‘Born in China’ brings us up close to adorable animals from afar
Striking shots of misty mountains and a glorious river give way to myriad images of the adorable young animals in “Born in China.”
The very well-done entry from DisneyNature — the latest Earth Day-timed release from the independent nature-documentary arm of Walt Disney Studios — is packed with impactful visuals. While there is much to appreciate in the landscape in this huge, far-away land, it is, of course, its animal life that is celebrated in “Born in China.”
“China is a land of myth and mystery almost inconceivably vast and diverse,” narrator John Krasinski (“The Office,” “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”) tells us early on in “Born in China.”
Soon after, we are shown red-crowned cranes and told they are “a symbol of longevity and good fortune” in China.
“It is said that when a crane takes flight,” Krasinski says in a whimsical, kid-friendly voice, “it carries along the spirt of a departed creature from this world to the next.”
However, “Born in China” then narrows its focus to the species it will showcase, in three of the four cases via a specific family unit.
First, we meet a snow leopard and her two cubs, which thrive in mountainous terrain in the Qinghai province on the northeast rim of the Tibetan plateau. At 5,000 meters above sea level, it is an area that would be too cold for many mammals, we learn. Throughout the course of “Born in China,” this mother will struggle to maintain control of her turf and even find food for her young.
Next are the golden snub-nosed monkeys, fascinating and frollicking little primates who climb, jump, swing, hang out and run in the Hubei Shennongjia National Nature Reserve near the Yangtze River. Krasinski informs us the families of such a species have one father but several mothers, or at least multiple females who help care for the young. The story focuses on a young male who, after the birth of his sister, becomes jealous and joins a group of male youth termed “The Lost Boys.” Becoming a part of this group, Krasinski says, is akin to joining the circus — only with fewer rules.
“These boys don’t seem to have a care in the world.”
(Images of The Lost Boys being exhausted after a big round of mischief is one of the memorable images from this film from Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan (“The Last Supper”).
Before “Born in China” has concluded, the young boy will have a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his father, made furious by his leaving the family.
The main attraction of “Born in China,” at least if the promotional images are any indication, are a female panda and her cub in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in the Sichuan Province. The film paints the adult as a “helicopter mom,” afraid to let her child do much on her own. Perhaps the most adorable moment in the film is when a leaf lands on the child, causing it to roll and roll (and roll) down a hillside.
Less engrossing is time spent with the chiru, a type of antelope, filmed in the Kekexili National Nature Reserve. While the animals are fairly interesting, the filmmaking team never zeroes in on any specifically. This is understandable, considering every year the females migrate to a lake and return to the males when their calves are old enough to make the journey. When they are reunited, however, the animals are unsure of the identities of their partners and look for new ones.
Like previous Earth Day (April 22 this year) releases from DisneyNature, which include “African Cats” (2011), “Chimpanzee” (2012) and “Monkey Kingdom” (2015), “Born in China” sticks to the formula of pairing generally spectacular photography — the return of spring is chronicled in a brief but brilliant time-lapse sequence — with a childfriendly narrative. Young viewers will learn about what, for instance, pandas eat (up to 40 pounds of bamboo per day!), as well the ongoing cycle of life. Adults are likely to gain a few tidbits, but not as much as if they watched, say, the spectacular recent BBC documentary series “Planet Earth II.”
Like all the Disney-Nature films, “Born in China” is easy to recommend as a family-viewing experience. The film: ‘Born in China’ In theaters: April 21. Rated: G. Runtime: 1 hour, 19 minutes. Stars (of four): 3.