10 Great Disney Animal Documentaries To Watch
April is Earth Month, with April 22 being the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. So, in celebration of this monumental month, we thought we'd share some of our favorite Disney animal documentaries. All of these films are available on Disney+, so you can watch them all right now.
The Story of Perri
The Story of Perri is part of Disney's True-Life Adventures series and is probably the template for which many of the Disneynature films are told in that the story is told with real animals doing what they do naturally. This film is actually based on a story by Felix Salten who also wrote the story in which Bambi was adapted. The story is about a young female squirrel named Perri who learns about life in the forest and finds her mate Porro.
African Cats
African Cats is part of the Disneynature series. It tells the tale of a pride of lions and cheetahs living wild in the African Savannah. Samuel L. Jackson is the narrator. A portion of the proceeds for the film were donated to the African Wildlife Foundation to preserve Kenya's Amboseli Wildlife Corridor. Ticket sales resulted in 50,000 acres of land in Kenya being saved. The movie is absolutely beautifully photographed and the story of the cats is wonderfully told.
Dolphin Reef
Dolphin Reef is part of the Disneynature series. It tells the tale of a young bottlenose dolphin named Echo who is trying to navigate dolphin society. The film is narrated by Natalie Portman and is a Disney+ original. It is a wonderful look at these majestic creatures of the sea.
Planet Of The Birds
Planet of the Birds comes from National Geographic. It's called Planet of the Birds because birds are the only animal that exists on all seven continents. And the film explores the diversity of the kinds of birds there are in the world. The documentary is quite interesting seeing birds of different temperaments and colors.
Bears
Bears is part of the Disneynature series. The story is about mother bear Sky who is trying to raise her children Scout and Amber is a harsh world full of threats of aggressive male bears and wolves and other things. The film is narrated by John C. Reilly. A portion of the profits went to the National Park Foundation. This is a beautiful film with a rare look of bears in the wild. The best part is watching how they catch salmon.
The Vanishing Prairie
The Vanishing Prairie is part of the True-Life Adventures series. In this film we see pronghorn antelope, prairie dog, bighorn sheep and other animals survive on the open prairie and how their lives are at risk out there. It really is one of the best of the True-Life Adventures series.
Monkey Kingdom
Monkey Kingdom is part of the Disneynature series. The film follows a female toque macaque monkey named Maya in the jungles of Sri Lanka. She is trying to navigate life in her family of monkeys given she is one of the lowborn. The film is narrated by Tina Fey. A portion of the proceeds went to Conservation International to help protect monkeys and other endangered species and supporting projects in Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. You will fall in love with these adorable creatures.
Tree Climbing Lions
Tree Climbing Lions comes from National Geographic. In Uganda, there is a rare breed of lions that spend their time in candelabra trees in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is a sight to see this natural phenomenon in the wild. It's a really interesting documentary for sure.
Penguins
Penguins is part of the Disneynature series. The film follows Steve, a young male Adelie Penguin, who meets his mate Adeline and starts a family with her. They must survive in the wilds of the Antarctic. Penguins is narrated by Ed Helms. A portion of the profits went to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere. The cinematography on this film was just absolutely beautiful.
Giants Of The Blue Deep
Giants of the Blue Deep is part of National Geographic. In this film, we follow majestic whales and dolphins in the ocean. We explore their social behavior and how they hunt. And, most of all, we learn how to protect these wonderful creatures. The film is really beautiful as we are treated to amazing photography under the sea.