Guardians Of The Galápagos | Disney+ Original Review
To celebrate this year’s Earth Day, DisneyNature is releasing a brand new movie called “Sea Lions of the Galápagos”, which follows Leo, a handsome sea lion pup who’s learning how to navigate life alongside his mother, Luna. Following swimming lessons, fishing expeditions and some growing up, Leo eventually leaves his mother’s colony to find his own home—male sea lions must fight to earn the best spots, and only the strongest will become beachmasters. Leo’s lifelong quest is fraught with challenges and filled with new encounters with an array of creatures, from marine iguanas and racer snakes to yellowfin tuna and huge Galapagos sharks. The archipelago is Leo’s playground—overland and underwater—but he must stay vigilant to find his place in the world.
To accompany that movie is a behind-the-scenes documentary called “Guardians of the Galápagos.” This documentary follows the crew of “Sea Lions of the Galápagos” to showcase how they made the film and reveal more details about one of the most beautiful places on the planet.
DisneyNature films have some of the best natural photography in the world, with stunning visuals, and this documentary gives us an insight into how they got the incredible shots of the sea lions in action, chasing down fish and living their lives. It’s a little bit like those last ten minutes on a BBC Natural History documentary, but in a little more depth.
This film covers multiple topics, highlighting the damage caused by plastic pollution on the islands and how people are trying to protect the environment from mankind, with an insight into keeping invasive species off the islands and dealing with illegal fishing. It also details how they dived at night with sharks and abseiled into a secret lake to find sea lions hiding away from the world.
We also get to see the local community doing what it can to protect the islands, by supporting environmental campaigns, cleaning beaches, restoring corals and helping local children experience this magical place.
The documentary is narrated by Blair Underwood, who you might know from the hit series, “LA Law,” and while his delivery is a little overdramatic at times, it does the job needed to express what’s going on and why.
There are also some great bloopers at the end of the film, highlighting how sea lions can be little rascals, especially as they’ve no fear of humans and are rather curious creatures.
Over the years, I’ve watched many DisneyNature movies, and I say the exact same thing every single time. They look beautiful, but I can’t stand the childish narration, which annoys me so much. This is why, each time DisneyNature does a brand new release, I know instantly that I’m going to prefer the accompanying documentary because its commentary is aimed at an older audience (though it still sounds like they are talking down to the viewer, rather than to us). This year’s new releases are no different, and I much prefer the “Guardians of the Galápagos” over the “real” movie.
Overall, “Guardians of the Galápagos” is a lovely documentary that highlights the sea lions’ lives, how the team captured the incredible footage, and the realities of the environment and what the locals need to do to keep it such a lovely place. If you’ve got little ones, you might want to watch “Sea Lions of the Galápagos”, but if you would like to see something aimed at older audiences, go for “Guardians of the Galápagos“. I really enjoyed learning more about the sea lions’ lives, which was refreshing since most documentaries about the islands usually focus on the iguanas or tortoises.
Rating: 4 Out Of 5
“Sea Lions of the Galápagos” and “Guardians of the Galápagos” will be released on Disney+ on Tuesday, 22nd April 2025.
Are you looking forward to watching “Guardians of the Galápagos“? Let me know on social media!
Roger Palmer
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