Oceans

Posted on October 19, 2010 at 8:00 am

Forget about “Star Wars” and “Aliens” — there are creatures living beneath the waves on this very planet that are far weirder and more exotic than anything Hollywood has conjured up.
Huge, swooping creatures with bright speckles; shape transforming beasts that pounce and gobble up crabs; gelatinous monsters that glow; all this and more is captured in “Oceans,” from Disneynature.
The documentary is accompanied by a narration by Pierce Brosnan which sometimes gets overly flowery, but at its best adds an element of poetry to help young audiences understand that there is a larger significance to the images they are seeing. “Oceans” also offers a message of concern about pollution and the environment (appropriate for its Earth Day release). But the star of “Oceans” is clearly not the words but the pictures, and they are worth the price of admission many times over.
Scenes of the predatory side of ocean life are kept to a minimum, and are usually shot from a tasteful distance. There are cute moments — a sea otter floating on it back in the sunshine at Monterey bay keeps a rock on its stomach, to use in cracking open the shellfish it gobbles up– and tender moments– an ugly mother walrus sweetly nuzzles her even uglier baby walrus, or a mother seal coaxing her baby into the water for the first time. The cameras of directors/writers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud do a good job of conveying the vast range of the ocean, by contrasting the powerful crashing of immense waves in a storm with quiet glimpses of delicate life forms suspended in the tranquil depths; they contrast huge whales with tiny one celled creatures.


Parents should know that the movie may be too long for squirmy younger children and there are a few scary-looking creatures and predators who eat other animals.
Family discussion: Which was your favorite creature? What can we do to help the oceans stay healthy? Visit a beach or an aquarium.
If you like this, try: “Earth” and “Finding Nemo”

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Documentary Environment/Green For the Whole Family

2 Replies to “Oceans”

  1. Do you remember Disney’s “True Life Adventures” that were seen on their Wonderful World of Color. They were magnificant. This seems to be from the same vein – not nature “tooth and claw” (so what do they all eat), but beautiful in its diversity.
    My favorite kind of day involves floating face down, snorkel and mask in place (no fins! oversized floppy feet endanger the wildlife) and an underwater camera at hand, drifting over coral reefs and near coastal rocks. The ocean is as mysterious and healing as it is dangerous and awesome.
    Just waiting to see Nemo or Crush pass by.

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