into the Wild

Animal documentaries offer invaluable insights into the natural world, providing education, entertainment, and often, a call to action. From the sweeping panoramas of “Planet Earth” to the intimate portraits of individual creatures and the stark realities of conservation challenges, these films connect us to the incredible diversity and fragility of life on our planet. They remind us of the importance of understanding, respecting, and protecting the animals that share our world. Watching these documentaries is not just an enjoyable pastime; it’s an opportunity to learn, to be inspired, and to deepen our appreciation for the wild. So, grab your popcorn and prepare to be transported to some of the most amazing places and encounters the animal kingdom has to offer. What will you watch next?