This immediately appealed to me prior to watching. Absolutely love nature documentaries (have done ever since seeing 'Planet Earth' and 'The Blue Planet' for the first time when they first aired) and it is always wonderful seeing Africa, a beautiful and fascinating continent. Not to mention its beautifully varied wildlife, familiar and not so familiar. Elephants are among my favourite animals, and have been since childhood watching Disney's 'Dumbo' for the first time. Have seen plenty of IMAX short films and have found much to admire about many.
'Africa's Elephant Kingdom' is definitely one of those documentaries where there is a lot to admire, where criticisms are so few and so many things are outstanding. While not one of the ground breaking or best documentaries on elephants, there is nothing here that is going to make elephant fans change their opinions for the worse. If anything, there will be a higher amount of admiration. 'Africa's Elephant Kingdom' does a great job with its subject and is highly recommended.
My only real issue is that for my tastes it's too short.
Can't fault everything else however. It looks absolutely beautiful with some truly stunning shots and great expansive use of the varied location that is both beautiful and unforgiving. Nothing looks cheap or gimmicky. The music generally isn't overdone in volume and isn't discordant tonally. Avery Brooks is a new name to me and was impressed by the warm, gentle yet enthusiastic narration delivering some very informative, entertaining and not corny, over sentimental or over dramatised narration. Never felt like too much was being said as well.
This reviewer was also in absolute heaven watching the elephants, who were adorable, relatable, very smart and fun to watch. Their struggles are very easy to relate to and makes one think hard about how to stop them from being vulnerable, their life cycles fascinate and their family bonding is cute and touching.
In conclusion, wonderful and a treat for elephant lovers. 9/10.
