‘Planet Earth: A Celebration’ Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for ‘Planet Earth: A Celebration’.
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When times are tough, and stress is mounting all around us, we tend to lose sight of the fact that we are special and a part of something bigger and that’s unfortunate. Because that knowledge helps us to cope with rough times for certain and well, sometimes the best anthesis to being buried by the woes of the world, is to find a way to surround one’s self with positivity and wonder. Which at times, is no easy task, especially when things are constantly weighing upon you. But thankfully, we have television and film and other forms of media out there to help us escape the troubles of the world and in some cases, lift our spirits up with storytelling that gives us exactly what we need emotionally. And it just so happens that BBC America took the time last night, to provide the audience with just that.
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Because Planet Earth: A Celebration was just what the doctor ordered in this moment, since this beautiful and sweeping documentary took the time to deliver a celebration as advertised and remind us of the fact that our world is a wonderful place. One where every creature that calls it home, finds a way to thrive and survive despite the odds surrounding them, which allowed for us to be privy to some fascinating storytelling, wherein creatures in land and on sea found a way to see another day. Take for example the octopus that we watched go above and beyond to avoid predators. Because it was simply incredible to see that little octopus jam tentacles into a shark’s gills in order to not be turned into lunch or to make use of shells to hide in plain sight, to confuse and escape its predator, and that kind of determination to survive didn’t end with that vignette. 

For we also came to learn that life thrives in impossible places, such as the Namib desert where there is virtually no water or to be found. But there are lions in that part of the world that have thrived there for generations. And while they might not eat as well as their counterparts in more habitable zones, they simply find a way to make it to tomorrow. Plus, there was also the incredible story involving the snow leopards that live in the Himalayan mountain range, another inhospitable place where no animal should be able to survive. Yet these cool cats do just fine in a place where isolation is the key to their survival and it was supremely fascinating to learn about how they live and how they interact with one another and how quickly they are forced to turn to loneliness in order to properly survive, since that cub’s mother did not hesitate to leave her baby behind when the time was right.

But while those stories made it seem as though that only tough times were present for every animal out there, there were moments of beauty to celebrate as well. After all, there really was something quite powerful about seeing dolphins surfing the waves, since you really don’t expect to see animals using the waves in that manner to just outright have fun. But they did and it was glorious and beautiful to watch, and it was equally as lovely to see the flamingos in the Andes also take the time to enjoy their day once the sun warms up their icy bed. Since they felt the need to prance about the water in their own majestic parade and really, when all is said and done, all of these magical moments, both good and bad were designed to remind the viewer that there is indeed still great beauty to be found in our world, if we take a moment to just pause from our troubles and look up to find it.

However, what truly made this celebration worth our while, is the sheer fact that it was quite inspirational. Because if everyday animals can figure out a way to celebrate life and survive impossible odds, well so can we. For we are part of this crazy ride and we are able to achieve wonders when we put our minds to it and that’s a wonderful message to find in this tale, and thanks are in order to BBC America for taking the time to assemble this wonderful slice of life in the midst of some sour times. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Hans Zimmer and Dave’s beautiful music only added to the uplifting nature of this particular documentary and hopefully, everyone out there is feeling a little better after watching this. For it really was something special and hopefully BBC America will offer up more specials in this manner, down the line. Because you simply cannot go wrong with a little escape from everyday life from time to time and nature documentaries do a wonderful job of allowing for that to happen.  

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