Sunday, April 23, 2017

Born in China

Ever since I saw the documentary Earth in 2007, I have been a huge fan of Disneynature and I have been looking forward to the latest entry in the series, Born in China, for quite a while.  I saw it yesterday which was quite appropriate for Earth Day.  This documentary takes us to some of the remotest parts of China to follow three animal families:  a snow leopard named Dawa and her two cubs, a golden snub-nosed monkey named Tao Tao, and a giant panda named Ya Ya and her baby Mei Mei.  The cinematography is absolutely incredible and I was most impressed with how much the mountains and plateaus of China resemble those of North America.  Whenever I think of China, I tend to think of crowded cities.  The documentary is narrated by John Krasinski and his commentary provides a narrative arc for all of the footage of the animals.  Dawa's story is all about survival.  Her territory is threatened by another snow leopard who challenges her in some thrilling scenes and I found her story to be the most compelling and affecting.  Tao Tao's story is about fitting in with his family after a new baby displaces him and it provides much of the comedy in the film, especially when the monkeys walk in the snow.  Ya Ya's story involves teaching her cub how to be independent and learning how to let go.  I really enjoyed this documentary and I was especially touched by how affectionate the animals are with their babies.  I highly recommend Born in China as a reminder of how spectacular our world is.

Note:  If you see this movie during its opening week (April 21-27), Disneynature will make a donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for every ticket.

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