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Expedition China
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gentle docu about how crews capture footage of rare animals.
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Expedition China
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Based on 1 parent review
Beautifully adorable
What's the Story?
DISNEYNATURE: EXPEDITION CHINA concentrates on the efforts of the human planners, animal experts, and nature photographers who took the long, arduous journeys that produced beautiful and never-before-seen images of rare species of baby animals. Plenty of their spectacular animal footage is seen, but the efforts and hardships of the crews as they search for rare animals and photograph them living their lives is the emphasis of this film. We see humans dressed in panda outfits -- as mandated by Chinese conservation rules -- patiently waiting hours for panda sightings. Curious bears of the high Chinese plateau maul devices built by cameramen to hide cameras in plain sight from the skittish antelope they seek to record. Fuzzy newborn crane chicks walk and swim minutes after birth. A crew filming rare snub-nosed monkeys laugh as friendly and curious monkeys dance on their heads and play with flaps on the camera lenses. One monkey grooms the tresses of an animal expert as she sits still, trying not to scare the monkey away. A panda mom and cub play together. The baby rolls down a steep hill, terrain shown earlier as a panda photographer struggles to make his way up before the shoot. Mating of antelopes is discussed but not displayed, and the birth of an antelope is shown. Children who love animals will be fascinated.
Is It Any Good?
This film seems to be a compilation of unused footage from Disney's entertaining Born in China nature documentary, and bravo for putting the images to good use. Interviews with the animal experts and photographers who made difficult treks to capture rare footage, as well as Maggie Q's clear narration, serve to explain the ins and outs of nature photography in extreme conditions. Disneynature: Expedition China's candid look at the harsh conditions and other challenges such work poses may help encourage kids to learn more about endangered species and, perhaps, to pursue the important work shown here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how remarkable it is that some baby animals can walk, swim, and feed themselves within minutes of being born. Do you know at what age human babies first walk?
Are animals in the wild good parents? What are some examples of great parenting shown in Disneynature: Expedition China?
China is reported to spend a great deal of energy and money on providing the rare species featured in the film with designated lands in order to protect them and help their populations grow. What are some of the methods described in the film?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: January 1, 2017
- Cast: Maggie Q
- Director: Ben Wallis
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Asian actors
- Studio: Disneynature
- Genre: Documentary
- Character Strengths: Perseverance
- Run time: 79 minutes
- MPAA rating: G
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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