The story of the animals is very touching and the scenery is beautiful.
47 Reviews
Nice Footage, Probably Good for Children But for Adults...Disney isn't BBC Quality
prestondell7 May 2017
Born in China was a mixed bag - some spectacular footage only partially spoiled by the editing and narration Disney imposed upon it. This has a very different tone than your usual David Attenborough BBC Nature Documentary (such as Planet Earth), adopting anthropomorphizing storytelling of the characters (I initially hesitated to use the word characters to describe animals, but such was the extent of Disney's approach that it is, unfortunately, fitting here) instead of the objective, informative narration you might be expecting. I think it's likely well-suited for children, but if you're a nature documentary loving adult without children, my advice would be to pass. I'm still giving it a 6/10 for the quality of the footage itself and what I'm estimating is a decent film for its target audience, very young children.
The good: The footage itself was wonderful. The team captured some beautiful and fascinating nature scenes. The detail into which the film delved into the social life of the monkeys was interesting and new. There were lots of baby animal scenes and who doesn't love baby animals?! John Krasinski of "The Office" fame was, in my opinion, an excellent narrator *for the material given to him*. Because Disney chose a more playful, childish tone in the narration, I think an actor's touch was needed, and John Krasinski handled the material well. I just didn't care for the material (ok sorry that was a good and a bad, but it's hard to praise the narration without acknowledging the terrible writing!).
And onto...the bad: * The writing itself. While John Krasinski performed the playful tone well, I disagree with the choice for the writers to use that tone to begin with (or at the very least, if I'm to temper my criticism I'll say it's not well-suited to adults). This film was not highly informative, and most of the narration felt like it was projecting human emotions onto the animal "characters", which I found very irritating.
* Predator subjects but no successful hunting footage. With a significant portion of the film covering snow leopards, one of nature's most capable and majestic hunters, one would hope for some spectacular hunting footage! Disney omitted it, presumably as a concession to their target audience. Another thing that's not *necessarily* worse if you concede that the movie is strictly for young children, but in my opinion makes it worse for anyone *but* that small audience.
* "Dishonest" editing. I strongly suspect the filmmakers fixed a LOT in post to fit the narrative they wanted to tell, and make things "more interesting." You would think after Disney's history of this (Google "Disney Lemmings" for more, and prepare to be shocked if you don't know the story!) they would be extra vigilant to be honest in their depictions, but Born in China appeared to cheat a LOT. For example, there's a scene with the Baby Panda climbing, and the footage would cut back and forth between face shots of the baby panda and a "nearby" red panda, who they imply with the juxtaposition of shots is watching the whole ordeal. But an establishing shot with the baby panda and the red panda is never shown, and the implied perspective of the red panda remains static, even after the baby panda takes a tumble down a hill. For all we know (and I strongly suspect), the footage of the red panda was completely separate, but they chose to inject it into this scene to tell a more "interesting" story. This is just a minor example of manipulating the footage shot to support a slightly more compelling narrative, but I for one would prefer honesty. There are other examples as well, and you'll notice watching the film that the edits are more like that of a sitcom than a nature documentary - character focused rather than an objective account of the events. They try too hard to tell a story, and beyond the tone of the writing itself, it appeared that they spliced together disjointed footage to make it fit their narrative. This kind of "dishonesty" in portrayal upset me the most about the film, because it goes against what I feel a nature documentary should be.
6/10 is higher than my own enjoyment of the film (which I'd put more along the lines of 4/10, with Planet Earth being an easy 10/10), but I think for its target audience it's a bit better than my own experience so I'm giving it some benefit of doubt there, and again the footage itself was excellent. It probably deserves some real credit for that alone, as well as some adjustment for the context of its target audience.
The good: The footage itself was wonderful. The team captured some beautiful and fascinating nature scenes. The detail into which the film delved into the social life of the monkeys was interesting and new. There were lots of baby animal scenes and who doesn't love baby animals?! John Krasinski of "The Office" fame was, in my opinion, an excellent narrator *for the material given to him*. Because Disney chose a more playful, childish tone in the narration, I think an actor's touch was needed, and John Krasinski handled the material well. I just didn't care for the material (ok sorry that was a good and a bad, but it's hard to praise the narration without acknowledging the terrible writing!).
And onto...the bad: * The writing itself. While John Krasinski performed the playful tone well, I disagree with the choice for the writers to use that tone to begin with (or at the very least, if I'm to temper my criticism I'll say it's not well-suited to adults). This film was not highly informative, and most of the narration felt like it was projecting human emotions onto the animal "characters", which I found very irritating.
* Predator subjects but no successful hunting footage. With a significant portion of the film covering snow leopards, one of nature's most capable and majestic hunters, one would hope for some spectacular hunting footage! Disney omitted it, presumably as a concession to their target audience. Another thing that's not *necessarily* worse if you concede that the movie is strictly for young children, but in my opinion makes it worse for anyone *but* that small audience.
* "Dishonest" editing. I strongly suspect the filmmakers fixed a LOT in post to fit the narrative they wanted to tell, and make things "more interesting." You would think after Disney's history of this (Google "Disney Lemmings" for more, and prepare to be shocked if you don't know the story!) they would be extra vigilant to be honest in their depictions, but Born in China appeared to cheat a LOT. For example, there's a scene with the Baby Panda climbing, and the footage would cut back and forth between face shots of the baby panda and a "nearby" red panda, who they imply with the juxtaposition of shots is watching the whole ordeal. But an establishing shot with the baby panda and the red panda is never shown, and the implied perspective of the red panda remains static, even after the baby panda takes a tumble down a hill. For all we know (and I strongly suspect), the footage of the red panda was completely separate, but they chose to inject it into this scene to tell a more "interesting" story. This is just a minor example of manipulating the footage shot to support a slightly more compelling narrative, but I for one would prefer honesty. There are other examples as well, and you'll notice watching the film that the edits are more like that of a sitcom than a nature documentary - character focused rather than an objective account of the events. They try too hard to tell a story, and beyond the tone of the writing itself, it appeared that they spliced together disjointed footage to make it fit their narrative. This kind of "dishonesty" in portrayal upset me the most about the film, because it goes against what I feel a nature documentary should be.
6/10 is higher than my own enjoyment of the film (which I'd put more along the lines of 4/10, with Planet Earth being an easy 10/10), but I think for its target audience it's a bit better than my own experience so I'm giving it some benefit of doubt there, and again the footage itself was excellent. It probably deserves some real credit for that alone, as well as some adjustment for the context of its target audience.
"Born in China"- Gorgeous imagery with a lack of real substance or information.
TedStixonAKAMaximumMadness6 May 2017
The real shame with Disney's nature documentary "Born in China" is that the potential was there for a remarkable film. The imagery captured of both the landscapes and of the beautiful and elusive animals on which it is centered is completely awe-inspiring and never less than completely engrossing and compelling. And it tells the oft-poignant story of what it is like for families and packs of animals in the vast reaches of China, including adorable pandas and stunning snow leopards. Unfortunately, the film's failing is a complete and utter lack of any real substance or information regarding these subjects, which is instead traded for often contrived schmaltz and "jokey" narration. For all it does right with the stunning visuals... all else seems forced and a tad bit trite.
The footage itself is incredible. Especially when viewed on the big screen. Director Lu Chuan and his team of cinematographers and cameramen truly do capture some compelling and beautiful looks into the lives of these animals, and it's a pleasure seeing what it's like for them as they struggle to thrive and survive over the course of just over a year. The most outstanding of course being the snow leopard referred to as "Dawa" and her cups, simply because they are such stunning creatures and they face the most adversity and tragedy throughout the film. Chuan and the rest of the crew feverishly document these wonderful creatures to the greatest of extents.
