Top 10 Best Nature Documentaries
Damn nature, you scary! For this list, we’ll be looking at documentary films that examine animals and the natural world.
Transcript
00:00 a multi-billion dollar corporation that makes its money through the exploitation of orcas."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top ten nature documentaries.
00:11 "When the last of the clan has finally clambered onto the ice, their long march will begin."
00:16 For this list, we'll be looking at documentary films that examine animals and the natural
00:21 world.
00:22 We want to keep the scope of this list limited to more up-to-date productions, so we'll
00:26 only consider documentaries made after 2000.
00:30 Tell us what your favorite nature documentaries are in the comments below.
00:34 Number 10.
00:35 The Year Earth Changed.
00:37 2020 was a year that many people have less than fond memories of, but the lockdowns and
00:42 travel bans that drew so much ire gave us a glimpse into another world.
00:46 "March 2020.
00:47 A deadly virus sweeps around the world.
00:54 Overnight our lives are put on pause."
00:57 In The Year Earth Changed, legendary nature narrator and biologist David Attenborough
01:03 took a look at how this great pause by humanity offered a chance for the natural world to
01:08 breathe.
01:09 "This is a unique opportunity to peer into the lives and worlds of wildlife and see what
01:14 things look like without as much of our interaction."
01:19 From sea turtles to leopards and even endangered jackass penguins, animals recovered at an
01:24 astounding rate.
01:25 Meanwhile, carbon emissions, sea pollution, and more have all gone down.
01:30 As the lockdowns end, the film asks if we can continue to live in harmony with nature.
01:34 "If we are to thrive in the future, now is the crucial moment to find ways to share our
01:43 planet with all the life on earth."
01:49 Number 9.
01:50 Chasing coral.
01:51 For decades, scientists had observed the frighteningly quick death of coral reefs around the world,
01:56 but their pleas for help fell on deaf ears.
01:58 "Phil told me that we've lost 80 to 90 percent of corals in Florida.
02:05 I had no idea that these issues were so advanced."
02:11 Enter Richard Weavers, an adman from the advertising world with a passion for diving among the
02:16 coral.
02:17 Weavers sought to use his skills to get the message to motivate people to combat climate
02:21 change and save the reefs.
02:22 "One of the biggest issues with the ocean is that it is completely out of sight and
02:27 out of mind, and that essentially is an advertising issue."
02:30 Teaming with Jeff Orlowski, director of Chasing Ice, the team of divers also sought to create
02:36 time lapses of corals dying.
02:38 The result showed some of the most vibrant and beautiful things on earth decaying into
02:43 drab, mossy graveyards.
02:45 "What we're doing is pulling out the card called coral reefs from this house of cards.
02:51 And the real fear is that we'll take out enough of those cards where the whole thing
02:55 will just simply collapse."
02:56 Number 8.
02:57 The Ivory Game.
02:59 This entry can be considered as much of a true crime documentary as it is a nature one.
03:03 The Ivory Game focuses on the people putting their lives on the line by going up against
03:07 poachers as well as the black market ivory trade spanning multiple continents.
03:11 "Every time something bad happens, you're losing much, much more than just an individual
03:16 animal.
03:17 Because elephants have an amazing memory and they can live 60, 70 years."
03:22 In Africa, anti-poaching teams both try to protect elephants against dangerous poachers
03:27 and also attempt to catch the poachers while raiding their gun stashes.
03:31 It also focuses on where the illegal ivory trade is prevalent in Asia, with teams including
03:36 journalists going undercover.
03:38 "The reason why thousands and thousands of elephants are slaughtered every year is because
03:44 we have a legal market in China.
03:48 The problem is that this legal market can rely only on a small quantity of ivory that
03:54 the Chinese government distributes."
03:56 Ultimately, the film highlights that this issue is an international one, and we are
04:00 all more connected to it than it may seem.
04:03 "Ivory trafficking is a serious business.
04:06 There are powerful individuals that are making a lot of money and they are able to control
04:10 politicians, security officers.
04:13 So you don't easily go to police to report a crime."
04:17 Number 7.
04:19 Grizzly Man
04:20 This film is a fascinating look at both the grizzly bears of Alaska and the man who spent
04:24 13 seasons living with them.
