By Logan Meyer, A&E editor
“Born in China,” the newest film from Disneynature, will undoubtedly receive rave reviews from audiences and film critics alike. Why shouldn’t it? It takes an hour of your time and makes you forget about the outside world, all the while presenting utterly adorable clips of giant pandas, snow leopards and antelopes. In theory, “Born in China” is the perfect distraction.
In practice, not so much. The film yearns to be a wildlife documentary and children’s movie at the same time. While such a combination is almost certainly possible, “Born in China” goes about it in the wrong way. The most popular wildlife documentaries, series like “Blue Planet” and “Planet Earth,” feature well shot and edited cinematography, factual information and an immersive, convincing narrator. “Born in China” features none of these.
The film tells the story of three animal families in their journeys to survive. Except the story it tells is almost entirely manufactured. John Krasinski, known for his portrayal of Jim Halpert on “The Office,” narrates the film as it tries to convey a cohesive plot that was seemingly created after the filming of the actual footage had ceased.
That plot is rather nonexistent, however. Rather than successfully creating an overarching story which connects all the animals the film includes, Disneynature elected to present its film in a series of vignettes, each of which depicts one character, or their family. While it’s certainly entertaining enough to take in the stories individually, the separation is rather jolting to a viewer expecting a film instead of an anthology of disconnected video segments.
The narration manages to make use of comical moments though. Almost without fail, scenes featuring playful younglings or clumsy cubs are accompanied by well-timed, albeit somewhat crass comments to add humor to the veritable slap-stick comedy taking place on screen.
Such scenes are, admittedly, rather enjoyable, at least when watching them isn’t dizzying. From the opening sequence on, a solid half of the cinematography – which somehow made it into the film – is less than visually appealing. The film features unfocused shots and rough camera sweeps that can frequently disorient and turn off viewers.
“Born in China” is a great idea wrapped in a not-so-great final package. Though cinematically speaking it lacks merit in nearly every category, the documentary is a refreshing departure from reality, even if it’s only for an hour.
