“Ghost Elephants” Coming To Disney+ & Hulu

Disney has announced that National Geographic Documentary Films has acquired the streaming rights to the feature-length documentary “Ghost Elephants” 

In the mist-covered highlands of Angola, deep within Africa’s last great subtropical forest, a mystery endures: the elusive ghost elephants of Lisima, the potential living descendants of the largest land mammal ever recorded. Steve Boyes, conservation biologist and National Geographic’s Okavango Wilderness Project leader, is determined to prove their existence. 

In order to find these elusive elephants, Boyes and fellow National Geographic Explorer Kerllen Costa have teamed up with three KhoiSan master trackers—Qui (/ui), Qui-Dawid, and Kobus. Refugees from a war-torn past and considered among the most marginalised people in southern Africa, the trackers return to their ancestral lands to succeed where advanced technology could not.
 
Guided by trance, memory and the sacred “Elephant Dance,” their journey becomes an odyssey through a land of living myth, where forest spirits guard ancient lakes and the Luchaze people remain the last watchers of a vanishing world. As they reconnect with the “Source of Life”—the waters that sustain the Okavango Basin across Angola, Namibia and Botswana—they seek not just lost elephants, but a path back to identity, hope and belonging.

The documentary has been directed, narrated and written by legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog and features National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes. The film made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where Herzog received one of cinema’s most prestigious honours: the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The documentary will make its U.S. premiere at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend.

Herzog, who is also a National Geographic Explorer, said in a statement regarding the new documentary:

“After meeting Steve Boyes, an unexpected project that felt like the hunt for Moby Dick, the white whale, came at me with great urgency.  Like many of my films, this is an exploration of dreams, of imagination—weighed against reality. The film took me to what the local tribesmen call ‘The Land at the End of the Earth.’”

Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of Documentary Films at National Geographic, added:

“We are thrilled to bring Werner Herzog’s “Ghost Elephants” to streaming audiences worldwide.  This film’s captivating visual poetry gives viewers a front-row seat to Boyes’ quest to uncover the truth behind the legend of these magnificent and elusive creatures.” 

Steve Boyes also added:

“As we pondered the fate of the ghost elephants, one thing became clear: They may hold the key to protecting the waters that give life to the Okavango.  For thousands of years, elephants have been the architects of landscapes and the nurturers of ecosystems that allow other species to thrive. And after bearing witness to war, their resilience carries from one generation to the next. To find them is to believe in a future where this Lisima landscape fully thrives for people and nature.”

Streaming premiere dates for Disney+ and Hulu in 2026 are yet to be announced. The film will also receive a theatrical release, with dates to be announced by Sobey Road Entertainment in the coming months.

“Ghost Elephants” is produced by Ariel León Isacovitch and directed, narrated and written by Werner Herzog. Sobey Road Entertainment is the producing partner with Brian Nugent, Andrew Trapani, Emerson Farrell, David Sze, David B. Kirk, Terrence Battle and Casey Graf as executive producers. For National Geographic Documentary Films, Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of Documentary Films, and Tim Horsburgh, vice president of Documentary Films, are executive producers. 

Are you looking forward to watching “Ghost Elephants”?  Let me know on social media!