04:26 "I love them with all my heart.
04:27 I will protect them.
04:28 I will die for them.
04:30 But I will not die at their claws and paws.
04:33 I will fight.
04:34 I will be strong.
04:35 I will be one of them.
04:36 I will be the master."
04:39 Grizzly Man carries with it a sense of melancholy and foreboding about human nature, in the
04:44 way that only director Werner Herzog can deliver with his iconic accent.
04:48 "Treadwell reached out, seeking a primordial encounter.
04:52 But in doing so, he crossed an invisible borderline."
04:57 Compiled from over a hundred hours of footage shot by Timothy Treadwell, who, along with
05:02 his girlfriend, was ultimately killed by his beloved bears, the film asks questions about
05:07 obsession and identity, and ultimately, what lines should be crossed between humans and
05:12 nature.
05:13 "I think Treadwell thought these bears were big, scary-looking, harmless creatures that
05:19 he could go up and pet and sing to, and they would bond as children of the universe, or
05:26 some odd."
05:27 Number 6.
05:28 Flight of the Butterflies
05:30 Of course, creatures like elephants and grizzlies aren't the only subjects of documentaries,
05:34 as the lives of much smaller creatures can be just as fascinating.
05:38 "It has been said since Darwin's time that evolution is written on the wings of butterflies."
05:45 Flight of the Butterflies details the extraordinary odyssey the monarchs take from Mexico to Canada
05:51 and America that spans three of the winged insect's generations.
05:56 In just as an incredible journey, the flick also chronicles the decades-long research
06:00 mission by Fred and Nora Urquhart to discover their flight path.
06:04 "I had become a scientist, and finding where the monarchs went had become my quest.
06:13 I had the idea that sticking tags on butterflies might work."
06:17 Shot for 3D IMAX, the documentary is a truly impressive-looking film, with breathtaking
06:23 sequences of the monarchs in flight, and a stunning look at the metamorphosis from caterpillar
06:28 to butterfly.
06:29 "She warms her virgin wings, covered with over a million scales.
06:38 These wings will take her on a flight to a secret winter home."
06:43 Number 5.
06:44 The Cove
06:45 While it's not an objective documentary, this film certainly made waves when it came out.
06:50 "It's funny driving into Taiji, it's kind of like the Twilight Zone.
06:55 It's so bizarre, because if you didn't know what's going on over here, you would think
06:59 this is a town that loved dolphins and whales."
07:01 The Cove takes its name from an area in Taiji, Japan, where thousands of dolphins are corralled
07:07 and captured every year in a hunt.
07:09 Violently taken from their home, these dolphins are shipped to dolphinariums and marine parks
07:14 around the world to live in small tanks in depressing conditions.
07:18 "It's hard to see the problem, but the dolphin's smile is nature's greatest deception.
07:25 It creates the illusion they're always happy."
07:30 Unfortunately, those kidnapped are the lucky ones.
07:32 Tenfold more dolphins are taken to a side cove and are killed for their meat.
07:37 All of this is veiled in levels of secrecy and aggression from the government and fishermen,
07:42 with teams of activists and filmmakers literally putting their lives on the line to expose
07:47 what's going on.
07:48 "They would kill me if they could.
07:49 And I'm not exaggerating.
07:50 If these fishermen could catch me and kill me, they would."
07:56 Number four.
07:57 An inconvenient truth.
07:58 The inception for the film can be traced all the way back to at least 1989, when Al Gore
08:03 used a flip chart to illustrate the dangers of climate change.
08:06 "There is another such assumption that a lot of people have in their minds right now about
08:12 global warming that just ain't so."
08:15 Years and a vice presidency later, Gore felt like his message still wasn't being heard.
08:20 However, he had come a long way from flip charts.
08:23 After seeing Gore's environmental slideshow presentation at a town hall meeting, producer
08:28 Laurie David helped him develop a feature film.
08:31 "Ultimately, this is really not a political issue so much as a moral issue.
08:38 If we allow that to happen, it is deeply unethical."
08:44 The documentary incorporated charts, images taken from space, and even a clip from Futurama
08:49 to illustrate its point.
08:50 "That's the traditional explanation.
08:53 Here's what I think is a better explanation."
08:55 "Global warming, or none like it hot!"
