Earth
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: April 22, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
This super-duper deluxe nature documentary clearly aims to recruit young viewers as conservationists. Read full review
88
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Whereas the TV series rarely flinched when it came to showing the animal world as it is, Earth always pulls back at the last second. It shows a cheetah pulling down a gazelle, but not the feast that follows. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
For most of the way this is an eye-popping, not blood-curdling, experience. Read full review
80
VarietyJay Weissberg
A ravishing distillation of the BBC/Discovery series "Planet Earth," docu brings to the large screen memorable images that cried out on TV for the full movie-going experience. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
It would be Pollyannaish to pretend that the documentary Earth is without its problems, but the bottom line is, difficulties be damned, it shouldn't be missed. Read full review
80
NPRBob Mondello
The ascribing of emotions to these critters can get a little Lion King-ripe at times. But the filmmakers have filled in around their "family" narratives with footage that is breathtaking enough on a towering screen -- and you should find the biggest one possible -- that it is hard to object too strenuously. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyJean Oppenheimer
State-of-the-art camera equipment captures images of startling clarity and proximity. There isn't one frame of CGI. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Earth eloquently shows the struggle, life doing what it must to sustain life. The spectacle is stirring. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJanice Page
This Earth doesn't really have anything new to say, but it does present some newly entertaining ways of saying it. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A wide-screen wildlife documentary in which the cycles of birth and death, migrations and seasons, are captured in stunning - absolutely stunning - ways. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
By hiring James Earl Jones to narrate, Disney has prepared youngsters to understand that man is equally capable of heroism and villainy. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Filled with unexpected facts. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Earth, you had me at baby polar bears. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It requires only four words to describe Earth: glorious photography, annoying narration. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverRoger Moore
Nothing too graphic, but it creates drama, as it’s only natural to root for the hunted in a film like this. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineJason Buchanan
The overall tone of the film is absolutely appropriate for all ages, and it's never too early to learn the importance of preserving our planet. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen Farber
Although Earth falls short of its potential, it still contains enough glorious photography to please its target audience. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
This is nature defanged and declawed for kiddie consumption, so the emphasis is on awwww-filled moments. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
A gorgeously photographed storybook. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
This first feature from Disney's new nature division has an encyclopedic reach and spectacular footage shot by more than two dozen crack cinematographers. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
This first release from Disney’s self-explanatory new arm, Disneynature, is at the very least peripherally concerned with the planet and its dwindling prospects, but the real renewable resource here is the groundbreaking "Planet Earth" miniseries. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
On the nature-documentary continuum, Earth falls closer to the cuddly anthropomorphism of "March Of The Penguins" than the cold rationality of "Grizzly Man." Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
If you've watched the BBC series "Planet Earth," then Earth will seem like a familiar, if stunning, global rewarming. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
There's nothing in Earth that's as moving as the sight of the mother penguin "grieving" for her chick in "March of the Penguins." You can applaud Earth for not jerking tears. On the other hand, an occasional tear isn't such a bad thing. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
As a virtual tour of what Earth Day is about, kids ought to be entranced. If it helps them get greener, even better. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleJustin Berton
For adults, Earth misses the mark of riveting storytelling. Earth crams in the dramatic adventures of several species (including penguins) - with the result that it comes up short on telling one really good story. Read full review
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