Welcome to Earth
Welcome to Earth
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Welcome to Earth is a nature documentary hosted by actor and musician Will Smith, who puts himself in various risky situations in order to see things he's never seen before. For example, he climbs to the edge of a volcano to help place some monitors for a vulcanologist, while the volcano spews molten rocks feet from himself and his fellow explorers. He pets sharks who swim in circles beneath the boat he's on. Men in a Mexican town use explosives at close range on a ritual day, putting themselves at risk. Language includes words like "damn," "hell," and "ass."
Community Reviews
Engaging TV for the whole family!
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What's the Story?
In WELCOME TO EARTH, Will Smith (King Richard, The Pursuit of Happyness) has decided to take the opportunity to explore parts of the world he's never seen. He engages a team of explorers, experts, biologists, and other scientists to take him to the ends of the earth. Smith and his team visit volcanoes, go to the deepest recesses of the earth's oceans, zipline across great crevasses, exploring the human interpretation of interactions with our planet along the way.
Is It Any Good?
If nature's colors could glow more brightly, its sounds boosted with deeper bass, its depths plunged to terrifying bottoms, and heights shot higher, Will Smith and director and producer Darren Aronofsky (Mother!, Black Swan) are the ones to provide the jolt. In Welcome to Earth, exotic corners of the planet are filmed from electrifying angles, while Will Smith and a team of explorers attempt to discover sights and sounds not often captured by human senses.
Smith is Hollywood incarnate -- he has his own gravitational pull, his ego preceding him wherever he goes -- but there is some depth in the story that holds surprises. The visuals are stunning, capturing nature's perfect patterns: the volcanic crescendos of eruption, and silent, dark hues of the deepest ocean in successive sequences. Smith's own story comes through at times too, when he feels intimidated by a task in front of him, he admits to being frightened. There's enough educational material here that parents will see value in encouraging their families to watch. Kids will get swept into the sounds and sights of the planet's extremes. Humble it's not; but fascinating? It is.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about curiosity in Welcome to Earth. How does this documentary expand on a person's curiosity about the world? What would you explore if you had the chance?
Will Smith admits that he's nervous at various points in this show: "But it will be okay," he says. How does his self control allow him to face his fears?
Will Smith is vulnerable in this show about his feelings. What is the balance between being vulnerable and having struggles with mental health?
TV Details
- Premiere date: December 8, 2021
- Cast: Will Smith
- Network: Disney+
- Genre: Educational
- Topics: STEM, Adventures, Ocean Creatures, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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