Born to Be Wild

When it comes to nature documentaries Morgan Freeman is a great go-to-guy for the movie studios. He has a voice that can seem soothing and pleasant to just about anyone.

Freeman narrates the latest IMAX 3D documentary "Born to be Wild" by David Lickley (who also directed "Bears" and "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees"). For a short 40 minutes Freeman does a first-rate job stirring up many emotions in the viewer. Well, he doesn't do it alone; he has some help from the adorableness of baby elephants and baby orangutans.

Before this film I would not be able to locate Borneo on a map very easily. Thanks to the clever direction by Lickley we see an interactive map of both Borneo and Kenya where our story is about to begin. We are also introduced to two women who have dedicated their lives to rescuing and adopting elephants and orangutans who have been orphaned because of the actions of mankind.

Daphne Sheldrick has set up an elephant sanctuary in Kenya; many of the elephants are there because poachers killed their parents (the release of this film could be really bad timing for the CEO of godaddy.com and his recent elephant hunting video). She raises the elephants with a team of zookeepers and is the only person to successfully raise an elephant from infant to adulthood.

We then travel to Borneo to see Birute Galdikas' sanctuary for orphaned orangutans. They have lost their homes and their parents due to man's rapid expansion into their territory.

In both cases we experience a cuteness factor that would overwhelm just about anyone with the warm fuzzies. We see the orangutans doing cute human-like behaviors such as drinking milk from soda bottles, bathing themselves and riding on the back of motorcycles. We also see the elephants drinking lots of milk from bottles, playing soccer and adapting to their human surroundings.

In the end, the captured animals are released back into the wild where they belong. The journey back home is guided by humans, the same species that orphaned them in the first place.

Should you see this movie? Yes, but only see it in the IMAX 3D format for its vibrant images of the animals and for some wonderful shots of both the African and Borneo landscapes. It's a seemingly flat story with not too many ups and downs or much conflict. If it weren't for the 3D this could have been a straight-to-DVD release.

I do understand that Lickley wanted us to realize that there is a threat of extinction for both of these species. However, we are not given any action steps at the end. I would at least expect a website address to pop up telling the viewers that they can do more to help these orphans.

I just saw a screening of the movie today. They did an incredible job documenting this movie. It looked really cool over the IMAX Dome. I was truly amazed. A lot of laughter. Makes you think about what is out there in the world and how there is so much we can do to help others. I didn't realize that Baby Elephants can't survive on their own. The people that take their time to work with these animals are a blessing in this world. They have a lot of heart. The Orangutans have a lot of characteristics that we do. They can be humorous. They can get into trouble when they want. They cling to others for support. Make's me want to go out there and experience what I saw today.

"Born to Be Wild" is a short IMAX film...lasting about 40 minutes. I'm not sure why it was so short and wasn't stretched into a full-length movie...as it seemed there easily could have been. Plus, I really wanted to see more...as baby elephants and orangutans are so adorable.

The film is about two different programs that raise orphan animals...one in Kenya raising orphaned elephants and one doing the same but in Borneo and with organgutans.

The combination of Morgan Freeman's excellent narration and tough to beat film footage make this a winner. But as I said above, it is awfully short and I wanted to learn more about these wonderful programs.

This is a 40 min IMAX feature narrated by Morgan Freeman. It follows two women who struggle to save wildlife being displaced by humans. Birute Galdikas saves orangutans in Borneo and Daphne Sheldrick saves elephants in Kenya.

I didn't see this in IMAX although I don't think that it matters that much in this case. I can see that the big screen would only add to a few smaller sections. Obviously, a big African vista is built for the big screen but the jungle is may be even more impressive. I would love to be enveloped by the jungle on a big screen. The animal close ups are probably also compelling. The movie needs to keep that on the mind when it considers the visual.

As for the two women, they are both coming out of the same mode. I can see why they are put together but it doesn't look too deep. I would like them to show the lost of habitat more visually. The narration tells the audience but the only visual is the mass palm plantation. All in all, it's informative but it's not the most compelling nature doc.

Any series/films nature documentary related immediately has me sold on wanting to see it. Baby animals are impossible to resist, so is the distinctive and beautiful voice of Morgan Freeman. To show how two women made this tremendous a difference to wildlife protection was also interesting. They all were major reasons for wanting to see 'Born to be Wild', which was only brought to my attention recently when starting to watch more one off nature documentaries and films.

'Born to be Wild' did not disappoint and is more than perfect for children and adults alike so the whole family. It may not be one of the best, most comprehensive and most innovative documentaries there has ever been made and in existence, but it is nonetheless educational, illuminating, thought-provoking, beautifully made and with a lot of emotional impact. Even if it is not flawless (quite), 'Born to be Wild' has many fine things and anybody that loves baby orangutans and elephants already will not have their opinions changed other than perhaps strengthened.

The only thing that could have been better was if 'Born to be Wild' was longer. It is never dull and always engaging, was so glued to it that it was sad to see it finish, but 40 minutes did feel a little too short.

Otherwise, it is great. The visuals may be described as sentimental, but to me they were not overly so and there are a lot of beautiful images and loving photography. The scenery is nice too, though not jaw-dropping, and the orangutans and elephants look incredible. The soundtrack isn't overbearing or overused, nothing overwrought sounding.

Freeman narrates with a sonorous, soothing quality that was just perfect for this material and the tone. The writing itself is very honest and informs, entertains and moves without being maudlin or childish while knowing what the target audience was clearly. The baby animals are absolutely adorable with already big personalities (evident agreed with the orangutan and the noodles, that was very funny and sweet) and the two women have such passion for their work and are true inspirations. The singing the lullaby to the newborn orangutan part did get me.

Concluding, great. 9/10