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Since the release of 2009’s Earth, Disneynature has explored the lives and habitats of everything from fish to flamingos. This year, instead of bringing a new nature documentary to theaters on Earth Day—as is the studio’s custom—the latest film, Wings of Life, is getting a straight-to-Blu-ray release.
Wings of Life isn’t what the title might lead you to expect. The star of the film isn’t the birds or the butterflies that grace the Blu-ray’s jacket. Instead, Wings of Life is a documentary about…flowers.
Meryl Streep narrates this up-close-and-personal look at the flowers found in various countries and climates around the world. The film’s main focus is on pollination—and that’s where the birds and butterflies come in. Whether they grow in rainforests or deserts or the American countryside—from orchids to cacti to common milkweed—flowers must rely on “pollination partners” for their species’ survival. And Wings of Life shows how flowers use hummingbirds, bats, bumblebees, butterflies, and even people to spread their pollen to neighboring flowers.
Wings of Life isn’t an especially focused film. It travels from one species to the next—then skips back again. Although the focus is supposed to be on the flowers, the film also takes time out to touch on things like the science of farming and the transportation of honey bees to farms around the country. It even explores the life cycle of a monarch butterfly. And while this is all interesting stuff, it doesn’t really make for a cohesive movie.
The narration is also problematic. Steep’s voice is so calm and soothing that she might lull you right to sleep. Still, the Oscar winner does the best she can with the material she’s been given. The writing is awkward, with perplexing first-person narration that’s apparently supposed to be told in the collective voice of all flowers in general.
The highlight of the film, though, is its eye-catching photography. When it comes to vibrant, detailed nature footage, Disneynature never holds back—and this straight-to-video release is no exception. The footage is sometimes so perfect, in fact, that doesn’t even look real. There are close-ups of transforming butterflies and busy bumblebees, along with slow-motion shots of hummingbirds in action. And while the abundance of slow-motion footage does add to the film’s sleepy feel, it’s all quite stunning to see.
Meanwhile, though the film takes a few minutes toward the end to consider the threats to pollination—and to flowers and its pollinators in general—it doesn’t get too preachy. And, unlike many similar documentaries, it actually offers a few solutions.
In the end, it’s no surprise that Disneynature chose to send Wings of Life straight to Blu-ray instead of releasing it in theaters. After all, it isn’t as grand and majestic as some of the studio’s other films. It is, however, still an interesting look at a vital natural relationship. So while you might want to have a caffeinated beverage handy when you watch it, nature buffs will be fascinated by its intimate look at the relationship between flowers and the birds and the bees.
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