The problem is that through editing and over-written narration delivered by comedic actor John Krasinski, the entire message seems a bit undermined. I know that it wouldn't work for some, but in my mind, simply showing the footage over music or with only minimal information carefully doled out through brief bits of narration would have worked best. But you get the feeling that Disney's nature department felt they needed to add more of a "message" to the film, and it feels tacky and silly. The film starts out promising with some actual key information about China and a pleasant explanation of the symbology involving cranes taking flight... but it quickly becomes an "Ohh, so cutesy!" affair with Krasinski "speaking" for the animals and inserting odd random jokes while never doling out more than the most basic and bland of facts. This was an opportunity for education, but instead it places too much focus on talking about how much animal-mommies love their animal-babies, and throwing in some really odd references to appease the young children in the audience. (The film likes to constantly remind us that it refers to a clan of Snub-Nose monkeys as the "Lost Boys" about once every 30 seconds in certain scenes.) It's borderline condescending. I remember when I was a child watching nature documentaries in school or on television... I wanted to learn. This film instead feels the need to talk down.
Still, I can't say that this fact ruined the film as a whole. Because it didn't. There's still so much to take in through the 76- minute run-time that I'd definitely give it a mild recommendation, especially to families with young children or general nature enthusiasts. While critical facts are few and far in-between and the over-done narration does drag it down a bit, the footage enclosed is constantly and consistently enthralling and exquisitely captured. And it did save the film for me, and make it an enjoyable watch as an entire cumulative experience. Seeing pandas, snub-nosed monkeys and of course the snow leopards in their natural habitats, living and breathing is just too magical to dismiss over my squabbles with the production.
I give it a slightly above average 6 out of 10. It could have been better, but there's still just enough to make it worth a watch at least once.
The footage itself is incredible. Especially when viewed on the big screen. Director Lu Chuan and his team of cinematographers and cameramen truly do capture some compelling and beautiful looks into the lives of these animals, and it's a pleasure seeing what it's like for them as they struggle to thrive and survive over the course of just over a year. The most outstanding of course being the snow leopard referred to as "Dawa" and her cups, simply because they are such stunning creatures and they face the most adversity and tragedy throughout the film. Chuan and the rest of the crew feverishly document these wonderful creatures to the greatest of extents.
The problem is that through editing and over-written narration delivered by comedic actor John Krasinski, the entire message seems a bit undermined. I know that it wouldn't work for some, but in my mind, simply showing the footage over music or with only minimal information carefully doled out through brief bits of narration would have worked best. But you get the feeling that Disney's nature department felt they needed to add more of a "message" to the film, and it feels tacky and silly. The film starts out promising with some actual key information about China and a pleasant explanation of the symbology involving cranes taking flight... but it quickly becomes an "Ohh, so cutesy!" affair with Krasinski "speaking" for the animals and inserting odd random jokes while never doling out more than the most basic and bland of facts. This was an opportunity for education, but instead it places too much focus on talking about how much animal-mommies love their animal-babies, and throwing in some really odd references to appease the young children in the audience. (The film likes to constantly remind us that it refers to a clan of Snub-Nose monkeys as the "Lost Boys" about once every 30 seconds in certain scenes.) It's borderline condescending. I remember when I was a child watching nature documentaries in school or on television... I wanted to learn. This film instead feels the need to talk down.
Still, I can't say that this fact ruined the film as a whole. Because it didn't. There's still so much to take in through the 76- minute run-time that I'd definitely give it a mild recommendation, especially to families with young children or general nature enthusiasts. While critical facts are few and far in-between and the over-done narration does drag it down a bit, the footage enclosed is constantly and consistently enthralling and exquisitely captured. And it did save the film for me, and make it an enjoyable watch as an entire cumulative experience. Seeing pandas, snub-nosed monkeys and of course the snow leopards in their natural habitats, living and breathing is just too magical to dismiss over my squabbles with the production.
I give it a slightly above average 6 out of 10. It could have been better, but there's still just enough to make it worth a watch at least once.
Panda, Snow Leopard and Snow Monkey - oh my!
bettycjung6 October 2017
10/4/17. A great documentary about 3 species of animals found China. The cinematography is just out of this world! Don't expect to learn a whole lot of new information about the Panda, Snow Leopard and the Snow Monkey. Just enjoy the opportunity to watch these animals in their natural habitat doing what they do best - live.
beautifully photographed, too talky
ferguson-620 April 2017
Greetings again from the darkness. You'd be hard-pressed to name or find anything cuter than a baby Panda, and the folks at Disneynature don't hesitate in taking full advantage of our affinity for such fuzzy black and white cuddliness. Am I upset with them after watching this documentary? Only because they periodically cut away to a herd of antelope.
This is the next in a line of Disneynature films dating back to 2007 (Oceans, Bears, African Cats) that usually hit theaters in close proximity to Earth Day. This particular screening was also affiliated with the inaugural year of EARTHxFilm, a Dallas-based festival dedicated to all things nature, natural and earthy. Acclaimed Chinese director Chuan Lu and his photography crew take us into some stunning wilderness areas and parts of China that we rarely, if ever, get to see all to witness intimate wildlife moments in shockingly close proximity.
If what comes to mind are those charming Disney animal features from the 1960's – the ones that featured the great Rex Allen as narrator, you're in for a surprise. Hey, I loved Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar and Yellowstone Cubs as much as the next kid, but rolling down a leaf-covered hill with a baby Panda that can't walk yet is a whole new level of awe. Watching a mother Snow Leopard (what an incredible creature!) hunt so her two cubs can eat takes us to the highest standard of respect and admiration for this elusive species. Heck, even the rebellious Golden snub-nose Monkey teaches us about family and community within the monkey world and how they don't appreciate cold weather any more than I.
Director Lu provides a loose ancient Chinese structure to the film by explaining that every time a crane takes flight, it's believed to be relocating the soul/spirit of one dying being into that of a newborn. The spectacle of watching these creatures majestically soar through the orange-sun soaked sky is merely one of the many breathtaking examples of spectacular photography during the film. We are bounced between mountains and forest and rocky vistas and are taken closer than you've ever been to a Great Panda scratching her baby, a Snow Leopard on the prowl, or a monkey rescuing his baby sister from an ominous winged predator. The only downside for grown-ups is the over-narration from John Krasinski, an admitted necessity for the youngsters in the audience who will appreciate the one-liners that go along with the cuteness. In Disney fashion, most of nature's violence takes place off screen, but what we do see are parts of nature that will amaze.
Be sure to stay for the closing credits for a glimpse at how the photographers managed to get some of their shots – as well as how they sacrifice for their work.
This is the next in a line of Disneynature films dating back to 2007 (Oceans, Bears, African Cats) that usually hit theaters in close proximity to Earth Day. This particular screening was also affiliated with the inaugural year of EARTHxFilm, a Dallas-based festival dedicated to all things nature, natural and earthy. Acclaimed Chinese director Chuan Lu and his photography crew take us into some stunning wilderness areas and parts of China that we rarely, if ever, get to see all to witness intimate wildlife moments in shockingly close proximity.
If what comes to mind are those charming Disney animal features from the 1960's – the ones that featured the great Rex Allen as narrator, you're in for a surprise. Hey, I loved Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar and Yellowstone Cubs as much as the next kid, but rolling down a leaf-covered hill with a baby Panda that can't walk yet is a whole new level of awe. Watching a mother Snow Leopard (what an incredible creature!) hunt so her two cubs can eat takes us to the highest standard of respect and admiration for this elusive species. Heck, even the rebellious Golden snub-nose Monkey teaches us about family and community within the monkey world and how they don't appreciate cold weather any more than I.
