Happy Earth Day, Awe Inspiring Nature Documentaries
April 22nd is Earth Day, a day devoted to raising awareness and appreciation of the planet Earth and its ecosystems. In the spirit and tradition of Earth Day, a poll dedicated to movies that celebrate awareness and appreciation of the Earth.
Which of these nature documentaries best raises your awareness and appreciation of the planet?
Discuss the topic here.
Which of these nature documentaries best raises your awareness and appreciation of the planet?
Discuss the topic here.
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34 titles
- StarsSigourney WeaverDavid AttenboroughNikolay DrozdovA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- StarsOprah WinfreyDavid AttenboroughDoug AllanDavid Attenborough's legendary BBC crew explains and shows wildlife all over planet earth. From giving an overview of the challenges facing life to hunting the deep sea and various major evolutionary groups of creatures.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughAlec BaldwinChadden HunterFocuses on life and the environment in both the Arctic and Antarctic.
- StarsJohn HurtRoger MunnsA cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth
- StarsDavid AttenboroughSimon BlakeneyBill RudolphAfrica, the world's wildest continent. David Attenborough takes us on an awe-inspiring journey through one of the most diverse places in the world. We visit deserts, savannas, and jungles and meet up with some of Africa's amazing wildlife.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughGavin ThurstonTim FoggOver 80% of Madagascar's animals and plants are found nowhere else on Earth. Discover what made Madagascar so different from the rest of the world, and how evolution ran wild there.
- StarsBenedict CumberbatchMike RoweRichard WollocombeA documentary series on life in and adapted to the conditions of the Southern part of the Pacific Ocean, a vast aquatic region with an unequaled number of islands. Both wildlife and human cultures developed in a unique variety, largely determined by such natural conditions as huge distances, sea depths, currents and winds.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughJoe StevensShane MooreThis exploration of the planet's most breathtaking natural events follows vast migrations, huge ocean convergences, powerful weather systems and mighty floods.
- StarsBernard HillAn in-depth look at some of China's most impressive natural sites such as the ancient Han kingdom, the Mongol steppes, the Silk Road and the Tibetan Plateau.
- StarsPeter FirthMary Beth SchwartzJeff HenryFilmed over the course of a year in Yellowstone, this documentary tracks the area's wildlife as they grapple with life and death within one of America's last remaining wilderness regions.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's groundbreaking study of the evolution of life on our planet.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughPierce BrosnanPeter ScoonesMammoth series, five years in the making, taking a look at the rich tapestry of life in the world's oceans.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's ground-breaking exploration of a group of organisms that are vast in number, yet often too small to be noticed: the invertebrates.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's comprehensive study of how a remarkable group of animals evolved - a group that includes ourselves.
- StarsIain StewartLeo HouldingVictor BakerIn each episode, geologist Dr. Iain Stewart explains the effects and importance of a specific force of nature, such as wind or volcanism. He also examines the various ways in which it shapes planet earth itself and influences life on it, often in conjunction with other natural forces, and sometimes with lifeforms, as in the 'apocalyptically' grave case of global warming.
- DirectorYann Arthus-BertrandStarsYann Arthus-BertrandGlenn CloseJacques GamblinWith aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.French
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudMichel DebatsStarsJacques PerrinPhilippe LabroDocumentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
- DirectorJamie UysStarsPaddy O'ByrneHilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.
- DirectorDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsFifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.
- StarsBrian CoxSteven MackintoshProfessor Brian Cox visits some of the most dramatic parts of the globe to explain the fundamental principles that govern the laws of nature - light, gravity, energy, matter and time. With the world's most profound science at its heart, Wonders Of The Universe reveals how the story of humanity is intimately entwined with that of the complex story of the origins of the universe.
- DirectorDavid LickleyStarsBirute GaldikasDaphne SheldrickMorgan FreemanThis heartwarming film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them-saving endangered species one life at a time.
- DirectorAlastair FothergillKeith ScholeyAdam ChapmanStarsJohn C. ReillyA documentary that follows an Alaskan bear family as its young cubs are taught life's most important lessons.
- DirectorMark LinfieldAlastair FothergillStarsTina FeyLife is an adventure for a young monkey and her son, living among ancient ruins in the jungle. But when her family is forced from their home, she must lead them to safety amidst strange new creatures and surroundings.
- DirectorRon FrickeCarefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.
- DirectorAlastair FothergillMark LinfieldStarsTim AllenMeet adorable young chimp Oscar and his fellow mayhem-creating buddies, who see the world as their playground. Full of curiosity, joy and a love for mimicking others, these are some of the most extraordinary personalities in the jungle.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsKristin Scott ThomasJacques PerrinA documentary on insect life in meadows and ponds.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsJames BalogSvavar JónatanssonLouie PsihoyosFollow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
- DirectorLuc BessonAtmospheric soundtrack follows this compilation of nature footage that focuses on the ocean and various life forms that live, mate and die in it.
- DirectorHoward HallStarsJim CarreyZozo KahramanaAn underwater look at the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas and the impact of global warming on the oceans.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughChadden HunterGordon BuchananDavid Attenborough returns with a new wildlife documentary that shows life in a variety of habitats.Added 10 January 2017
- DirectorAlastair FothergillJonathan HughesKeith ScholeyStarsDavid AttenboroughMax HughesOne man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.Added 28 March 2022