Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Earnest docu about corals hopes research will find answers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Saving Atlantis
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
SAVING ATLANTIS shows how the loss of corals and coral reefs impacts our lives. It explains what exactly corals are, what we know about them, and all that we still don't know about them. It shows how they provide protection and benefit people, from severe weather to possibly holding the keys to medical discoveries, and of course, how they sustain the ocean life that in turn sustains us. It places a strong emphasis on research as the key to understanding how we can save coral, and hopefully help it recover and adapt to our changing ocean environment.
Is It Any Good?
This earnest documentary about endangered coral is less of a call to action about climate change and more about sparking scientific interest in young people today, leading to answers in the future. Saving Atlantis definitely has a lot of eye-catching (and sometimes even dizzying) underwater footage, but the emphasis is on academic and scientific research and not on how to put a stop to global warming. The gentle, quiet emphasis on information and study are unlikely to hold the interest of younger kids, but there's no content of concern if they want to drift in and out while the rest of the family watches.
Tweens and teens especially will be inspired to learn more by the Australian program that shows how indigenous and modern scientific knowledge can be equally valuable in understanding how to save and sustain coral reefs. They'll also be interested in the people from such diverse places as Saudi Arabia, French Polynesia, and Colombia and how they depend on and hope to preserve corals and coral reefs for future generations. Overall, the messages are hopeful that it's not too late while making it clear that time is running out.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they learned from Saving Atlantis about coral. What's a coral? How is something so small so important to our planet and our lives?
What did you learn about corals or coral reefs that you didn't know before? Is there anything you'd like to learn more about? Search the internet or go to your library to find out more.
How can learning more about corals, like their life cycle, how they reproduce, or how they impact other ocean life, help save them?
Movie Details
- In theaters : February 15, 2018
- On DVD or streaming : November 12, 2019
- Cast : Peter Coyote
- Directors : David Baker , Justin R. Smith
- Studio : Oregon State University
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : History , Animals ( Ocean Creatures ) , STEM
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate