"Born in China" is a 2016 nature documentary directed by Lu Chuan ("The Missing Gun") with a screenplay by David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman, and Lu Chuan. Music is by Barnaby Taylor; editing by Matthew Meech; and production by Roy Conli ("Big Hero 6"), Brian Leith, and Phil Chapman. It's narrated in its USA release by John Krasinski ("The Office") and in its China release, actress Zhou Xun ("Suzhou River"). The entirety was filmed in unpopulated areas of China. Various Chinese wildlife were followed for a year; their misadventures and struggles culminating in this film. It was released in China August 12, 2016, and in the US April 21, 2017. To date (April 29, 2017) the film has raised approximately $15.2 million worldwide. It runs for 1 hour, 16 minutes (76 minutes) and is rated G.
The film centers on various Chinese wildlife; one being a snow leopard named Dawa struggling to collect the needed food for her two cubs. With increasing competition and food supply decreasing, Dawa struggles to maintain her cubs' health. The second is that of Tao-Tao, a golden snub-nosed monkey who is constantly plagued by his family's bias to a newborn sister. Tao-Tao joins a group of misfits, referenced as "The Lost Boys," but still finds himself lonely. The third is a panda named Ya-Ya and her baby daughter Mei- Mei (pronounced "My-My," apparently). As Mei-Mei grows older, Ya- Ya is forced to confront her daughter's maturity and newfound independence. Finally, there is a herd of chiru, who are there for little plot complexity and more for cinematography.
Sometimes in nature documentaries, the director's abundant desire for humor/story development begins to overtake the film. This is not necessarily a bad thing; jokes and story are good in small doses. But with too much, the attention is detracted from the actual entertainment (the animals) and more to something that won't satisfy. Sadly, many Disney Nature films have fallen victim to this, and "Born in China" maintains a serviceable, if not entirely balanced, scale between these two conflicting features. That is not to say the film is not without fault; Krasinski, while of talent, does not do the film justice with mediocre narrating. Most of the jokes are meant to be cute, but with Krasinski's delivery, something goes wrong, leaving a decent quip that may have earned my half-hearted chortle acquainted with silence. As a whole, "Born in China" is deservant of some of the detractions mentioned on this forum and on my review. As a whole, however, the film is entertaining and somewhat educational. I would recommend it over some of the recent releases. So, yes, go see it. It definitely will beat "Beauty and the Beast," "Boss Baby," and maybe even "Gifted." What low standards for film we've been setting lately, where a documentary can edge out $160 million competitors in terms of quality.
+ Beautiful cinematography.
+ The animals are made into characters with struggles, flaws, failures and successes, and one will undoubtedly empathize.
+ It is paced well, with captions notifying you of the current season and the scenes remaining relatively quick (not in a bad way).
+ The film includes an interesting interpretation of the harsh reality in nature.
9/10
90%
A
The film centers on various Chinese wildlife; one being a snow leopard named Dawa struggling to collect the needed food for her two cubs. With increasing competition and food supply decreasing, Dawa struggles to maintain her cubs' health. The second is that of Tao-Tao, a golden snub-nosed monkey who is constantly plagued by his family's bias to a newborn sister. Tao-Tao joins a group of misfits, referenced as "The Lost Boys," but still finds himself lonely. The third is a panda named Ya-Ya and her baby daughter Mei- Mei (pronounced "My-My," apparently). As Mei-Mei grows older, Ya- Ya is forced to confront her daughter's maturity and newfound independence. Finally, there is a herd of chiru, who are there for little plot complexity and more for cinematography.
Sometimes in nature documentaries, the director's abundant desire for humor/story development begins to overtake the film. This is not necessarily a bad thing; jokes and story are good in small doses. But with too much, the attention is detracted from the actual entertainment (the animals) and more to something that won't satisfy. Sadly, many Disney Nature films have fallen victim to this, and "Born in China" maintains a serviceable, if not entirely balanced, scale between these two conflicting features. That is not to say the film is not without fault; Krasinski, while of talent, does not do the film justice with mediocre narrating. Most of the jokes are meant to be cute, but with Krasinski's delivery, something goes wrong, leaving a decent quip that may have earned my half-hearted chortle acquainted with silence. As a whole, "Born in China" is deservant of some of the detractions mentioned on this forum and on my review. As a whole, however, the film is entertaining and somewhat educational. I would recommend it over some of the recent releases. So, yes, go see it. It definitely will beat "Beauty and the Beast," "Boss Baby," and maybe even "Gifted." What low standards for film we've been setting lately, where a documentary can edge out $160 million competitors in terms of quality.
+ Beautiful cinematography.
+ The animals are made into characters with struggles, flaws, failures and successes, and one will undoubtedly empathize.
+ It is paced well, with captions notifying you of the current season and the scenes remaining relatively quick (not in a bad way).
+ The film includes an interesting interpretation of the harsh reality in nature.
- Krasinski's narrating.
9/10
90%
A