This review is a going to be a little different from the norm. It is that time of year where Earth Day is upon us, and Disney has a tradition to release a new film from its Disneynature brand, which also pledges to give proceeds from their opening weekends to Disney Conservation funds.
“Born in China” is the new film directed by Chuan Lu (Mountain Patrol, The Last Supper) and is narrated by John Krasinski (The Office, 13 Hours). The film has no human actors as it is a documentary following a year in the lives of a panda and her cub, a snow leopard and her two cubs, a young golden monkey, and a pack of Chiru.
At about 75 minutes long (which may be short compared to other films), this is the right length. The plot is good for adults following the struggle, but the narration and the animals will keep young kids interested and will not confuse them, which Krasinski does well with a warm feel to his voice, which makes the film so much better than if it had an elder man with an English accent narrating it. It has its cute moments that just about everyone will enjoy, but on the other hand it shows the true struggle of the animals where everyday can be life or death with a couple moments that show the bad side of nature, but it does it in a way where it will not upset young children.
When it comes to the look of the film, I was blown away. Some of the nature scenes are just beautiful due to its top-notch cinematography. The film also shows the beauty of the animals in their natural environment which combined with great sound mixing made me feel like I was actually in the location watching the events unfold. This film is great for the entire family, and will recommend it as a matinee or twilight showing in the theaters.