I was astonished after viewing both Winged Migration as well as Wild Kingdom at the vast differences between the two seemingly similar documentaries based on animals in their natural elements. Winged Migration captures a much more authentic perspective of the lives of the animals than does Wild Kingdom.
Winged Migration successfully illustrates to the viewer an accurate portrayal of the life of several species of birds. Winged Migration begins with awe-inspiring views, encapsulating the viewer and making them feel as if they are apart of the scene, as if they are flying with birds. The viewer can almost feel the wind upon their face or smell the saltiness of the sea below them because of the film's effective aerial footage. There is minimal distraction from the birds; they are obviously the main focus of the film. Narration or music only comes into play a few times. The narrator is not assumptive and does not persuade the viewer to form opinions one way or another; they simply just state fact. Quiet, classical music is only played to keep the viewer engaged and does not disturb the ambience that the film honors so well. Overall, Winged Migration is a correct depiction of the lives of birds.
In contrast to Winged Migration, Wild Kingdom failed to provide the viewer with a realistic view of animal life. The program begins with human Zoologist Marlin Perkins, who is the narrator, suggesting that the focus is not solely on the animals. He is consistently interrupting the footage of the animals to insert his opinion; he attempts to persuade the viewer to believe what he believes. Unlike Winged Migration, Wild Kingdom’s music is much more unnatural, with man-made sounds attached to animal actions. It is apparent to the viewer that the video footage is taken by an outsider; instead of being one with animals, the viewer feels like they are staring at the animals whose lives are being disrupted by camera crews. In addition, some of the footage that was included was solely for an emotional reaction. Violence and death, although common in animal life, were highlighted in the film in order to engage the viewer.
In conclusion, Wild Kingdom’s Hollywood film does not honor animal life in the same way that Winged Migration does. Hopefully more films will be produced that are more similar to Winged Migration instead of tainted by Hollywood like Wild Kingdom.
I think you brought up an excellent point when you said “Violence and death...were highlighted in the film in order to engage the viewer.” The producers of Wild Kingdom likely felt they needed to include these sensational events in order to attract viewers, especially when the show was on its final leg. I believe this highlights a much more common problem in our society, that we like to be quickly entertained and get to the “good parts” of stories or events rather than seeing/hearing them in their entirety. Winged migration did a much better job presenting nature as it truly is; as the viewer would see the surrounding wildlife if they traveled to these places themselves. I also feel as though the format of each program serves a different purpose. Winged Migration is meant to be a movie, so they do not have to draw viewers back week after week. Wild Kingdom, on the other hand, is focused on ratings, and as a result is forced to include content that will captivate the audience and make them tune in next week for more.
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