The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope
-Wendell Berry
With Earth Day just one week away, my kids and I are talking about what more we can do this year to help protect and care for the environment. From a very young age, I taught my children about the importance of turning off lights, recycling, and being mindful of waste. It has almost become second nature for us to do these things…using environmentally-friendly products in our home, shopping locally, and buying organic when it makes sense. At times, it seems like we have exhausted the ways our family can be environmentally responsible, yet there is always something to be done. Recently, I took my son to see Disneynature’s latest film, Wings of Life, perfectly timed for Earth Month. The film, which is narrated by Meryl Streep, is a stunning, up-close look at the pollinators and their vital collaboration with flowers.
Over the weekend, my children and I had a picnic at our local park. We are fortunate to live amongst such incredible beauty, and as we sat and talked, I found myself more cognizant of the flowers that surrounded us. In the past, where I might have fled from a bee, on that afternoon, I was looking for one. Perhaps it is because I now know how critical bees are to our survival.
When director Louie Schwartzberg first learned that the bees, which are so integral to pollination of flowers and subsequently our food supply, were disappearing, he was motivated to take action. Too often we swat at a bee, or worse, simply ignore them, and this film raises awareness about their importance. More than just an environmental film, Schwartzberg soon realized that he could not tell a story about the bees, without telling a story about the flowers and how they co-evolve.
Interestingly enough, significant thought went into telling this story about the interplay between the pollinators and the flowers. But what were those stories? And how could audiences relate to daily occurrences that often go unnoticed? Through remarkable cinematography, including the use of a camera capable of shooting 1500 frames per second and a pinhole lens, the filmmakers were able to get within millimeters of an insect, offering an “intimate and breathtaking” look at nature. “I enjoy unveiling those magic moments that are hard to capture,” remarked Schwartzberg. His hope is that through this unique look at nature, audiences will see its beauty, compelling them to be more compassionate and more aware.
Wings of Life was shot on location in more than one dozen areas including the El Rosario Preserve in Michoacán, Mexico and the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park in Arizona. Through the film, audiences fly alongside butterflies, bees, and bats as they work to pollinate our planet. As you might imagine, there were many technical challenges the filmmaking team faced, as nature is unpredictable. Yet one of the greatest accomplishments noted by Schwartzberg was the capture of the pollination of the orchid blossom, which has never been done before.
My son and I talked about the film, and even at 5, he had a basic understanding and a newfound appreciation of the pollinators. The film is visually spectacular, but the message is significant: Protect the pollinators (Schwartzberg). The honeybees are disappearing and the population of monarch butterflies is at its lowest. If there is one thing that I walked away from the film with, it is the importance of being aware of the choices we make and being informed so that we can change our behavior.
Disneynature Wings of Life is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital, and On-Demand. To celebrate the release, Disneynature made a contribution to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to protect pollinators worldwide. The DWCF has already supported 20 projects across North America and through grants, have been able to save endangered butterflies, expand habitat for honeybees, and education children about the importance of pollinators and how to protect them.
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a screening and provided with a copy of the DVD, which helped facilitate the writing of this post.
Images: Disneynature
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