Great Migrations, Craptastic Closings

Last night’s premiere of Great Migrations looked like National Geographic spent about $1 billion dollars on amazing animal footage, $1 million getting Alec Baldwin to narrate, then came up with about 1,000 bucks for the writing. Can I ever see a wildlife show that doesn’t end with a coda of soaring, meaningless eco-blather?

Great Migrations is only following the conventions of the nature documentary drama. Marketers somewhere must have conclude that anyone who loves lions also likes the language of inspirational posters featuring kittens. Is there a rule somewhere that every awe-inspiring photo of a bear must be balanced with  a yawn-inducing aphorism about the circle or mystery or wonder of life? What was the point in getting Alec Baldwin to narrate the show if you’re going to feed him lines a yoga teacher would be embarrassed to say?

From now on they are migrants, circling the southern world, wedded to brilliant skies and slipping the surly bonds of earth.–ALEC BALDWIN, GREAT MIGRATIONS

It is only the latest offender in a long line.

Where words fail images endure and thanks to David’s fearlessness the giants of the Crozet Islands have been etched into our collective memory of us all. —WILD KINGDOM

Will magnificent but inconvenient animals such as bison be allowed to share the land with ranchers and their livestock? Or will human activities crowd out the last wild spaces and crush the wild nature of these messengers of the past? In this way the spirit of the nation is tied to the fate of the Yellowstone bison.–Yellowstone Bison by Animal Planet

Future survival will depend on their ability to adapt to constant change in their environment, which provides less and less of their natural food sources. They must also be lucky when crossing the ever-increasing number of busy highways. If all the conditions are in their favor, they may start their own families one day and we sincerely hope that they do. WILD!

Skunks don’t threaten us wafting that unmistakable scent. They simply follow in our footsteps,
humble denizens of the undergrowth just trying to get along in an increasingly human world–NATURE

We now know more about Borneo’s pygmy elephants than ever before. They are as much a part of Borneo as the river that has run through their lives for thousands of years–
WILD KINGDOM

As we discover the amazing ways these creatures make their way in the world, we can see that each one has a beauty all its own
–NATURE, The Beauty of the Ugly

Well, what started out as a fishing trip has turned into something completely. I can now say with some authority that the waterways of Charleston, South Carolina, the winter can be a bird watcher’s paradise.–WILD ABOUT ANIMALS

We learned about the importance of frogs and toads and how they are definitely telling us we need to do a better job of managing our environment. And we got to know all about the horseshoe crab. He might still be ugly but at least now there’s a little place in my heart for this odd-looking sea creature. –WILD ABOUT ANIMALS

We are just beginning to learn where the ice whales go and what they do for the few short summer months. For the rest of the year the dark days the lives of these fabulous creatures remain an unfathomable mystery–WILD KINGDOM

Where to Go to See Wildlife

Where to See Wolves, the embodiment of the spirit of the wild

Where to Watch Eagles, who soar like American freedom

Related posts: