Great visuals with beautiful photography. Unfortunately, my 6 and 8 year old were completely horrified by the hunting and killing of prey. They screamed and cried through a great deal of this movie.

Don't let the few grim or violent scenes cause you to miss this utterly breathtaking film, but do try to prepare your kids for what they might see. If they cover their eyes during the few brief scenes they can't handle, they won't have to leave the film crying, and they'll be rewarded with some of the most amazing nature photography ever. It's not pleasant to know that some animals have to struggle to survive, but it's all part of the big picture.

This is a very good movie and teaces kids about taking care of the Earth. Raphael_raphael and Penguinpal, if u c this you are an idiot and there is no reason to rate this off. Especially Penguinpal and your 13 yr old daughter, you are weanies

Amazing, stunning movie - everyone needs to see this movie to appreciate the planet we live on. What a reminder of the beauty of this Earth, the struggle of the animals to survive, the cycle of seasons and how everything is divinely orchestrated.

I took my 5yr old son to see this today. He was so mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery, the incredible animals, etc. He didn't like the cheetah because it caught the gazelle but it wasn't upsetting to him. I just simply explained the circle of life and he was fine w/it. I think any younger and they'd lose interest because some parts move a little slowly, but if they're interested in our planet and what goes on in it, this will truly engage them.

I was shocked by the level of violence in this film; more actual intense graphic violence than my wife and I ever remember seeing in a film, especially one rated G with absolutely no warning. While the violence is limited to only a few sequences in the entire film, they were so disturbing that my 8 year old had to walk out briefly during a disturbing scene, saying "I don't like this movie." This movie speaks to the importance of some better official designation for films with intense horrific scenes. I can't believe this is rated G.

It depends on your own children, but many will find this frightening and disturbing to watch. The previews showed only the cute, cuddly parts, and so were quite misleading. After an hour and a half, my 13-year-old daughter and I had to leave when the father polar bear was dying of starvation and it was too hard to watch. The movie is very long as well. It's one thing to watch predator/prey interaction, but to have it drawn out in slow motion with overly dramatic music is just more than we could take. There were also very beautiful parts of the movie, however, including a scene of a great white shark, birds of paradise, mandarin ducks, adelie penguins, etc. It's too bad they didn't edit this movie more carefully, tone down the music, and let up on the slow-motion, agonized suffering.

I read these reviews before taking my preschool aged son and almost did not take him. But after some discussion with my husband and then with our son we ventured to the theater. What a wonderful movie! He loved the upclose look at animals! He dealt with the scenes labeled "gory" just fine. I think it was because we talked about them before we went. We knew they were going to talk about the circle of life and prepared him. I am surprised people thought a movie about nature would not have predator/prey scenes. I think the best part of this movie is it opens the door to discussion with kids. I am a school teacher and have been asked questions by students after they see watched the movie.

My 6 year old had been looking forward to seeing this movie for months since seeing the beautiful/cute scenes in trailers and commercials. Unfortunately, what was portrayed in the ad campaign was not the movie we saw! There were several very intense scenes of predators and prey which brought my son to tears. After about the fourth one, we had to leave the theater. While I would say the footage is beautiful, the movie itself was a disappointment, especially coming from Disney. The G rating was not appropriate, nor was the content, for young and/or sensitive children.

I was so excited to see this film with my son and daughter, ages 8 and 10. Much of the footage is remarkably beautiful, but my children were extremely upset by the prey and predator scenes and the scenes of animals losing their way and facing certain death of starvation. We actually had to leave the theater in the middle of the movie. I was really surprised by both the content and my children's response. My kids are not particularly innocent. They can and have watched The Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter, and Star Wars movies. They know that what they are seeing actors and special effects in those films. We were not prepared for the tension and violence of the predator take downs which escalated from a single animal chase, to a chase and kill, to a lion pack mauling an elephant. My kids were crying, yes crying, so we had to get out of there. I tried to explain that all of the animals need to eat and that the predators are necessary for balance and we don't want the extinction of any species... no use. My kids are vegetarians now. Just a warning...

This is an excellent documentary that weaves the wonders of nature with the all the realities of survival in the wild. It doesn't sugar-coat ANYTHING, but it does a good job and not showing the gory details of a Lion's kill. While the slow motion sequences of predators catching their pray were masterfully shot and edited to protect the young audiences the older audiences might cringe a little by the inevitable outcome. Overall... this is a must see for the entire family (except perhaps some older teens might find it too dull and slow) . I loved it and I can't wait to see the next Disney/BBS nature documentaries coming soon.

Beautifully shot, but scary during the predator/prey scenes.

We took our five year old and eight year old and should have heeded the Common Sense review. There's a big difference between what a five year old and a six year old can handle. Our five year old was very upset about the polar bear dying (our eight year old was too) and both asked if the person shooting the video fed the bear so he could live. Even though there is no "blood" in some of the predatory scenes, the take away is disturbing, particularly for younger kids. While the film has truly extraordinary footage and stories that will delight older children, this is not a movie for pre schoolers or kindergarteners - much of the "circle of life" is sad and hard to process.

incredible! got it for free!

Yes, it shows predators hunting prey. Personally, I think it's odd to label this as "violence," as it just doesn't seem to fit in the same category as war, fights, etc. It's about food and survival, and the movie makes that clear. You know your kids best, but mine weren't particularly bothered by this -- they had questions, they had concerns, but we talked about it, they enjoyed the movie, and they understand that animals hunt and eat other animals. And the baby ducks made up for it. I do think that some of the information, like about how exhausted and hungry the animals are at different points, went over the head of my young kids. An older child would get more out of it, but, at the same time, because it's global in its scope, it has to be pretty superficial. Amazing to see that photography on a big screen.

This is a great movie! We took our 10 & 4 year old and both loved it. We laughed, we covered our eyes (mildly) at a couple points and were generally in awe of the whole experience. I am shocked by some reviews that call of 'excessive violence' because the 'circle of life' portions, as we like to call them, were incredibly respectful and yet still presented in an honest and informative fashion. There was no blood or superb animal violence, rather it was shown and narrated as a matter of fact. I enjoyed every minute, as did my husband and children. It reminded us that we are all creatures of this Earth and all of us have one very natural instinct, to protect our young! A definite go see!

We left the theater at the request of my 7-year old, after watching gory scene depicting leppard catching its prey, sinking his teeth, in slow motion. This is from the company that brought us funny harmless cartoons. Was this scene absolutely necessary? Why don't they show animal slaughterhouse then, if main purpose was to demonstrate "full circle of life". What were they thinking? This movie started off beautifully - gorgeous images, music. Be warned - especially to the impressive types - perhaps I am still one - scenes depicting animal hunting could be extremely disturbing to little kids. Mother with boy that was approximately eight years old, that were sitting beside us, was covering his eyes when the leppard hunting scene was demonstrated. I can't say enough how disappointed I was with this movie. My boy was so excited to see that - he waited patiently until it was opened and then such a disappointment! He was almost crying! Upon leaving the theater, I immediately requested a refund!

We entered this movie as a G rated Disney nature movie. Was I ever wrong! My 7 and 5 year olds were in tears and sobbing as they witnessed preadators stalking, hunting and killing the baby animals of the herds. It is beautifully shot, but the killing of young animals was unneccessary. I understand that this happens in nature, but the hour of the movie we watched seemed to only illustrate killing of baby animals. We had to leave about half way thru the movie because my children could not stop crying. No way would I take anyone under 9 or 10 to this movie. Disney should have rated this movie as PG.

This movie should not have been given a G Rating but instead a PG. I sent my daughter to see this with her grandmother and am sorry that I did. She was very disturbed by some of the scenes (even though they are careful not to show everything) especailly the one where 30 lions attack an elephant. With a PG rating I may have thought twice or at least looked at the Common Sense website to see why the movie had that rating. We are very disappointed in Disney for this rating.

We took our 7 year old, who's an animal buff and fan of Animal Planet, and our 4 year old to see "Earth." It is a stunning view of the diversity of life on our planet. I agree completely with the Common Sense review. If your kids are OK with watching moderately intense nature programs, they should have no trouble dealing with the few predatory scenes in this film. My 4 year old wasn't as upset as she was bored because of the documentary format; she prefers a story. I'm glad I took my kids to see this beautifully- shot film.

