DisneyNature is giving a behind the scenes look at how the cinematographers put together some of their documentaries. Ahead of Earth Day, DisneyNature released three documentaries looking into the habitats of animals and three documentaries looking at how those documentaries were made. “Diving with Dolphins” gives us a behind-the-scenes look at “Dolphin Reef.”

This is one of my favorite documentaries I’ve seen. I enjoy dolphins and I love seeing how films are made. Seeing how the cinematographers are able to capture the beauty and wonder of the deep ocean without disturbing the ecosystem. The up-close look at dolphins, sharks, humpback whales, fish, turtles and all of the creatures of the deep inside the vast blue of the ocean is downright mesmerizing.

As mentioned in both my reviews of “Dolphin Reef” and “Elephant,” the narration style of the main DisneyNature documentaries can come across as both cartoonish and childish. These behind the scenes documentaries give a more mature style of narration. If the regular style isn’t for you, I recommend looking into these documentaries as it will probably speak to you more. Giving even more credibility to this particular documentary is the narrator in particular; Celine Cousteau, daughter of famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. There’s never been anyone more credible for exploring the deep than Jacques Cousteau and I’ve got the feeling he instilled that love of the ocean and the desire to tell its story in his daughter. It shines through this documentary.

“Diving with Dolphins” helps us understand the privacy that ocean creatures prefer. A majority of the dolphins and humpback whales the crew tried to film ignored the crew, showing their backside and refusing to be filmed. Many will swim away to avoid being filmed and since marine creatures are much faster swimmers than the crew, the cinematographers must wait to find a creature who is willing to be filmed.


There are two moments in this documentary that truly stood out to me. The first is turtle cave. It’s a scary catacomb that has been the end of many turtles. The film crew follows the main dolphin and a turtle as they get stuck in this catacomb. They follow the pair as they desperately search for the exit before they drown. Both are able to find the exit and rush to the surface to breathe before continuing swimming. It’s an absolutely jawdropping moment. The other is a moment where the crew is filming dolphins in waves. A videographer sitting on the back of a jet ski catches a pod of dolphins in the wave. Meanwhile, the jet ski driver has to time it just right, so the videographer can capture the pod, but also has to accelerate at just the right time so the pair of them don’t get overtaken. It’s absolutely breathtaking to watch.

DisneyNature’s “Dolphin Reef” was an excellent documentary to watch with the whole family. “Diving with Dolphins” is more targeted to adults. I believe many kids who would be captivated by “Dolphin Reef’s” style might not be as captivated with “Diving with Dolphins.” But, it still was a very educational and informative watch. I would recommend for any adult who wants to learn about both the ocean and cinematography.

Ranking: 4 stars out of 5.

Did you watch “Diving with Dolphins?” What did you think of it?

For the latest Disney+ news, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.



Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

Related Article