The first film under the new banner Disneynature is a feature-length documentary, and the visual results are spectacular.
Opening, fittingly, on Earth Day, Earth is a family film that is well worth seeing. Its depiction of the natural world is breathtaking and the animals and their behavior compelling.
The only thing lacking is the script. It seems a minor quibble in the face of such spectacular footage, augmented by the mellifluous voice of narrator James Earl Jones. But the words he is made to say border on platitudes and don’t illuminate or advance the ecological conversation.
The information imparted feels superficial and there are factual holes: A gorgeous waterfall somewhere on the African continent is never identified. Some animal species are labeled while other, less common varieties go without mention.
