Earth Day is right around the corner, and Netflix is debuting a brand new nature docu-series to celebrate.
“Our Living World,” which is narrated by Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett, is a four-part series that takes viewers through the magnificent untold stories of the connections between species across the globe.
Spanning continents and oceans and using eye-catching cinematic wildlife photography, the stunning visual tapestry of this documentary series gives viewers a front-row seat to the many special ecosystems that impact us all.
Created by producer Ben Roy of Freeborne Media and Wild Space Productions, the series is made by the same Emmy Award-winning team behind “Our Great National Parks.”
If you’re a fan of nature and climate documentaries, this one is certainly a can’t-miss. With a large body of similar work under names like the BBC, Discovery, National Geographic, and more, Roy said this project is especially engaging for viewers interested in the connections between species.
“This series is different because it ties all the amazing animal behavior we were lucky enough to capture over two years of filming into a bigger story,” Roy told Good Good Good.
“It reveals how the whole world is connected by a network of physical connections and webs of life, where animals’ behavior shapes their environment at the same time as these environments shape their animals.”
One major highlight of the series is how it captures the challenges of a “fast-changing planet.” But there is hope in those challenges, Roy emphasized.
“It… frames our case of animals not just as victims of this change, but as heroes with the power to help fight against it,” he said.
Some heroes in the series include hammerhead sharks migrating through the ocean to find a mate (and ensure ocean biodiversity); beavers’ migration patterns and their impact on dams across the northern frontier; the recovery of salmon species in the Pacific Northwest; and more.
“My favorite moments are those ‘mind blown’ moments where, for instance, we reveal that what happens on the African savannah has an effect in the Amazon, on the other side of the planet,” Roy said.
The interconnectedness of the project is what excites him most. It’s also likely what attracted Blanchett to the project. The beloved actress is a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and a lifetime member of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
Blanchett is also a strong supporter of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and hosts the podcast “Climate of Change,” which explores anxiety and optimism in the face of the climate crisis.
Roy said those themes will absolutely be on display in the four 50-minute episodes of “Our Living World.”
“I hope our viewers go away with a new appreciation of how everything in our world is connected. I hope they gain a fresh understanding of how we humans, and all our actions, fit into this bigger picture,” he said.
“And I’d like us all to take hope from the fact that we’ve got the most powerful force on Earth on our side: life itself.”
“Our Living World” premiers globally on Netflix on April 17, 2024.