Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Poignant but intense docu on plight of Asian elephants.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
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Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
LOVE & BANANAS: AN ELEPHANT STORY centers on the 480-mile journey of Noi Na, a 70-year-old Asian elephant that has been taken from a trekking camp. Noi Na's story is used to illuminate the plight of Asian elephants throughout Thailand. Many are separated from their mothers and placed in "crush boxes," where they are beaten with sticks and chains for 24 hours until they are "broken," and thus ready to be trained to give rides to tourists, or to perform tricks in circuses and "paint" pictures. Traveling with a crew from Los Angeles, filmmaker Ashley Bell meets with internationally renowned conservationist Lek Chailert as she works with elephants who have suffered from human abuse and exploitation. She takes them to a nature preserve where they are free from poachers and other forms of cruelty at the hands of humanity. It's a difficult journey for Noi Na, riding in the back of a truck during very hot weather and after a lifetime of negative associations with travel in vehicles. The documentary also shows the transformation of the man who had kept Noi Na on his trek camp, and how, by being inspired to want to change for the better by converting his camp into an elephant sanctuary, is now more successful than he had ever been with the trek camp.
Is It Any Good?
Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story is a poignant, sad, but ultimately hopeful documentary on the plight of Asian elephants. By showing the story of Noi Na -- a nearly blind, 70-year-old elephant who has suffered a lifetime of human abuse and exploitation -- the current plight of Asian elephants is brought to light in vivid detail. Noi Na's journey highlights the work of world-renowned conservationist Lek Chailert, who has devoted her life to saving Asian elephants from extinction and rescuing them from an abuse that's as mentally and emotionally devastating for elephants as it is physical.
Some of the scenes, especially in the beginning, are intense, especially for animal lovers of any age. Elephants are shown being separated from their mothers and placed in "crush boxes," then beaten with sticks and chains until they are "broken" to be ridden on by tourists or taught to "perform" in circuses. Other scenes show elephants disfigured from injuries sustained after stepping on land mines, or after getting blinded by slingshots. But these difficult scenes are offset with a sense of hope, especially in the documentary's last scenes, as we see what the smallest of positive steps can accomplish, and what just one dedicated person can achieve.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about nature documentaries. How does this compare to other nature documentaries you've seen?
How did the documentary present facts about Asian elephants? What new information did you learn?
Were the scenes in which elephants were shown being beaten, exploited, and abused necessary for the documentary's overall message, or were they too much to take, especially for animal lovers? What do you think would be lost in the documentary if these scenes weren't shown?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 27, 2018
- Cast : Lek Chailert , Ashley Bell
- Director : Ashley Bell
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Cargo Film & Releasing
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : STEM
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Empathy
- Run time : 75 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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