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Pandas

Name: Pandas
Item: Pandas
Rating: 4
Author: Sandie Angulo Chen

Movie review by

Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 6+

(i)

Educational doc about scientists training pandas to go wild.

G
2018
45 minutes

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We think this movie stands out for:

Character Strengths

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Educational Value

Viewers will learn a lot about pandas (life cycle, habitat, eating habits, etc.), breeding programs, conservation, and techniques used to train captive-bred animals to survive in the wild.

Positive Messages

Animal conservation is important, particularly saving endangered species through captive breeding, orphan rescues, and training programs. Cross-cultural cooperation/teamwork highlighted, as the American black bear expert's knowledge helps the Chinese panda bear expert implement similar techniques with the giant pandas.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Scientists depicted not only as intelligent but also as empathetic, loving, and patient toward the pandas. Camaraderie between scientists, regardless of background, to unite in the name of conservation.

Violence & Scariness

A tense scene: Qian Qian hasn't moved for far too long. It turns out that she's stuck high up in a tree and injured, but she survives. At the end of the movie, the credits dedicate the film to another panda in the program that was also followed but didn't survive his introduction to the wild.

Sexy Stuff

Language

Consumerism

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Pandas is an educational IMAX nature documentary narrated by Kristen Bell that focuses on an initiative shared by Americans and the Chinese to introduce bred pandas into the wild. The film focuses on the Chengdu Panda Base in China, where scientists breed adorable baby pandas in captivity with the hopes of releasing them back into their natural habitat. With the help of an American black bear expert who has successfully rescued and released bears in New England for decades, a team of panda specialists attempts to do the same in China. There's nothing too iffy in the film other than a suspenseful scene in which it's unclear whether the main panda, Qian Qian, will survive in the wild. (Spoiler alert: She does!)

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What's the story?

PANDAS is an IMAX nature documentary narrated by Kristen Bell about arguably the most adorable bears in the animal kingdom. At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan, China, researchers and animal experts have worked on a captive breeding program that aims to add to the 2,000 pandas alive in the wild. But it's difficult to introduce animals born in captivity into the wild, so Hou Rong, the director of research at Chengdu, reaches out to Ben Kilham, an American black bear expert who, for more than two decades, has rescued bear cubs and released them back into the forests of New Hampshire. After visiting Kilham and hiring him as a consultant, Hou Rong also hires Jake Owens, an American conservation biologist, to use Kilham's techniques with a panda cub called Qian Qian ("Chen Chen"). Owens and a Chinese scientist work together to gain Qian Qian's trust, train her, and eventually lead her back into the wild.

Is it any good?

Bell narrates this sweet, educational nature documentary about a conservationist teaching a clever little panda how to survive in the wild. Pandas, particularly panda cubs, are pretty irresistible; for that matter, so is Bell. A known animal lover with an evocative speaking voice, she's especially suited to this film, which chronicles how Chinese and American conservationists worked together to train panda cubs to become capable of living on their own beyond the borders of the research facility's preserve. It's touching to see the Chinese and American bear specialists exchange information for the betterment of panda kind.

Owens takes on a parent-like role as he spends years building trust with panda cub Qian Qian and preparing her for eventual release into the wild. The movie will tug at viewers' heartstrings, particularly for parents who can relate to raising and then releasing children into the world. When Qian Qian goes beyond the borders of the research base into the mountains, audiences will cheer, just as they'll feel tense when the panda's GPS tracker alerts Owens and the rest of the scientists that she hasn't moved in quite a while. For a brief moment, even adults will wonder whether Qian Qian has survived -- but rest assured, this is a happy, feel-good story.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about Pandas and the popularity of wildlife documentaries. What attracts families to nature films?
Why are pandas such beloved animals? Does this documentary make you want to help conservation efforts that benefit giant pandas?
What do you think of the way Chinese and American scientists and bear experts collaborated to help the pandas? Do you think it's important for experts in different countries to share information? How is it an example of teamwork?