Starring The Birds of the Earth Directed by Jacques Perrin U.S. Box Office: $10,762,178 Rated G Release Date 2003

Winged Migration is a stunning documentary by the French filmmakers that brought us Microcosmos years before. It is the story of migrating birds from all over the world, told to us from the bird’s point of view through amazing cinematography. It took three years of following all different kinds of birds in a glider, taking us on their bi-yearly journey with them with very little dialogue along the way, just a little narration now and again.

This is an amazing film all around. I saw it in an independent movie theater near where I was living at the time. It’s quite breathtaking to see these birds in their natural life doing something we all knew that they did but never thought too much about it.

The original score marvelously, along with the visuals of course, seem to transport you to another world until you realize that this is OUR world, just seen from a perspective that we would otherwise never get to experience. And I think that’s one of the reasons this film is so fantastic, it opens our eyes to something we already knew was there.

Some of you may be thinking this is just another March of the Penguins type movie but it’s not at all. Unlike Penguins, it’s not whimsical or cutsie in anyway, and the kids that liked Penguins are going to be bored stiff with this take on earth’s creatures of flight. This is an art film, pure and simple, with education taking a backseat. (not to mention that it was released two years prior to Penguins.)

This is one of the most fascinating and breathtaking films to hit the scene in a long time. It’s one you have to see for yourself to even remotely appreciate. Make very effort to see this film and see it on the largest big screen television you can find.

A+