Highly Overrated But Still Good

Admirable film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I enjoyed the movie. I love pandas and snow leopards and the monkeys cracked me up. Is it short? Somewhat. But if this is meant for Disney nature type audiences, remember kids don't want a very long, lengthy movie. There are other documentaries that are longer. Contrary to what others have said, I think this had a balance of the good and not so good aspects of nature. Spoiler here: Was I sad when Dawa "failed" and eventually died? Yes. But I support the film makers choice/decision to not interfere with nature. Nature is not always happy.

"Born in China" is a documentary that follows several Chinese animals over the course of a year. You'll see pandas, snow leopards, monkeys and more during this year and the species are spread throughout the rural portions of the country. I have seen several of the recent Disney nature films and have been, up until now, quite impressed. The cinematography is always amazingly good--much like the "Planet Earth" films narrated by David Attenborough. However, I was not that impressed by "Born in China" because although the film looks great, it's completely undone by innane narration. Why is it so bad? First, much of the time it's completely unnecessary and the footage would be much better if they simply played the music and had no narration. Second, much of it is stupid...ascribing human emotions on animals or trying to make a cute story instead of giving the viewer information about these lovely Chinese animals. It's as if the producers don't trust the viewers to be smart enough to simply enjoy the footage but need a cute story in order to keep their attention! Third, the narration is non-stop and just plain annoying! I truly wish they had a version complete with the lovely music but without a single line of narration! But instead we have a lovely looking film that is vapid and, at times, quite annoying.

Don't see the panda eating and sitting in the movie here is a tip go to the zoo!!There are great movies that came out this year like the Promise about the Armenian genocide and the Lego batman about batman,Gardiner of the Galaxy and more. This movie should not be compared to any movie.

The real shame with Disney's nature documentary "Born in China" is that the potential was there for a remarkable film. The imagery captured of both the landscapes and of the beautiful and elusive animals on which it is centered is completely awe-inspiring and never less than completely engrossing and compelling. And it tells the oft-poignant story of what it is like for families and packs of animals in the vast reaches of China, including adorable pandas and stunning snow leopards. Unfortunately, the film's failing is a complete and utter lack of any real substance or information regarding these subjects, which is instead traded for often contrived schmaltz and "jokey" narration. For all it does right with the stunning visuals... all else seems forced and a tad bit trite.The footage itself is incredible. Especially when viewed on the big screen. Director Lu Chuan and his team of cinematographers and cameramen truly do capture some compelling and beautiful looks into the lives of these animals, and it's a pleasure seeing what it's like for them as they struggle to thrive and survive over the course of just over a year. The most outstanding of course being the snow leopard referred to as "Dawa" and her cups, simply because they are such stunning creatures and they face the most adversity and tragedy throughout the film. Chuan and the rest of the crew feverishly document these wonderful creatures to the greatest of extents.The problem is that through editing and over-written narration delivered by comedic actor John Krasinski, the entire message seems a bit undermined. I know that it wouldn't work for some, but in my mind, simply showing the footage over music or with only minimal information carefully doled out through brief bits of narration would have worked best. But you get the feeling that Disney's nature department felt they needed to add more of a "message" to the film, and it feels tacky and silly. The film starts out promising with some actual key information about China and a pleasant explanation of the symbology involving cranes taking flight... but it quickly becomes an "Ohh, so cutesy!" affair with Krasinski "speaking" for the animals and inserting odd random jokes while never doling out more than the most basic and bland of facts. This was an opportunity for education, but instead it places too much focus on talking about how much animal-mommies love their animal-babies, and throwing in some really odd references to appease the young children in the audience. (The film likes to constantly remind us that it refers to a clan of Snub-Nose monkeys as the "Lost Boys" about once every 30 seconds in certain scenes.) It's borderline condescending. I remember when I was a child watching nature documentaries in school or on television... I wanted to learn. This film instead feels the need to talk down.Still, I can't say that this fact ruined the film as a whole. Because it didn't. There's still so much to take in through the 76- minute run-time that I'd definitely give it a mild recommendation, especially to families with young children or general nature enthusiasts. While critical facts are few and far in-between and the over-done narration does drag it down a bit, the footage enclosed is constantly and consistently enthralling and exquisitely captured. And it did save the film for me, and make it an enjoyable watch as an entire cumulative experience. Seeing pandas, snub-nosed monkeys and of course the snow leopards in their natural habitats, living and breathing is just too magical to dismiss over my squabbles with the production.I give it a slightly above average 6 out of 10. It could have been better, but there's still just enough to make it worth a watch at least once.