The Movie: Born In China
The Director: Chuan Lu
The Cast: John Krasinski, Xun Zhou (Narrators)
The Story: Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda bear and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby sister, and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs.
The Review:
Oh my goodness, this is such a beautiful movie. Disneynature has absolutely hit their stride in putting together movies that are informative and entertaining and are tailor made for family outings at the movie theater. When I saw the movie, the theater was filled with families and groups filled with kids of all ages and just about everyone was engaged from beginning to end. It's really interesting to see how the film makers can take years of footage and edit it all together to create stories that are compelling, funny, and emotionally impactful.
When you've got a roster of "talent" to pull from like snow leopards and panda bears, there will be no shortage of cuteness but what really makes this a great film is the dramatic storytelling that actually left a good portion of the audience in tears before it was over. I'm not going to give anything specific away, but there is a tragic loss that occurs during the movie although it is told within a very specific context and punctuates the overall theme which is basically the same circle of life mantra that was made famous in The Lion King. I felt this should be pointed out so parents can be prepared for some potentially serious discussion with their little ones about life and loss.
The Verdict:
Born in China is a very well made movie that shows off the wonders of previously unseen lands from deep in the heart of China's mainland. The cinematography is beautiful and, during the credits, we get to see some of the painstaking work and amazing levels of patience that go into creating each and every moment that is put on screen. Disneynature has established a track record of making great films and this one is certainly no exception.
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