Director Lu provides a loose ancient Chinese structure to the film by explaining that every time a crane takes flight, it's believed to be relocating the soul/spirit of one dying being into that of a newborn. The spectacle of watching these creatures majestically soar through the orange-sun soaked sky is merely one of the many breathtaking examples of spectacular photography during the film. We are bounced between mountains and forest and rocky vistas and are taken closer than you've ever been to a Great Panda scratching her baby, a Snow Leopard on the prowl, or a monkey rescuing his baby sister from an ominous winged predator. The only downside for grown-ups is the over-narration from John Krasinski, an admitted necessity for the youngsters in the audience who will appreciate the one-liners that go along with the cuteness. In Disney fashion, most of nature's violence takes place off screen, but what we do see are parts of nature that will amaze.
Be sure to stay for the closing credits for a glimpse at how the photographers managed to get some of their shots – as well as how they sacrifice for their work.
Great movie and stories
sruiz-3266130 April 2019
Important Lessons Albeit With a Made Up Plot
ThomasDrufke30 April 2017
While Disney Nature's Born in China is a fascinating mix of gorgeous animals and breathtaking cinematography, it does tend to feel a little too staged for my liking.
I'll always support documentaries like Born in China, especially if they provide a different viewpoint on creatures and landscapes that are unfamiliar to most of the general public. Born in China focuses on a few animals, including Pandas, Golden Monkeys, and Snow Leopards. All of which, center upon one common theme, family. Although the story lines feel entirely made up, which include gimmicky names, the scenarios aren't. It's interesting to watch different animals try and fight the elements and other competitors to provide for their family just like us humans. In that way, Born in China is for people of all ages.
But when the film adds too much fake subtext from John Krasinski's narration, it feels like something for kids looking for some silly giggles. Because it is Disney and the audience is mostly families, the film does feel a little safe. Sure, we do have Planet Earth and other documentaries that show us some of the harsher sides to animals of the wild, but I think we could have used a little more from each animal in Born in China. Either that, or just focus on 1 or 2 animals instead of a half dozen.
Does Born in China accomplish what it set out to do? Yes. It's an entertaining and at least somewhat informative look at wildlife in parts of China. However, there are several moments that feel entirely fabricated and may take away from the viewing experience. In short, if you're going in looking for a short history lesson, I think you'll come out at least pleased with what you get. I mean, who can honestly be upset after watching pandas for an hour and a half.
6.5/10
I'll always support documentaries like Born in China, especially if they provide a different viewpoint on creatures and landscapes that are unfamiliar to most of the general public. Born in China focuses on a few animals, including Pandas, Golden Monkeys, and Snow Leopards. All of which, center upon one common theme, family. Although the story lines feel entirely made up, which include gimmicky names, the scenarios aren't. It's interesting to watch different animals try and fight the elements and other competitors to provide for their family just like us humans. In that way, Born in China is for people of all ages.
But when the film adds too much fake subtext from John Krasinski's narration, it feels like something for kids looking for some silly giggles. Because it is Disney and the audience is mostly families, the film does feel a little safe. Sure, we do have Planet Earth and other documentaries that show us some of the harsher sides to animals of the wild, but I think we could have used a little more from each animal in Born in China. Either that, or just focus on 1 or 2 animals instead of a half dozen.
Does Born in China accomplish what it set out to do? Yes. It's an entertaining and at least somewhat informative look at wildlife in parts of China. However, there are several moments that feel entirely fabricated and may take away from the viewing experience. In short, if you're going in looking for a short history lesson, I think you'll come out at least pleased with what you get. I mean, who can honestly be upset after watching pandas for an hour and a half.
6.5/10
Beautiful
mskelly-418 April 2017
I don't often have my family with me when I hit an advance screening, but in the case of Disney's new documentary Born in China, it was a must. My youngest daughter loves pandas and that alone was enough to compel her to run out to the theater. I settled into the nice reclining chairs in Rocky River and ambivalently prepared myself for an hour and a half of nature channel on the big screen. I wasn't expecting to be impressed and I had no idea the journey that we were all just about to embark on.
The first thing that strikes you about Born in China is just how lush it is. The vast panoramas that just seem to go on forever immediately draw you in and then take off on breathtaking aerial shots. It's all of this before we are even introduced to the animals and Disney is obviously showing that they've put the maximum effort into this film. This isn't just going to be any old nature documentary.
We follow a year in the life of several animal families, a group of monkeys, a panda mother and daughter, a snow leopard and her two cubs as well as a herd of elk. The leopard and monkeys get the lions share of the screen time, having the most story to follow, and yet there's a certain charm to the way we cut back and forth between narratives and the bumbling panda never failed to make my Lydia laugh as it tumbled down the trees and hills time and time again.
The story about the skull faced monkeys in particular seemed to have the most characters and factions as our young subject explores other families and groups of monkeys before finally returning to it's family and finally seeming to find his place.
My elder daughter Maddie found herself drawn more to the snow leopard's segments. The story of the leopard is far more aggressive as the mother hunts and tries to provide for her cubs while defending her territory. The violence of the hunt is muted to keep us in a "G" rating, we see no blood and absent is the actual killing strike. I know it seems silly, but I kind of miss it.
The film makers work hard to craft a narrative from their years worth of filming. Some of the stories are a triumphant adventure, others are melancholy. Not everyone gets a happy ending, Dis2but they frame the movie with the Chinese myth about the Storks - the idea that they carry the spirit of the dead with them, perpetuating the cycle of life and death. It's an adequate conceit, but honestly, the writing isn't what you are here for. Born in China is beautifully filmed. It's one of those rare films that you really need to see in a movie theater with a good screen - no drive-in theaters or HD TVs for this, there's too much detail and scope for any other platform to do it justice.
Stay for the credits by the way. There's behind the scenes stuff, bloopers and general shenanigans with the animals as they explore the cameras and check inside the filmmakers bags.
Seriously, if you're a fan of documentaries, or nature channel presentations, and especially if you have kids, take them to this. It's a brilliant departure from the summer blockbusters full of superheros and lasers and by-the-numbers CGI cartoons.
The first thing that strikes you about Born in China is just how lush it is. The vast panoramas that just seem to go on forever immediately draw you in and then take off on breathtaking aerial shots. It's all of this before we are even introduced to the animals and Disney is obviously showing that they've put the maximum effort into this film. This isn't just going to be any old nature documentary.
We follow a year in the life of several animal families, a group of monkeys, a panda mother and daughter, a snow leopard and her two cubs as well as a herd of elk. The leopard and monkeys get the lions share of the screen time, having the most story to follow, and yet there's a certain charm to the way we cut back and forth between narratives and the bumbling panda never failed to make my Lydia laugh as it tumbled down the trees and hills time and time again.
The story about the skull faced monkeys in particular seemed to have the most characters and factions as our young subject explores other families and groups of monkeys before finally returning to it's family and finally seeming to find his place.
My elder daughter Maddie found herself drawn more to the snow leopard's segments. The story of the leopard is far more aggressive as the mother hunts and tries to provide for her cubs while defending her territory. The violence of the hunt is muted to keep us in a "G" rating, we see no blood and absent is the actual killing strike. I know it seems silly, but I kind of miss it.
The film makers work hard to craft a narrative from their years worth of filming. Some of the stories are a triumphant adventure, others are melancholy. Not everyone gets a happy ending, Dis2but they frame the movie with the Chinese myth about the Storks - the idea that they carry the spirit of the dead with them, perpetuating the cycle of life and death. It's an adequate conceit, but honestly, the writing isn't what you are here for. Born in China is beautifully filmed. It's one of those rare films that you really need to see in a movie theater with a good screen - no drive-in theaters or HD TVs for this, there's too much detail and scope for any other platform to do it justice.