09:03 It ended up being a huge success and helped turn the tide on public opinion on climate
09:08 change.
09:09 Number three.
09:10 Blackfish.
09:11 The film's harrowing tale looked at the captive killer whale, Tilikum, and the questionable
09:15 practices employed by SeaWorld.
09:17 "It takes years of study and experience to meet the strict requirements necessary to
09:23 interact in the water with chameleon."
09:26 "Come to find out, it really is more about your personality and how good you can swim."
09:30 The reported abuses and mental distress inflicted on Tilikum and other performing killer whales
09:36 in SeaWorld facilities make the film incredibly difficult to watch at times.
09:40 The film asserts that the mental pain, captivity, and isolation felt by the animal were factors
09:46 in the orca's attack on humans.
09:47 "In the newspaper articles, the cause of death was that she drowned accidentally, but
09:54 she was pulled under by the whale."
09:56 Despite orca attacks being rare in the wild with zero recorded fatalities in history,
10:01 Tilikum alone has been connected to multiple attacks, including three deaths.
10:05 As a result of the film, SeaWorld faced severe backlash from both the public and lawmakers.
10:11 "She stayed in the corner of the pool, like literally just shaking and screaming, screeching,
10:19 crying.
10:20 Like, I'd never seen her do anything like that."
10:23 Number two.
10:24 My Octopus Teacher.
10:25 Reconnecting with the natural world can be one of the most powerful experiences we can
10:29 go through as humans, and that is on full display in My Octopus Teacher.
10:34 "It's such an incredible feeling.
10:39 And you feel you're on the brink of something extraordinary."
10:42 When filmmaker Craig Foster was at his lowest, he began free diving in the kelp forest near
10:47 his hometown, where he would eventually meet a curious octopus.
10:50 "It's a hard thing to explain, but sometimes you just get a feeling and you know there's
10:58 something to this creature that's very unusual."
11:01 The pair quickly formed a unique and close friendship, which he documented for about
11:05 a year.
11:06 Their beautiful bond and the alien world he became a part of transformed Craig both on
11:11 land and at sea.
11:13 Its beautiful visuals and powerful message made the movie a hit, earning Best Documentary
11:17 at the 93rd Academy Awards.
11:19 "And I could feel it, like from one minute to the next.
11:23 Okay, I trust you.
11:24 I trust you, human.
11:27 And now you can come into my octopus world."
11:30 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:33 Before the Flood, a captivating call for climate change action.
11:37 "If we're going to fight climate change effectively, we have to start by acknowledging that most
11:42 of our economy is based on fossil fuels."
11:44 Oceans, glimpses into underwater worlds.
11:56 Jane chronicles the life of the famed primatologist Jane Goodall.
12:00 "My mission was to get close to the chimpanzees, to live among them, to be accepted."
12:09 Sea Spiracy examines the impact of the global fishing industry.
12:12 "I knew that figuring out what was going on in Taiji would give me a better understanding
12:16 of the bigger picture of how to save the ocean.
12:19 Either I stayed home picking up trash on beaches all day or take a risk and find out if there
12:24 was a bigger threat to the sea."
12:25 Samsara, a spiritual look at the beautiful imagery of the natural world.
12:53 March of the Penguins, another film taking home the Oscars Best Documentary Feature.
12:58 March of the Penguins was one of the most talked about documentaries of its time.
13:02 "For millions of years, they have made their home on the darkest, driest, windiest, and
13:07 coldest continent on earth.
13:11 And they've done so pretty much alone."
13:13 The film followed the epic annual journey of the Emperor Penguin across the frozen desert
13:18 of Antarctica.
13:19 The quest of these flightless birds was both long and difficult, ending with courtship
13:24 and finally the hatching of a chick.
13:32 Made by a French team, the movie was a success in its original language, but became a mega
13:37 hit with the English translation, thanks in no small part to Morgan Freeman's narration.
13:42 "And as their newest members look on, the tribe returns to their home, at last."
13:50 Over the years, the film remains as impactful and entertaining as ever.
13:54 Did you enjoy this video?
13:55 Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell
13:59 to be notified about our latest videos.
14:01 See you next time!
14:10 (upbeat music)
14:13 [BLANK_AUDIO]