ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Earth Month has officially come and gone as of earlier this week, and one of my favorite staples of the month is watching the most recent Disneynature film offering come Earth Day.
In the past, the company has done a deep dive into the world of bears, chimpanzees and African cats, among many others, and this time around, people got the chance to take a look into the lives of Indian tigers with Disneynature’s latest offering, “Tiger.” The film follows first-time tiger mom Ambar as she raises her four cubs – Charm, Golu, Ivy and Ravi – in the jungles of India and works to keep them safe in the part of the jungle she shares with sloth bears, reptiles, and other tigers.
The film apparently took nearly five years to film, and that effort is very much seen throughout. The cinematography is absolutely stunning from the very first shot and drew me right in. Every scene is so crisp and clear and lush and almost made me feel as though I was right there in the heart of all the action. There’s one nighttime scene in particular about halfway through showing a massive group of fireflies all lighting up at the same time, and it was just pure, gorgeous eye candy. Overall, the cinematography throughout the film ranges from playful – such the cubs learning how to gnaw on a deer carcass caught by Ambar – to more perilous, such as an early scene when the cubs almost become a victim of a hungry python. All the other Disneynature films I’ve seen have had good cinematography as a priority, and “Tiger” definitely keeps that tradition going, so my hat has to go off to all who worked on those crews.
The music is another aspect that definitely drew me in and kept me watching, and it fits every scene like a glove. There’s rousing and happy music for the more joyous scenes, there’s tense music for the more suspenseful scenes, and there’s more peaceful music for the scenes where everyone’s trying to take a bit of a break. Overall, the crew in charge of the music did a great job and really helped add another layer to the movie.
And, just to get this out of the way, the tiger cubs are INSANELY adorable and so full of personality even at such a young age when the movie starts. I love the early scenes when they’re shown playing and exploring outside their den while Ambar is away hunting, and they’re all already showing what they’ll be like when they grow up. There’s also definitely some sibling rivalry throughout the movie between the cubs, which I feel should be pretty relatable to any parents watching with their own kiddos. Another scene that should be particularly relatable for parents comes a little later on when Ambar is trying to catch a bit of a break after eating a meal, but ultimately gets interrupted when the cubs start climbing all over her looking for some attention. Tigers are known for being rather fierce apex predators (and rightfully so!) but I felt like the movie did a wonderful job by making the tigers featured in the movie more relatable and focusing more on the concept of them being a regular family looking to survive and stay together. Some early scenes where Ambar is working to teach the cubs some hunting techniques are also rather amusing and could be somewhat reminiscent for parents of when they were teaching their children some new skill or another, making for an enjoyable watch.
There are also a couple somewhat heartbreaking scenes a little later in the movie, and I felt I could legitimately see a change in Ambar’s face and overall countenance during those scenes – I know there are some people who think animals are dumb furballs who don’t feel anything, but Ambar certainly did in those moments, and it made me want to give her a big hug so she could feel better.
However, there were a couple scenes that focused on the tigers’ sloth bear and frog neighbors which I felt almost stopped the movie dead. They’re rather short, and filmed beautifully just like the rest of the movie, but they just felt WAY out of place to me. And since the movie is called “Tiger,” why would there be any need for a shift in focus to another subject? In spite of those small blips, however, the movie keeps the storyline pretty simple and doesn’t necessarily try to be the next Attenborough documentary, making it a good watch for the entire family.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas serves as the film’s narrator, and I also felt she did an amazing job. Her voice just totally suits the film and explaining what’s going on, and overall, she was the perfect choice for the project. She knows when to keep the narration serious and when to add in her own light jokes and commentary as the movie’s action goes on.
Overall, I very much enjoyed my viewing of Disneynature’s newest offering, “Tiger,” and I would give it a solid “A” grade. The cinematography is absolutely stunning from the first shot and is sure to draw viewers in and keep them watching, and the music is the same way. I also loved how the movie made the tigers’ story more relatable and made the movie’s focus more about a family looking to survive and stay together, and there are a few moments in particular that should amuse parents watching with their children. Priyanka Chopra Jonas also did a great job as narrator, and I hope to hear more of her voice with future Disney projects. If you’re a fan of the other Disneynature films, you’re sure to like “Tiger,” currently available to watch on Disney+
