Earth

I had a chance to check out Earth in Austin, TX with my son, Westin. First, I have to give mad props to any documentary that can hold the attention of a 4 1/2 year old for 90 minutes. Second, as far as nature documentaries go, this could be the best one I've ever seen. I thought going in that it might get old after a few minutes, but I was captivated throughout. It follows a few different animal families from different parts of the globe, and doesn't hold back when it comes to the harsh realities of survival in the wild. It wasn't too graphic for children, but its tone was often pretty bleak.

Going into this film I was worried that the narration was going to be full of ignorant Al Gore-isms and tree-hugging climate change nonsense, and while I wasn't completely wrong, it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, the voice over by James Earl Jones was quite good, often adding just the right touch of humor to the situation.

Of course, the main reason to see a nature documentary is the imagery, and Earth delivers in a huge way. Disney manages to get some amazing shots of wildlife, so clean and clear, and magnificent to behold; I have literally never seen some of spectacles they captured on film, including my favorite shot, which involves a ginormous airborne great white shark and a helpless seal. 'Nuff said.