Netflix (3)
There's an easy way to explore all Earth has to offer, thanks to Netflix's deep catalog of nature and animal documentaries. The projects featured here will guide you through intensive investigations into what threatens our planet's most vulnerable wildlife and resources. They'll also educate, entertain, and remind viewers why Earth is worth protecting.
Ready to virtually touch grass? Read on for the 12 best nature documentaries and docuseries streaming on Netflix.
Chasing Coral(2017)
If cinema made you care about coral reefs and raised your awareness about the brutal destruction they face (a.k.a. coral bleaching), Jeff Orlowski's Emmy-winning documentary probably played a part in your awakening. Much of the film's stunning underwater cinematography owes its panache to the sophisticated technology Orlowski has at his disposal.
The rest of the beauty comes from the ocean's adorable creatures, which are enthusiastically studied by a group of lovable coral nerds with an infectious passion. Don't be surprised if the survival of coral reefs becomes your next political priority upon seeing this.—Tomris Laffly
Where to watchChasing Coral: Netflix
Director:Jeff Orlowski
Cast:Richard Vevers, Zackery Rago, John "Charlie" Vernon
The Elephant Whisperers(2022)
A deservedly Oscar-winning short, this lovely documentary traces a big-hearted couple, Bomman and Bellie, as they care for and form a makeshift family with an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu in South India. The film's open-handed humanity is boundless, even contagious, as director Kartiki Gonsalves follows the caregivers who make a tradition out of raising the animals, and in Bellie's case, as a means to survive grief.The Elephant Whisperersreminds us that these creatures can love, empathize, and remember just like us humans.—T.L.
Where to watchThe Elephant Whisperers: Netflix
Director:Kartiki Gonsalves
Cast:Bellie, Bomman
The Ivory Game(2016)
An ecological thriller in the style ofVirunga(also withLeonardo DiCaprioas an executive producer),The Ivory Gameis a heartbreaking and heart-thumping look at the maze of issues that threaten African elephants with mass extinction. According to the film's shocking numbers, one elephant is murdered every 15 minutes, mostly to sell their ivory tusks for big sums in Chinese underground markets.
Codirectors Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani depict the animals' urgent plight from various angles with suspense and precision, capturing expansive vistas and shady nighttime dealings. This documentary is a wake-up call, but not without a dose of hope.—T.L.
Where to watchThe Ivory Game: Netflix
Directors:Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani
Cast:Andrea Crosta, Ian Stevenson
Kangaroo Valley(2022)
Meet Mala, the star ofKangaroo Valley. As the documentary explains, she's about to embark on the greatest challenge of her life. Mala is a joey (a baby kangaroo) and once joeys have left their mother's pouch, only one in five will make it to their first birthday.
Kangaroo Valleyis a coming-of-age documentary that chronicles Mala's birth and her first attempts at life, brushes with death, and relationship with the predators in the area who will teach her how to survive the valley on her own. Narrated by native AustralianSarah Snook(Succession) and featuring an original song bySia,Kangaroo Valleyis a visually stunning, emotionally charged documentary about growing up and finding one's way in the world.—Ilana Gordon
Where to watchKangaroo Valley: Netflix
Director:Kylie Stott
Cast:Sarah Snook
Life in Color With David Attenborourgh(2021)
LetSir David Attenborough— beloved British broadcaster, biologist, historian, and writer — take you on a natural journey into the world of color. A three-episode British-Australian nature docuseries, Attenborough spends the first two episodes ofLife in Colorexplaining how animals use color to survive in the wild, attract a mate, and camouflage themselves.
In the third episode, Attenborough and his crew break down the state-of-the-art photographic equipment that allowed their team to film in natural environments and animal habitats. Vibrant, educational, and a necessary reminder of how beautiful Earth is,Life in Coloris here to add beauty and brains to your evening watch routine.—I.G.
Where to watchLife in Color With David Attenborough:Netflix
Cast:Sir David Attenborough
My Octopus Teacher(2020)
The disarming sweetness ofMy Octopus Teacher(a quality that undoubtedly sealed its Best Documentary Oscar win) is front and center as filmmaker and free-diver Craig Foster forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus in a remote kelp forest near Cape Town. The narrative progresses with plenty of pathos, capturing how the aquatic animal invites Foster into her daily routine and even influences his relationship with his son. With lovely underwater footage and philosophical yet accessible themes, this gentle marine escapade is a celebration of our bonds with wildlife.—T.L.
