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Parents' Guide to

The Magic of Mangroves

By Davis Ryan Cook, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Fact-packed, beautiful nature docu about powerful trees.

Movie PG 2020 50 minutes
The Magic of Mangroves Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

THE MAGIC OF MANGROVES really plunges under the surface to explore the array of colorful and fascinating animal and plant species-- manatees, Galapagos penguins, jumping frogs, and many more-- and the ways in which they interact with one another. The documentary takes a list-like approach to its relay of information, jumping from species to species and fact to fact. Even though mangroves are in the title of the documentary, THE MAGIC OF MANGROVES focuses more on the vast array of complex interactions that the plants' gnarly underwater roots host.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

If you want to see a beautiful set of shots portraying a wide range of wildly colorful plants and animals, then it would be a good idea to check out The Magic of Mangroves. If you want to take a deep dive into the complex world of animal and plant interactions that the water trees mangroves are host to, well... it would still be a good idea to to check out The Magic of Mangroves.

The only drawback to the documentary is that it might not catch the attention of viewers who aren't already interested in biology and/or ecology. While this is the case for many nature documentaries on the market, it's especially true for The Magic of Mangroves, whose quick jumps from place to place and species to species can feel arbitrary and not grounded by any sort of overarching plot. However, any viewer who's moderately interested in the concerned subject matter would do themselves good to watch this vibrant and colorful offering.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how many of these fish, sharks, crabs, birds, manatees and many more species can look so different from humans yet still worry about some of the same problems (getting enough food, conserving energy, etc.). What are some things that you do throughout the day that these other animals do as well?

  • Why are there so many nature documentaries like this one? What do we gain by making and watching nature documentaries?

  • How is watching nature documentaries about all these species better and/or worse in your opinion than going to the zoo to observe them in real time?

Movie Details

  • On DVD or streaming: November 16, 2020
  • Studio: Doclights
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Run time: 50 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG
  • Last updated: November 20, 2022

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