Stay for the credits by the way. There's behind the scenes stuff, bloopers and general shenanigans with the animals as they explore the cameras and check inside the filmmakers bags.
Seriously, if you're a fan of documentaries, or nature channel presentations, and especially if you have kids, take them to this. It's a brilliant departure from the summer blockbusters full of superheros and lasers and by-the-numbers CGI cartoons.
Good wildlife documentary worth seeing for the snow leopards.
jonsefcik8 November 2016
I got to see a special advance screening of this movie 6 months before its US release. I may mention certain specific moments of the movie, but I won't spoil anything.
One of the producers came onstage before the movie started and talked about how it took 4 years to film everything and then they edited everything together to form each of the stories. This is noticeable in at least one scene where it cuts back and forth between a panda and red panda to imply they're looking at each other, but that's the only noticeable instance that comes to mind.
Among all the animals they filmed, the three main stories center around families of Pandas, monkeys, and snow leopards. The narrator tries to anthropomorphicise everything the cute furry animals do. I know other nature documentaries sometimes do that, this one does it a lot, trying everything to make it more emotionally relatable, and I guess for the most part it works, but it might get a little annoying at parts.
Speaking of the narrator, I assume there was a technical difficulty at my screening since there was no narration for the first 10 minutes, then all of a sudden he started taking as if we already knew who the animals were. What's up with that?
It sorta goes without saying that the landscapes are beautiful and the footage is impressive. What really sets this film apart is how much footage they got of the snow leopards. If you didn't know, snow leopards are very rare and notoriously difficult to photograph, let alone film. Even Planet Earth didn't get anywhere near as much footage, or as close. I'd say this movie is worth checking out just for the snow leopard footage alone.
It's difficult for me to give nature films a numerical rating since they're so different from traditional movies, so all I can really say is its pretty good. I gave it a 7/10 because I ranked every movie I've seen in theaters in 2016 from best to worst, and this movie falls in the 7/10 block for me.
One of the producers came onstage before the movie started and talked about how it took 4 years to film everything and then they edited everything together to form each of the stories. This is noticeable in at least one scene where it cuts back and forth between a panda and red panda to imply they're looking at each other, but that's the only noticeable instance that comes to mind.
Among all the animals they filmed, the three main stories center around families of Pandas, monkeys, and snow leopards. The narrator tries to anthropomorphicise everything the cute furry animals do. I know other nature documentaries sometimes do that, this one does it a lot, trying everything to make it more emotionally relatable, and I guess for the most part it works, but it might get a little annoying at parts.
Speaking of the narrator, I assume there was a technical difficulty at my screening since there was no narration for the first 10 minutes, then all of a sudden he started taking as if we already knew who the animals were. What's up with that?
It sorta goes without saying that the landscapes are beautiful and the footage is impressive. What really sets this film apart is how much footage they got of the snow leopards. If you didn't know, snow leopards are very rare and notoriously difficult to photograph, let alone film. Even Planet Earth didn't get anywhere near as much footage, or as close. I'd say this movie is worth checking out just for the snow leopard footage alone.
It's difficult for me to give nature films a numerical rating since they're so different from traditional movies, so all I can really say is its pretty good. I gave it a 7/10 because I ranked every movie I've seen in theaters in 2016 from best to worst, and this movie falls in the 7/10 block for me.
I enjoyed it
koreanprincss25 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed the movie. I love pandas and snow leopards and the monkeys cracked me up.
Is it short? Somewhat. But if this is meant for Disney nature type audiences, remember kids don't want a very long, lengthy movie. There are other documentaries that are longer.
Contrary to what others have said, I think this had a balance of the good and not so good aspects of nature.
Spoiler here: Was I sad when Dawa "failed" and eventually died? Yes. But I support the film makers choice/decision to not interfere with nature. Nature is not always happy.
Is it short? Somewhat. But if this is meant for Disney nature type audiences, remember kids don't want a very long, lengthy movie. There are other documentaries that are longer.
Contrary to what others have said, I think this had a balance of the good and not so good aspects of nature.
Spoiler here: Was I sad when Dawa "failed" and eventually died? Yes. But I support the film makers choice/decision to not interfere with nature. Nature is not always happy.
Breathtaking but heartbreaking with no hint as to the two snow kittens future!
conquestdzzztt22 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It was a beautifully filmed documentary with awe inspiring scenery!!
I thoroughly enjoyed it except......... for Dawa and her two beautiful kittens.........Why wasn't she helped after she was injured? Disney could have afforded a veterinarian to help her and her kittens. Snow leopard's are an endangered species so why would the film crew, Disney corporate, and China not help this poor family out???? She and her kittens could have recuperated in an enclosure that could have been flown in and set up right there in the valley and released back into the wild afterwards.
Does anyone know what happened to her kittens. I can't find anything, anywhere about them after Dawa, their mother died of her injuries, starvation, and exposure! What a horrifying and cruel (with no humans intervening that filmed all this and watched her and her kittens suffer) way to die!! Yes the movie was beautiful but if humans refuse to intervene especially with helping an endangered species survive then we are the plague that will murder our planet unless we start intervening!!
I thoroughly enjoyed it except......... for Dawa and her two beautiful kittens.........Why wasn't she helped after she was injured? Disney could have afforded a veterinarian to help her and her kittens. Snow leopard's are an endangered species so why would the film crew, Disney corporate, and China not help this poor family out???? She and her kittens could have recuperated in an enclosure that could have been flown in and set up right there in the valley and released back into the wild afterwards.
Does anyone know what happened to her kittens. I can't find anything, anywhere about them after Dawa, their mother died of her injuries, starvation, and exposure! What a horrifying and cruel (with no humans intervening that filmed all this and watched her and her kittens suffer) way to die!! Yes the movie was beautiful but if humans refuse to intervene especially with helping an endangered species survive then we are the plague that will murder our planet unless we start intervening!!
'Born in China': A Gorgeous Documentary that is Bound to Please
obiegimmie29 April 2017
"Born in China" is a 2016 nature documentary directed by Lu Chuan ("The Missing Gun") with a screenplay by David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman, and Lu Chuan. Music is by Barnaby Taylor; editing by Matthew Meech; and production by Roy Conli ("Big Hero 6"), Brian Leith, and Phil Chapman. It's narrated in its USA release by John Krasinski ("The Office") and in its China release, actress Zhou Xun ("Suzhou River"). The entirety was filmed in unpopulated areas of China. Various Chinese wildlife were followed for a year; their misadventures and struggles culminating in this film. It was released in China August 12, 2016, and in the US April 21, 2017. To date (April 29, 2017) the film has raised approximately $15.2 million worldwide. It runs for 1 hour, 16 minutes (76 minutes) and is rated G.
The film centers on various Chinese wildlife; one being a snow leopard named Dawa struggling to collect the needed food for her two cubs. With increasing competition and food supply decreasing, Dawa struggles to maintain her cubs' health. The second is that of Tao-Tao, a golden snub-nosed monkey who is constantly plagued by his family's bias to a newborn sister. Tao-Tao joins a group of misfits, referenced as "The Lost Boys," but still finds himself lonely. The third is a panda named Ya-Ya and her baby daughter Mei- Mei (pronounced "My-My," apparently). As Mei-Mei grows older, Ya- Ya is forced to confront her daughter's maturity and newfound independence. Finally, there is a herd of chiru, who are there for little plot complexity and more for cinematography.
Sometimes in nature documentaries, the director's abundant desire for humor/story development begins to overtake the film. This is not necessarily a bad thing; jokes and story are good in small doses. But with too much, the attention is detracted from the actual entertainment (the animals) and more to something that won't satisfy. Sadly, many Disney Nature films have fallen victim to this, and "Born in China" maintains a serviceable, if not entirely balanced, scale between these two conflicting features. That is not to say the film is not without fault; Krasinski, while of talent, does not do the film justice with mediocre narrating. Most of the jokes are meant to be cute, but with Krasinski's delivery, something goes wrong, leaving a decent quip that may have earned my half-hearted chortle acquainted with silence. As a whole, "Born in China" is deservant of some of the detractions mentioned on this forum and on my review. As a whole, however, the film is entertaining and somewhat educational. I would recommend it over some of the recent releases. So, yes, go see it. It definitely will beat "Beauty and the Beast," "Boss Baby," and maybe even "Gifted." What low standards for film we've been setting lately, where a documentary can edge out $160 million competitors in terms of quality.
+ Beautiful cinematography.
+ The animals are made into characters with struggles, flaws, failures and successes, and one will undoubtedly empathize.
+ It is paced well, with captions notifying you of the current season and the scenes remaining relatively quick (not in a bad way).
+ The film includes an interesting interpretation of the harsh reality in nature.
9/10
90%
A
The film centers on various Chinese wildlife; one being a snow leopard named Dawa struggling to collect the needed food for her two cubs. With increasing competition and food supply decreasing, Dawa struggles to maintain her cubs' health. The second is that of Tao-Tao, a golden snub-nosed monkey who is constantly plagued by his family's bias to a newborn sister. Tao-Tao joins a group of misfits, referenced as "The Lost Boys," but still finds himself lonely. The third is a panda named Ya-Ya and her baby daughter Mei- Mei (pronounced "My-My," apparently). As Mei-Mei grows older, Ya- Ya is forced to confront her daughter's maturity and newfound independence. Finally, there is a herd of chiru, who are there for little plot complexity and more for cinematography.
Sometimes in nature documentaries, the director's abundant desire for humor/story development begins to overtake the film. This is not necessarily a bad thing; jokes and story are good in small doses. But with too much, the attention is detracted from the actual entertainment (the animals) and more to something that won't satisfy. Sadly, many Disney Nature films have fallen victim to this, and "Born in China" maintains a serviceable, if not entirely balanced, scale between these two conflicting features. That is not to say the film is not without fault; Krasinski, while of talent, does not do the film justice with mediocre narrating. Most of the jokes are meant to be cute, but with Krasinski's delivery, something goes wrong, leaving a decent quip that may have earned my half-hearted chortle acquainted with silence. As a whole, "Born in China" is deservant of some of the detractions mentioned on this forum and on my review. As a whole, however, the film is entertaining and somewhat educational. I would recommend it over some of the recent releases. So, yes, go see it. It definitely will beat "Beauty and the Beast," "Boss Baby," and maybe even "Gifted." What low standards for film we've been setting lately, where a documentary can edge out $160 million competitors in terms of quality.
+ Beautiful cinematography.
+ The animals are made into characters with struggles, flaws, failures and successes, and one will undoubtedly empathize.
+ It is paced well, with captions notifying you of the current season and the scenes remaining relatively quick (not in a bad way).
+ The film includes an interesting interpretation of the harsh reality in nature.
- Krasinski's narrating.
9/10
90%
A
Disney needs to do better
sherylchilders8210 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
*** SPOILERS ***
I was really depressed after watching this, but felt better after reading reviews of people who felt the same way. There is very rare footage of snow leopard cubs, but the mother dies trying to hunt for them. At the end, it leaves it totally open as to what has happened to them, but unless the crew intervened, they definitely died. I understand that nature documentaries are meant to simply document wild animal behavior without intervening, but sometimes you wonder why. If I see a starving animal, and I am able, should I not feed it? Of course we can't save all the animals in the wild, but why not spend the money on enriching their habitats and helping them, rather than just recording their tragedies? I certainly hope the cubs were at least taken to a zoo, but it just seems like they left them to die. I was curious so did some research, and found that nature documentarians themselves have in the past been guilty of animal cruelty (as have other filmmakers with animal stars), and Disney themselves has had horrible controversies in its history (throwing lemmings to their death in White Wilderness apparently misrepresenting supposed animal suicidal behavior). Although I appreciate the educational aspects of the DisneyNature films, and purchase them all for their cultural significance, I found this ending to be one of the more unsavory of the lot, with little effort to disguise their callousness or lack of concern for the animals which they filmed and made a profit from. If Disney is going to keep making documentaries this way, I would really like to see some kind of code of standards that they follow and proof that they uphold those standards no matter where they are filming and no matter what the laws are where they are filmed. As a biologist, I have a deep love of nature and all living things, and with the kind of profits and influence Disney has in the world, I would like to see them dedicate some of their power to solving natural problems in the world, or to helping individual animals and species to live longer healthier lives in nature.
I was really depressed after watching this, but felt better after reading reviews of people who felt the same way. There is very rare footage of snow leopard cubs, but the mother dies trying to hunt for them. At the end, it leaves it totally open as to what has happened to them, but unless the crew intervened, they definitely died. I understand that nature documentaries are meant to simply document wild animal behavior without intervening, but sometimes you wonder why. If I see a starving animal, and I am able, should I not feed it? Of course we can't save all the animals in the wild, but why not spend the money on enriching their habitats and helping them, rather than just recording their tragedies? I certainly hope the cubs were at least taken to a zoo, but it just seems like they left them to die. I was curious so did some research, and found that nature documentarians themselves have in the past been guilty of animal cruelty (as have other filmmakers with animal stars), and Disney themselves has had horrible controversies in its history (throwing lemmings to their death in White Wilderness apparently misrepresenting supposed animal suicidal behavior). Although I appreciate the educational aspects of the DisneyNature films, and purchase them all for their cultural significance, I found this ending to be one of the more unsavory of the lot, with little effort to disguise their callousness or lack of concern for the animals which they filmed and made a profit from. If Disney is going to keep making documentaries this way, I would really like to see some kind of code of standards that they follow and proof that they uphold those standards no matter where they are filming and no matter what the laws are where they are filmed. As a biologist, I have a deep love of nature and all living things, and with the kind of profits and influence Disney has in the world, I would like to see them dedicate some of their power to solving natural problems in the world, or to helping individual animals and species to live longer healthier lives in nature.
Born in China
0U20 February 2020
Born in China is the best Disneynature release since their first film Earth. It is a departure from the one species centered films they have been releasing the last couple of years. Instead, Born in China uses remarkably intimate cinematography and footage to capture the lives of several species living the in the beautifully natural outskirts of China. The four main storylines are all alternately adorable (pandas!) and sometimes tragic and heart-wrenching. Disney weaves its magic in the tales of the families and the film never devolves into overly sentimental and manipulative, which couldn't necessarily be said about Chimpanzee and Bears. Disney also does a good job showing the true Circle of Life consequences, especially during the snow leopard chunk of the story which is also the most emotional. Born in China could have done with a few more facts on the issues of endangerment the creatures face and the idea of global warming, but it isn't a huge deal when the film is this engaging, emotional and beautifully photographed. It is a nice, pleasant Earth Day release that is mercifully brief.
Raising up a child in the wild, ain't an easy task.
Reno-Rangan24 September 2017
The common tern we all have heard is 'made in china'. Thankfully, it is not about that cheap thing. It's about those beautiful, magnificent creatures born in those regions. Well, I've not seen many documentaries set in that place. So I was happy to watch it, but wasn't that excited as I do for any Disney films. It was the next destination for DisneyNature after venturing in Sri Lanka for 'Monkey Kingdom'. The tenth film. If you are a DisneyNature fan, brace yourself for the wild adventure.
From the director of one of the most uneasy war films I've ever watched, 'The City of Life and Death'. That's the best, as well as the worst decision the DisneyNature had made. He's the best choice since the documentary is about china's wildlife. He knows his nation well than any western filmmakers. The production quality was top notch. But he did not understand the DisneyNature's way of filmmaking, if this film is not only made for Chinese audience.
Apart from those, it was quite an enjoyable flick. Little fun in the parts, as well as gets emotional towards the ending. From cranes to giant panda, monkeys, snow leopard and Tibetan antelope, the narration divides four ways. For every few minutes focusing on these creatures' families, the film reveals the story of their young ones from birth to growing to adult. Like how their mother dedicates to raise them, and the lessons they learn from their clan, as well as their own from their instinct. Then final the storytelling comes to halt when those youngsters set to begin their next stage of life.
❝The joy a mother receives from raising a cub from birth, however... is worth a thousand farewells.❞
First of all, you must understand the DisneyNature production type. If you know, well, that's good. But if you don't, then know that its products are targeted for little kids. Not like BBC, Nat Geo or any other nature documentaries that expose only reality. Here they identify the character and give a name, then create a story around it in the post production, that's similar to the human's for the kids to understand it better. Especially the harsh parts are trimmed out. Like Disney's fairy-tale, only you are going to witness them in the nature version without magics.
I'm an adult, and I think it was an okay film. Not because what I stated in the previous paragraph, but I've been following DisneyNature films since its inception and this could be the least best one. I said the least best, not the worst. Tell me who would hate Disney films for being soft and touchy! Yep, only the grown ups do.
Visually extraordinary, but not the story they have added to it. Narrated by John Krasinki. He did a good job as what they have told him to do. Though my issue is they were lying about everything. I don't think that's what the children should be learning. So on that perspective, this film is not for anyone above 9 years of age, otherwise it will be mislead. I prefer to show them BBC nature documentaries instead. Nonetheless, it is worth a watch once.
7/10
From the director of one of the most uneasy war films I've ever watched, 'The City of Life and Death'. That's the best, as well as the worst decision the DisneyNature had made. He's the best choice since the documentary is about china's wildlife. He knows his nation well than any western filmmakers. The production quality was top notch. But he did not understand the DisneyNature's way of filmmaking, if this film is not only made for Chinese audience.
Apart from those, it was quite an enjoyable flick. Little fun in the parts, as well as gets emotional towards the ending. From cranes to giant panda, monkeys, snow leopard and Tibetan antelope, the narration divides four ways. For every few minutes focusing on these creatures' families, the film reveals the story of their young ones from birth to growing to adult. Like how their mother dedicates to raise them, and the lessons they learn from their clan, as well as their own from their instinct. Then final the storytelling comes to halt when those youngsters set to begin their next stage of life.
❝The joy a mother receives from raising a cub from birth, however... is worth a thousand farewells.❞
First of all, you must understand the DisneyNature production type. If you know, well, that's good. But if you don't, then know that its products are targeted for little kids. Not like BBC, Nat Geo or any other nature documentaries that expose only reality. Here they identify the character and give a name, then create a story around it in the post production, that's similar to the human's for the kids to understand it better. Especially the harsh parts are trimmed out. Like Disney's fairy-tale, only you are going to witness them in the nature version without magics.
I'm an adult, and I think it was an okay film. Not because what I stated in the previous paragraph, but I've been following DisneyNature films since its inception and this could be the least best one. I said the least best, not the worst. Tell me who would hate Disney films for being soft and touchy! Yep, only the grown ups do.
Visually extraordinary, but not the story they have added to it. Narrated by John Krasinki. He did a good job as what they have told him to do. Though my issue is they were lying about everything. I don't think that's what the children should be learning. So on that perspective, this film is not for anyone above 9 years of age, otherwise it will be mislead. I prefer to show them BBC nature documentaries instead. Nonetheless, it is worth a watch once.
7/10
Born in China
wallybax-8951131 May 2017
Decided to see this film after seeing clips on TV. I have been a fan of this kind of movie ever since Disney did them back in the 19 60's This film touched the kind of life led by several species of animals. My wife and I were moved and thrilled to be able to watch the excellent photography and hear the technicians explain what happened in the various situations. We heartily recommend this film to anyone (any age) who is able to focus for approximately 90 minutes.
Animals are very lovely
yoggwork19 February 2019
Animals are very lovely, Lu Chuan has a fairly good work after a long time. Disadvantages, at the beginning, we talked about a lot of animals, but there are actually three protagonists. Of course, the documentary narrative is such an important element that it's drunk to find such a ragged voice.
Beautifully shot with fun narration, excellent cinematography and an inspiring story.
rannynm21 April 2017
Born in China is a beautifully shot documentary with fun narration, excellent cinematography and an inspiring story. I love the visual splendor of this film and I am still in awe from some of the shots of the vast Chinese landscape.
Narrated by John Krasinski (NBC's The Office, Amazon's Jack Ryan), Born in China chronicles the lives of three animals: Ya Ya, a giant panda who lives surrounded by bamboo and peace with her growing cub, the mischievous monkey Tao Tao who yearns for attention after the birth of his baby sister and later joins a group of outcasts, and the snow leopard Dawa struggling to protect her cubs from predators in harsh conditions. The film also follows the journey of a herd of chiru as they migrate to give birth to their young.
Born in China is one of the rare films that perfectly captures the magic and excitement of nature on screen. Not only does it have footage of some of the cutest animals on earth, but you really get to know some of the animals and their personalities. Also it has great shots of the stunning landscape of China that you're not going to find in any other movie.
John Krasinski is very versatile in his role as narrator. He knows his young audience well and adds some fun dialogue to make it more appealing to them. His narration also goes very well with what is going on on screen and is key in helping you understand the animals.vOne flaw is that the subplot with the chiru feels unneeded. Unlike other story lines, there is no main character to gravitate toward or follow. It feels like extra baggage that overcrowds the movie.
One of the best parts is that it demonstrates the animals showcasing basic values we see in society today. The lesson I took away is that the importance of family outweighs everything else, no matter what situation you're in. Tao Tao goes to roam with The Lost Boys because he can't find attention at home but later he learns that those who care for you will be there when you need them.
I recommend this film for ages 4 to 18. It's pretty much suited for all ages, but some animal violence makes it a unsuitable for very young children. It also will be very much enjoyed by adults. I give Born in China 3.5 out of 5 stars. It arrives in theaters just in time for Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Don't forget to stay for the credits for a series of bloopers and outtakes.
Reviewed by Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.
Narrated by John Krasinski (NBC's The Office, Amazon's Jack Ryan), Born in China chronicles the lives of three animals: Ya Ya, a giant panda who lives surrounded by bamboo and peace with her growing cub, the mischievous monkey Tao Tao who yearns for attention after the birth of his baby sister and later joins a group of outcasts, and the snow leopard Dawa struggling to protect her cubs from predators in harsh conditions. The film also follows the journey of a herd of chiru as they migrate to give birth to their young.
Born in China is one of the rare films that perfectly captures the magic and excitement of nature on screen. Not only does it have footage of some of the cutest animals on earth, but you really get to know some of the animals and their personalities. Also it has great shots of the stunning landscape of China that you're not going to find in any other movie.
John Krasinski is very versatile in his role as narrator. He knows his young audience well and adds some fun dialogue to make it more appealing to them. His narration also goes very well with what is going on on screen and is key in helping you understand the animals.vOne flaw is that the subplot with the chiru feels unneeded. Unlike other story lines, there is no main character to gravitate toward or follow. It feels like extra baggage that overcrowds the movie.
One of the best parts is that it demonstrates the animals showcasing basic values we see in society today. The lesson I took away is that the importance of family outweighs everything else, no matter what situation you're in. Tao Tao goes to roam with The Lost Boys because he can't find attention at home but later he learns that those who care for you will be there when you need them.
I recommend this film for ages 4 to 18. It's pretty much suited for all ages, but some animal violence makes it a unsuitable for very young children. It also will be very much enjoyed by adults. I give Born in China 3.5 out of 5 stars. It arrives in theaters just in time for Earth Day, April 22, 2017. Don't forget to stay for the credits for a series of bloopers and outtakes.
Reviewed by Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.
Born in China is okay for what it is so I'll leave it at that
tavm28 April 2017
When I decided to watch a movie with my movie theatre-working friend today, this is what we ended up seeing. I don't normally watch nature documentaries and after seeing this one, it may be a while before I watch another one. The scenes are beautiful, John Krasinski does nice narration, some of the animal action and the speeding up of film to show nature evolving is nice. Perhaps too nice as I had to fight sleep most of the time but my friend did laugh at some of the scenes. The most interesting part for me was the footage of the filmmakers explaining waiting for the weather to be just right to film in during the end credits sequence. So on that note, I'll just say Born in China is worth a look if you like these kind of films.
"Born in China" is a wonderfully shot, well-edited and important nature documentary.
dave-mcclain23 April 2017
Few people think about The Walt Disney Company in these terms, but Disney has a long history of nature conservation – and it's a growing point of emphasis for the entertainment conglomerate – as the 2017 feature-length documentary "Born in China" (G, 1:16) illustrates in a several ways. Since 1998, the zoological theme park, "Disney's Animal Kingdom" in Orlando, Florida, has been educating visitors about nature, while taking care of a number of wild animals and working to conserve various species. But even before that, Disney was raising awareness of nature conservation issues by doing what they do best – making movies. From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, Walt Disney Studios produced fourteen "True-Life Adventures" nature films, which won eight Academy Awards, including three Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature category. Inspired by the success of the French-made 2005 Oscar-winning documentary feature "The March of the Penguins", Disney created an independent film unit called Disneynature, headquartered in Paris and established on April 21, 2008 (the day before Earth Day). After such successes as "Earth", "Oceans", "African Cats", "Chimpanzee" and "Monkey Kingdom", "Born in China" is the 10th nature documentary produced by Disneynature. That movie was produced in conjunction with China's Shanghai Media Group, just the latest example of the growing cooperation between the American and Chinese film industries, and the documentary was released in U.S. theaters on April 21, 2017, the day before Earth Day, and the ninth anniversary of the founding of Disneynature.
"Born in China" is narrated (in its English-language version) by actor John Krasinski (and in its Chinese-language version by award-winning Chinese actress Xun Zhou). The film follows four specific family units of different animal species in remote western China over the period of about one year, while also highlighting some of the other animal and bird species in that region. The movie opens with some footage of red-crowned cranes which, according to Chinese folklore, transport the souls of other animals every time the majestic birds take flight. Then, the action turns to those four animal families in their natural habitats, interacting with each other and with other furry and feathered creatures, while negotiating and surviving in the midst of the harsh and unforgiving terrain and weather conditions in which they live. And all the while, there is nary a homo sapien in sight until the film's closing credits.
Those four animal families on which the film focuses include pandas, monkeys, leopards and the Tibetan antelope known as chiru. That last animal receives the least attention in the film (except for the few bird species which make limited appearances), but we do see the birth of a baby chiru which immediately begins bonding with its mother, quickly learns to walk and eventually joins the heard on the long trek back to the male chiru from which the females had been separated for a time. Most of the film centers on specific animals from those other three species, alternating between them and telling their stories, with a scientifically-based, but distinctly human and sometimes whimsical interpretation of their lives.
The viewer revisits each animal family several times throughout the movie, learning their routines and following the journey of their lives, while enjoying personalizations of a few specific characters. We meet a golden snub-nose monkey called Tao Tao (unclear whether that's his real name or his stage name) who is two years old and seems to be jealous of the attention that his newborn sister receives from their mother. Tao Tao leaves his family for a while and hangs with a group of single male monkeys whom the narrator refers to as "the lost boys", but Tao Tao is torn between that group and his actual family. A female snow leopard named Dawa lives up in the mountains and struggles to provide food for her two young cubs as other snow leopards wander into her territory, making Dawa's hunts all the more challenging – and dangerous. Likely to be the favorite family for most Movie Fans is the giant panda mother, YaYa and her baby, Mei Mei (playing themselves throughout the movie). As Mei Mei (pronounced "My My" by the narrator) is practically smothered with love and affection by her mother, she explores the world around her and gains skills which cause her to need her mother less and less over time. With all of this film's animals and birds, the major themes are family, growth and the circle of life.
"Born in China" is a wonderfully shot, well-edited and important nature documentary. Writers David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman and Chuan Lu (who also directs) give us a good balance of animal science, natural drama and the "awwww" factor. John Krasinski does a solid but unremarkable job of telling these animal families' stories. The cinematography (which was painstakingly gathered, as we learn from short "making of" scenes during the closing credits) is gorgeous – and rare – in terms of its quality and content, which has seldom (if ever) been seen before on the big screen. Although there are some mildly upsetting (but brief and basically bloodless) moments of animals and birds gathering food in front of the camera, the movie mostly fosters joy, awe and an increased appreciation of the beauty and value of undisturbed nature. I have to say that I enjoyed 2015's "Monkey Kingdom" more, but this movie is impactful in its own ways. Besides merely entertaining audiences, "Born in China" furthers Disney's conservation priorities by raising money for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US) and offering resources for educators and activity packets for kids on its website (nature.disney.com/born-in-china) for free. This is a great family film which will entertain almost any Movie Fan – and help the magnificent creatures portrayed. "A-"
"Born in China" is narrated (in its English-language version) by actor John Krasinski (and in its Chinese-language version by award-winning Chinese actress Xun Zhou). The film follows four specific family units of different animal species in remote western China over the period of about one year, while also highlighting some of the other animal and bird species in that region. The movie opens with some footage of red-crowned cranes which, according to Chinese folklore, transport the souls of other animals every time the majestic birds take flight. Then, the action turns to those four animal families in their natural habitats, interacting with each other and with other furry and feathered creatures, while negotiating and surviving in the midst of the harsh and unforgiving terrain and weather conditions in which they live. And all the while, there is nary a homo sapien in sight until the film's closing credits.
Those four animal families on which the film focuses include pandas, monkeys, leopards and the Tibetan antelope known as chiru. That last animal receives the least attention in the film (except for the few bird species which make limited appearances), but we do see the birth of a baby chiru which immediately begins bonding with its mother, quickly learns to walk and eventually joins the heard on the long trek back to the male chiru from which the females had been separated for a time. Most of the film centers on specific animals from those other three species, alternating between them and telling their stories, with a scientifically-based, but distinctly human and sometimes whimsical interpretation of their lives.
The viewer revisits each animal family several times throughout the movie, learning their routines and following the journey of their lives, while enjoying personalizations of a few specific characters. We meet a golden snub-nose monkey called Tao Tao (unclear whether that's his real name or his stage name) who is two years old and seems to be jealous of the attention that his newborn sister receives from their mother. Tao Tao leaves his family for a while and hangs with a group of single male monkeys whom the narrator refers to as "the lost boys", but Tao Tao is torn between that group and his actual family. A female snow leopard named Dawa lives up in the mountains and struggles to provide food for her two young cubs as other snow leopards wander into her territory, making Dawa's hunts all the more challenging – and dangerous. Likely to be the favorite family for most Movie Fans is the giant panda mother, YaYa and her baby, Mei Mei (playing themselves throughout the movie). As Mei Mei (pronounced "My My" by the narrator) is practically smothered with love and affection by her mother, she explores the world around her and gains skills which cause her to need her mother less and less over time. With all of this film's animals and birds, the major themes are family, growth and the circle of life.
