The Elephant Queen

Movie review bySandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
The Elephant Queen Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+
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Big-hearted, beautiful docu about matriarchal elephant herd.

PG 2019 96 minutes
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Parents say

age 11+

Based on5 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on1 review

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The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

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What Parents Need to Know

父母需要知道The Elephant Queen, narrated byChiwetel Ejiofor, is a wildlife documentary that focuses on a herd of elephants as they make a perilous journey for food and water. Directed by award-winning filmmakersMark DeebleandVictoria Stone, the documentary has a story that's accessible and entertaining for younger viewers while still respecting the unpredictability of nature. The film doesn't shy away from the consequences of drought and starvation, and a few dead animals are shown. Especially sad are scenes that depict a baby elephant dying and the herd gathering to grieve her loss. There are also a few other shots of collapsing, dying, or dead wildlife. Mating rituals are discussed or portrayed, but the joke about a species of frog's "foam party" will go over kids' heads. What won't go over anyone's head are the movie's themes of perseverance and teamwork.

Community Reviews

AstridLove
AstridLove Adult
December 4, 2020
age 6+

Fabulous

My 5-year-old and 10-year-old daughters and I watched this together and absolutely loved it. My work as a nurse, combined with the death of grandparents and pets in our family has prepared us for discussions of life and death . Although processing life, and death can be uncomfortable, this film could open that door for parents to help kids. I gave them a heads up about the scene and offered to skip it if they wanted. I did not find the death scenes traumatic, and the rest of the film balanced the temporary discomfort of a real-life, common event. It also helped us discuss the importance of maternal health. My kids are much more disturbed by shows where there is fictional physical fighting or intentional injury/death between people, and many of those shows are rated for younger kids. The show deepened our respect for elephants as intelligent, intuitive, resilient, sentient beings who have many of the same joys and struggles as humans. We laughed, we cried, just like in life.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
khdmb9
khdmb9 Adult
December 25, 2019
age 12+

Not for sensitive kids

I will give my wife's take of the movie. Our smallest son loves elephants so we were going to give this a try. We turned it off after I read that a baby elephant dies as we wanted to prescreen it for our boys. My wife watched it and was sobbing at what she watched and said there was no way our 5.5 year old would watch it. Dont know why it says 6+ by the site, but it is pretty sad for young kids.
1 person found this helpful.
See all5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE ELEPHANT QUEEN is the result of filmmakers Mark Deeble's and Victoria Stone's (who happen to be married) spending four years filming wildlife in Kenya. Narrated byChiwetel Ejiofor, the movie chronicles the yearlong journey of Athena, a 50-year-old elephant matriarch who must guide her herd of females and juveniles on a perilous trek to find water. Athena is a super tusker (elephants whose tusks eventually reach the ground); her herd includes young male Wei-Wei and newborn Mimi. They must work together to dig out a waterhole before a storm; the project also helps many smaller animals (including dung beetles, geese, and frogs), which makes the elephants a "keystone species." But eventually, the green season turns dry, and scarcity forces Athena to decide whether the herd should take a dangerous 100-mile journey or stay put and risk starvation in order to give Mimi more time to grow.

Is It Any Good?

Gorgeously shot, fabulously narrated, and surprisingly poignant, this documentary is an inspiring tribute to the power of motherhood and community on the African savanna. Deeble, Stone, and their tight-knit crew committed four years to conceiving and shootingThe Elephant Queen,与去年完全奉献给雅典娜和她的herd. As Athena and the younger generations of females and little ones frolic in their watering hole and live peacefully with their neighbors during green season, it seems like life is idyllic. But as the climate dries the vegetation that's their food supply, the film shows how precarious surviving can be, even for large creatures. Expect a few tear-jerking moments as baby Mimi has trouble acclimating and suffers from failure to thrive once her mother's milk dries up.

The beauty of this film is that while it concentrates on the elephant herd, it also explores all the surrounding animals that benefit from the elephants' presence -- from the tiniest of dung beetles to the cutest of Egyptian geese (one of whom, Steven, is a scene-stealing wanderer). There are also frisky foam-nest tree frogs, patient bullfrogs, and beautiful birds. Deeble's impressive cinematography is immediate and immersive, giving viewers a close-up view of the various animals and their life cycles. Ejiofor's narration proves as suited to narration as voice-over legend Morgan Freeman's; the filmmakers chose an ideal actor to voice their wildlife narrative. Families with kids of all ages will find something to love in this tender, terrific documentary.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the enduring popularity of wildlife documentaries. What's appealing about nature films? Talk about some of your favoriteanimal documentaries.

  • The filmmakers have discussed howThe Elephant Queenexplores the importance of female wisdom and leadership. How is Athena a laudable matriarch? Whatcharacter strengthsdoes she exhibit?

  • The narration gives animals names (like scientists do with animals they're tracking) and explains their behavior, but it doesn't attribute any dialogue to the animals. How does that compare to other nature movies you've seen?

  • Elephants are endangered. How does this film impact how you feel about the importance of elephants and the need for conservation?

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