Disney+ offers an impressive selection of nature, deep sea, and space documentaries
-- in old-school technicolor and breathtaking 4K from studios like Disneynature and National
Geographic.
We’ve combed through the catalog to select the best and boldest.
The thrill of the hunt and the heartwarming patience of motherhood exist side by side
in The African Lion, one Disney's classic documentaries.
Wildlife experts spent 30 months in Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda documenting the extraordinary
life of lions in the complex African ecosystem.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969, award-winning
filmmaker Tom Jennings flexed his signature style of first-person storytelling to create
Apollo: Missions to the Moon, an immersive account that spans the breadth and depth of
NASA’s Apollo Space Program.
In an epic story with breathtaking scale, Bears follows a family of these majestic creatures
as two impressionable cubs learn life’s most important lessons.
Their Alaskan wilderness journey begins as winter comes to an end and the bears emerge
from hibernation to face the bitter cold, and beyond.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron joins up with NASA scientists and marine biologists
to investigate 10 hydrothermal vents in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
These vents have special ecosystems teeming with bizarre and beautiful lifeforms unlike
any other.
If real alien worlds are harsher than our own, these vents provide a fascinating glimpse
of what life beyond Earth might look like.
The Crimson Wing explores the breeding and parenting habits of lesser flamingos, which
occur every year on the isolated shores of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania and along
the salt lakes of the African Rift Valley.
After mating on an immense salt island, the flamingos nurture their chicks, who learn
to survive and grow up in an extreme and dangerous environment, with predators lurking around
every corner.
Elephant follows the remarkable journey of African elephant Shani and her spirited son
Jomo, as their herd makes an epic journey hundreds of miles across the Kalahari Desert.
Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family faces brutal heat, dwindling resources, and
persistent predators—as they follow in their ancestor’s footsteps on a quest to reach
a lush, green paradise.
Released alongside Elephant as a Disney+ exclusive when the streaming service launched, Dolphin
Reef dives under the sea to frolic with some of our planet’s most engaging animals.
Echo is a young Pacific bottlenose dolphin who can’t quite decide if it’s time to
grow up and take on new responsibilities.
The gorgeous film explores the vibrant coral reef that Echo’s family calls home, navigates
the tricky dynamics of dolphin society, and all the drama is wonderfully narrated by Natalie
Portman.
More people have stood on the moon than have completed a continuous hike of the entire
Grand Canyon.
But in 2016, that’s exactly what two filmmakers set out to do.
Into the Grand Canyon chronicles their 750-mile journey on foot across the entire length.
The pair took a sectional approach, thereby achieving a feat that many adventurers have
taken decades to complete—and others have lost their lives trying.
But their quest was more than just an endurance test: It was also a platform to draw attention
to the unprecedented threats facing one of our most revered landscapes.
To commemorate the 50th Earth Day in April 2020, National Geographic released the one-hour
television event Born Wild: The Next Generation.
Hosted by Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts and featuring a host of photographers
and explorers, as well as superstar actor Chris Hemsworth, the special presents stories
of hope and gives viewers a revealing look at our planet’s next generation of baby
animals and their ecosystems, all facing huge environmental changes.
Hop to breathtaking locales including Australia, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, and Kenya to celebrate
what we’re all really here for: adorable baby animals.
The next chapter of Dr. Jane Goodall’s inspiring life and work unfold in Jane Goodall: The
Hope, a docuseries that debuted on NatGeo’s TV channels, and is now streamable on Disney+.
It chronicles Dr. Goodall’s journey in the 60 years since her groundbreaking discoveries
in Gombe researching wild chimpanzees, including her activism, the creation of her non-profit
organization and her current efforts to inspire the next generation.
Those are our favorite docs and docuseries currently on Disney+ but if you’re enjoying
adorable animals or fascinating creepy-crawlies elsewhere on the platform, be sure to shout
those titles out in the comments below.
And be sure to like this video and subscribe to our channel so you won’t miss our upcoming
guides.
If you’re still not sure what to watch tonight, check out our other streaming guides linked
here for the best shows, movies, docs, and animation across all streaming platforms.
Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you in the next one.