My husband and I went to see it and I was shocked that there were 4 year old there and other small children. I'm a mom and I did not have the impression that this was a childrens film. I wouldn't take a child under the age of 10 to see it. I know it's nature and all, but there is some predatorial scenes that made me cringe. Plus, it was REALLY loud in our theater, maybe that was just ours, but my kids would flip if it was that loud.

As the site's reviewer states, actual deaths aren't shown. No blood or anything like that. But the audience knows based on what _is_ shown/said that the animal will die. I agree with an earlier reviewer, a G rating isn't really appropriate, PG would be better. But I think it's valuable for older children, and adults, to see how it really is in the wild. Esp. since I doubt if anyone will make a movie (that's shown in theaters) about how the meat we eat gets on our tables. No, I'm not a vegetarian but I do remember when I first saw a chicken killed right in front of me when I was a child. Made me a lot more aware of and grateful for the food I eat.

Earth is a beautiful movie with amazing footage of animals. However, it should not be rated G. My two children (8 & 5) were so upset we had to leave less than an hour in. At that point, three animals had already died after very dramatic chase scenes. Two of the animals were babies, including the little elephant from the ads. The deaths of other animals was also implied. I realize it's a realistic portrayal of what goes on in the wild, but I don't think the ad campaign and the G rating accurately conveys just how realistic the movie is. Obviously my kids know that animals are eaten by other animals in the wild, but to see it on a giant screen in such a dramatic way was just too much for them to handle. At times it was a little too much for me to handle!

The movie was great, but it can be saddening. 2 cubs die, 1 father polar bear dies, and more, but it is pretty educational and that is just how it actully happened so don't blame the movie directors

The movie was great, but it can be saddening. 2 cubs die, 1 father polar bear dies, and more, but it is pretty educational and that is just how it actully happened so don't blame the movie directors

Ok, last year, my fourth grade class went on a field trip to watch this movie. It was awful. I hate it. Violence is present, and hurting, killing, injuring, pain, and all of the other things that our eyes want to start to water when we watch it are highlighted in this movie. It's depressing and saddening. A learning expierence is to scare and make you depressed? No, and that is why I highlighted nothing under "any highlights?" Positive message? More like negative message: It's a dog-eat-dog world. What?! Is that a message? Yeah, it's a cruel world, and we already know that, but, gosh, do we REALLY want to watch a whole 90 minutes about the cruelty of animals? Enemies and hate? Hurting, pain, and DEATH? Really, think about it for a moment. Awful movie. I regret ever watching this.

Not So Great

My school went to see it for a feild trip. I don't hate it cause it's life. Little kids might be upset cause lots of animals died in this movie. I couldn't help to cry when the polar bear died.

Earth is the first outing for the disney nature series it is very impressive but may pull on the heartstrings of most viewers expecially younger viewers but other than that dazzling.

I am 10 years old. The film makers had the nerv to film a starving father polar bear.The bear was stranded in the water miles from shore and when it finally found land (far away from its home land antartica) filled with walruses, the starving bear tried to get food but was too exhausted from its long swim and could not get any food. When it died they put the death in slow motion.Why? When the guys in the helicopter filmed the starving polar bear that was completly suffering how could thay watch it die without helping? The movie for me was about death and human insensitivity in the face of animal suffering.

I just saw this movie today, and it's great! Social Message: Not an issue. Consumerism: Uses some footage from Planet Earth. Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco: Not an issue. Violence: Animal violence, but no blood or gore. Sex: Not an issue. Language: Suprisingly, there's bleeped-out profanity in the credits. When I heard the bleep, I was like "WTH?", but I laughed, because it was very unexpected. Overall, this is a great movie for all ages to enjoy for generations. After you see this, purchase "Planet Earth", the series where this originated from.

I saw it today w/ my school--it was very good--it was very informative and taught me many things

I haven't seen this movie, but I have seen MANY commercials for this, and it looks FANTASTIC. My brother is going to see this with his science class. I'm assuming, since it's about nature and animals, that there will be MUCH violence like killing of animals and all that. Movies like these are beautiful, but hard to watch.