Where to watchMy Octopus Teacher: Netflix
Directors:Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
Cast:Craig Foster, Tom Foster
Our Living World(2024)
Who wouldn't want to be reminded of our ecological codependencies byCate Blanchett? In this stunning four-episode miniseries, interconnectedness is the keyword as each chapter beautifully outlines how every living being — whether animal or plant — serves a purpose beyond its own survival by helping and propelling one another. But what's most powerful aboutOur Living Worldis its actionable prompts that contextualize our planet's urgent climate crisis, encouraging us humans to chip in with whatever conservation efforts we can muster.—T.L.
Where to watchOur Living World: Netflix
Cast:Cate Blanchett
Our Planet, Our Planet II(2019, 2023)
Across the scope of two seasons and 12 episodes, Emmy and BAFTA-winning legend Sir David Attenborough hypnotically guides the viewer through the Earth's many natural beauties. It's a majestic undertaking that traces a solo elephant or a flock of penguins in one moment and lays bare how climate change affects these vulnerable animals in the next.
Long, epic, and ambitious in scale, the series turns living rooms into coral reefs, arctic circles, and mountaintops.Our Planetis undoubtedly one of the most splendid projects Attenborough, among the most dedicated voices in the environmental fight, has done in his more than 70-year-long career.—T.L.
Where to watchOur Planet/Our Planet II: Netflix
Cast:David Attenborough
Our Great National Parks(2022)
"Wild spaces are where we can connect with ourselves, our families, and something greater than us," says former PresidentBarack Obamaas this program's presenter.Our Great National Parksspreads its wings over five gorgeous episodes, taking the viewer through some of the world's most heart-stopping sights.
The first entry covers everything from beaches in Africa to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, while later stops explore the Chilean Patagonia, Tsavo in Kenya, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park. It's hard to imagine a more fulfilling binge-watch.—T.L.
Where to watchOur Great National Parks: Netflix
Cast:Barack Obama
Seaspiracy(2021)
In 2021, the documentarySeaspiracyventured into murky waters: the world of commercial fishing and its impact on climate change and marine life. British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi directs and serves as the film's guide, interviewing animal rights and environmental activists, scientists and researchers across various specialties, and groups promoting conservation and environmental justice.
Tabrizi posits that there's no such thing as sustainable fishing, and his film invites viewers to witness the pollution, corruption, and overfishing issues that threaten our oceans. The film received criticism for some of its scientific assertions, but experts agree that its central point about the dangers of overfishing is valid and essential to improving the health of both our oceans and the creatures that live there.—I.G.
Where to watchSeaspiracy: Netflix
Director:Ali Tabrizi
Cast:Ali Tabrizi
Secret Lives of Orangutans(2024)
Courtesy of Netflix
Orangutans share nearly 30 characteristics with humans, but until a few decades ago, we didn't know much about them. Now, thanks to Netflix, David Attenborough, and years of scientific research,Secret Lives of Orangutanseducates us about the animals whose name literally translates to "person of the forest."
Shot in the jungles of Sumatra — a large Indonesian island — the documentary follows a multigenerational family of these gentle and pragmatic creatures, capturing the orangutans' social dynamics and travels through the trees in a film narrated by everyone's favorite nature commentator.—I.G.
Where to watchSecret Lives of Orangutans: Netflix
Director:Huw Cordey
Cast:David Attenborough
Virunga(2014)
Executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, this Oscar-nominated documentary is both a breathtaking thriller of the highest, most anxiety-inducing order and a political interrogation of greed's environmental consequences. The title refers to a national park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel set out to capture the fight against mountain gorilla extinction.
But when the M23 Rebellion ensues during filming, highlighting the collateral dangers of oil extraction, the narrative shifts towards how brave park rangers dodge many bullets — sometimes literally — in the name of conservation. A searing action film and an urgent scream,Virungafiercely elevates its heroes and stares down its villains with clear-eyed vitality.—T.L.
Where to watchVirunga: Netflix
Director:Orlando von Einsiedel
Cast:André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka, Vianney Kazarama
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