Marine Movies for Kids

[#1]

While you’re relaxing on the boat, do your kids or grandkids quiz you more than your former science teachers ever did?

• Mom, what’s that bird?
• Dad, what kind of fish is that?
• Grandpa, how deep is the ocean?
• Grandma, what do turtles eat?

An enterprising and tech-savvy boater might look up the answer right then on an iPad. But don’t wait ‘til they ask. Documentaries provide an opportunity to look deeper into the ocean and teach your kids things they never thought to ask. 

Here are two great movies for kids:

Turtle: The Incredible Journey

This G-rated, 79-minute film features gorgeous scenes that tell the life story of the loggerhead turtle. From its hatching on the beach in Florida to its journey in the Gulf Stream alongside dolphins, sharks, and humpback whales, the turtle encounters danger and triumph. You’ll learn how oil spills, pollution and fishing affect the turtles. You’ll cringe as a baby turtle encounters a poisonous Portuguese Man o’ War, and laugh when you see what happens next. Back and forth across oceans, this enthralling film allows viewers a glimpse of many creatures of the sea through the story of one loggerhead turtle. Only one of every 10,000 turtles makes the complete journey.

Note to parents: This is a nature story. It isn’t graphic in a bad way, but be prepared to talk about natural selection and survival of the fittest. And pre-screen if particularly sensitive little eyes will be watching.

In the first scene, a baby turtle becomes lunchmeat for a hungry crab. My 5-year-old companion’s “Oh, no, that turtle’s in trouble” turned to a bit of a chuckle when an older turtle ate a crab later in the movie. We talked about how everything on the Earth is food for something else. After the last scene, I avoided the birds-and-bees-of-the-ocean conversation by talking about how cute the turtles were giving each other piggyback rides. (How did that get in a G movie?)

For more about the film, visit http://www.turtle-film.com. And before you get the chance to show the movie to your kids, impress them with this fact: loggerhead turtles can hold their breath under water for half an hour!

Disneynature: Oceans

I went on a whale-watching excursion in Alaska several years ago. When I finally saw the tail of a humpback disappearing into the water, I wondered how something so large could be so close to our boat and we knew of its presence only by the brief glimpse of its tail.

Do you stare across the water from the bow of your boat and wonder what is going on beneath the surface?

This 84-minute, G-rated film gives voice to that awe of the ocean — and then takes viewers beneath the water to see what lurks just beyond our sight. From an iguana off the coast of the Galapagos Islands to dolphins in a feeding frenzy off the coast of South Africa to the leopard seal in the Antarctic, this movie showcases the amazing creatures of our oceans. The narration is more poetic than educational, but the imagery is beautiful.

Parents: This, too, is a science film. It is important for children to understand the food chain, but make sure your kiddos are ready before they watch. One scene depicts Orcas catching and eating sea lions. Another somewhat disturbing scene illustrates dozens of birds snatching up baby turtles trying to dash for the water.

Kids will also see satellite imagery that shows how our pollution runs from rivers into the ocean — followed by video of floating litter that shows just how bad the problem is. And they will see video of fishing nets and their unintended casualties.

But kids will also learn about the Spanish dancer sea slug, the porcupine puffer fish, sail fish, and the narwhal (or the “unicorn of the sea”).  They’ll see a scarred manatee snuffling along the bottom of the sea for food, and they’ll see a mama walrus hugging her baby and teaching him to swim just as a human mother would hold her child.

The kids that connect with our oceans today will take care of our oceans tomorrow. For more about the film, visit http://disney.go.com/disneynature/oceans/

[#2]

Love it

[#3]

Have you seen either? I was kind of freaking out at the turtle massacre scenes (though they really weren't graphic), but the kiddo handled it well, so we went with the sciene discussion. But seriously, what a cool job to get to film under the sea! Awesome images!

[#4]

I haven't actually seen them, but they're now on my list, Jaime.

[#5]

Even though it is a kids movie, the Turtle film really captured my interest (the camera-work looks awesome).  Thanks for the tip, Jaime.