"Born in China" is a wonderfully shot, well-edited and important nature documentary. Writers David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman and Chuan Lu (who also directs) give us a good balance of animal science, natural drama and the "awwww" factor. John Krasinski does a solid but unremarkable job of telling these animal families' stories. The cinematography (which was painstakingly gathered, as we learn from short "making of" scenes during the closing credits) is gorgeous – and rare – in terms of its quality and content, which has seldom (if ever) been seen before on the big screen. Although there are some mildly upsetting (but brief and basically bloodless) moments of animals and birds gathering food in front of the camera, the movie mostly fosters joy, awe and an increased appreciation of the beauty and value of undisturbed nature. I have to say that I enjoyed 2015's "Monkey Kingdom" more, but this movie is impactful in its own ways. Besides merely entertaining audiences, "Born in China" furthers Disney's conservation priorities by raising money for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US) and offering resources for educators and activity packets for kids on its website (nature.disney.com/born-in-china) for free. This is a great family film which will entertain almost any Movie Fan – and help the magnificent creatures portrayed. "A-"
The Vidiot Reviews...
capone66616 August 2017
Born in China
Girls born in China know that they will grow up in a safe, white American suburb.
Unfortunately, as this documentary verifies, the same doesn't apply to every female species in China.
A single-mother snow leopard struggles to find nourishment for her young in China's merciless mountain region. Meanwhile in the jungle, the birth of a female golden snub-nosed monkey forces a neglected male to venture out on his own. Also leaving the nest is a giant panda whose mother is having a hard time letting her go.
Narrated by John Krasinski, Disney's latest nature documentary once again does an excellent job of capturing rare fauna in their native environments. Unfortunately, like the others in the eco-series, this maternal endeavour is also heavily edited to fit a desired narrative while the animals are given human characteristics.
By making the pandas human, however, just makes eating ginger beef that much more difficult.
Yellow Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
Girls born in China know that they will grow up in a safe, white American suburb.
Unfortunately, as this documentary verifies, the same doesn't apply to every female species in China.
A single-mother snow leopard struggles to find nourishment for her young in China's merciless mountain region. Meanwhile in the jungle, the birth of a female golden snub-nosed monkey forces a neglected male to venture out on his own. Also leaving the nest is a giant panda whose mother is having a hard time letting her go.
Narrated by John Krasinski, Disney's latest nature documentary once again does an excellent job of capturing rare fauna in their native environments. Unfortunately, like the others in the eco-series, this maternal endeavour is also heavily edited to fit a desired narrative while the animals are given human characteristics.
By making the pandas human, however, just makes eating ginger beef that much more difficult.
Yellow Light
vidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
A perfect documentary
adorerreza18 October 2020
A perfect documentary. About the unique animals of China. What completes this documentary the most is the unique editing and great music. Watching this new documentary, I realized how attractive pandas are. Especially baby pandas.The beautiful nature of China and the wonderful animals of this great country are well portrayed in this documentary.
Watch with the kids!
dlamppa19 March 2020
Wild China
TheLittleSongbird7 December 2020
The DisneyNature documentaries are interesting enough though some are better than others, for examples 2011's 'African Cats' being very good and 2020's 'Elephant' being a let down. The most common plus points being that they are all amazingly photographed and the scenery and animals are every bit as awe-inspiring. But when it comes to narration (writing and delivery) and tone the documentaries vary in quality, some work and others don't.
2016's 'Born in China' is one of the DisneyNature documentaries that could have been a lot better and didn't work as well as it ought to have done. The production values are extremely high but when it comes to the narration (John Krasinski on paper sounded wrong narrating a nature documentary so that already raised alarm bells) it is near-disastrous all round. As far as they go, 'Born in China' is in the lower end and am saying this with regret, being a fan of both Disney and documentaries.
'Born in China's' best aspect is the photography, which is nothing short of stunning. Likewise with the scenery, where the colour literally bursts out while also showing that the habitats can pose challenges for the animals. The music is grandiose without being over the top, while having some nice variety of tone.
In terms of footage, the footage visually is a wonder and unlike anything seen before by me. The animals, a nice mix of familiar and not so much and a mix of prey and predator, look photogenic and have a lot of personality that is more than just cute (quite wide-ranging and individual).
So sad though that the narration and the pace are massive minus points. The writing of the narration, as well as too talky, is very childish, if it was trying to appeal to younger audiences it was taken to extremes here, and tends to have a talking down to people quality. There is little sincere about the content and nothing struck me as illuminating, not to mention like some other DisneyNature documentaries it has a bad habit of over-explaining what's going on in a contrived way. And then it was delivered by Krasinski in a way that does not fit with what is going on in the imagery, even for the writing it was like he was acting out a mild comedy sketch, and is well over-the-top.
Pacing is pretty poor in 'Born in China'. It feels incredibly rushed, as a result of being far too short (it needed to be at least 15 minutes longer) and trying to squeeze in too much content. As incredible as the footage and animals took, not enough time is taken to explore them properly, very "talk about one thing and then a few minutes later literally jump to another" quality. The editing also tended to be too gimmicky and choppy, with a feeling of incompleteness. 'Born in China' tonally is a muddle, we have childish narration and then we have scenes that will disturb younger viewers and make adults understandably question the target audience. The storytelling is too contrived, too underdeveloped, too rushed and at times too schmaltzy to allow me to invest emotionally in what was going on.
On the whole, a disappointment. 4/10
2016's 'Born in China' is one of the DisneyNature documentaries that could have been a lot better and didn't work as well as it ought to have done. The production values are extremely high but when it comes to the narration (John Krasinski on paper sounded wrong narrating a nature documentary so that already raised alarm bells) it is near-disastrous all round. As far as they go, 'Born in China' is in the lower end and am saying this with regret, being a fan of both Disney and documentaries.
'Born in China's' best aspect is the photography, which is nothing short of stunning. Likewise with the scenery, where the colour literally bursts out while also showing that the habitats can pose challenges for the animals. The music is grandiose without being over the top, while having some nice variety of tone.
In terms of footage, the footage visually is a wonder and unlike anything seen before by me. The animals, a nice mix of familiar and not so much and a mix of prey and predator, look photogenic and have a lot of personality that is more than just cute (quite wide-ranging and individual).
So sad though that the narration and the pace are massive minus points. The writing of the narration, as well as too talky, is very childish, if it was trying to appeal to younger audiences it was taken to extremes here, and tends to have a talking down to people quality. There is little sincere about the content and nothing struck me as illuminating, not to mention like some other DisneyNature documentaries it has a bad habit of over-explaining what's going on in a contrived way. And then it was delivered by Krasinski in a way that does not fit with what is going on in the imagery, even for the writing it was like he was acting out a mild comedy sketch, and is well over-the-top.
Pacing is pretty poor in 'Born in China'. It feels incredibly rushed, as a result of being far too short (it needed to be at least 15 minutes longer) and trying to squeeze in too much content. As incredible as the footage and animals took, not enough time is taken to explore them properly, very "talk about one thing and then a few minutes later literally jump to another" quality. The editing also tended to be too gimmicky and choppy, with a feeling of incompleteness. 'Born in China' tonally is a muddle, we have childish narration and then we have scenes that will disturb younger viewers and make adults understandably question the target audience. The storytelling is too contrived, too underdeveloped, too rushed and at times too schmaltzy to allow me to invest emotionally in what was going on.
On the whole, a disappointment. 4/10
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