Secrets of the Whales

Secrets of the Whales is a 2021 nature documentary television series that depicts a variety of whale species in a variety of habitats. The first episode aired April 22, 2021, on National Geographic, as well as being released on Disney+.[1][2] It was filmed across 24 locations and took 3 years in production. Brian Skerry originated the show concept in 2008, after writing an article for National Geographic about endangered whale species.[3]

Secrets of the Whales
GenreNature documentary
Created by
  • Brian Armstrong
  • Andy Mitchell
Written by
  • Brian Armstrong
  • Andy Mitchell
Directed by
  • Brian Armstrong
  • Andy Mitchell
Narrated bySigourney Weaver
ComposerRaphaelle Thibaut
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producerJames Cameron
ProducerBrian Skerry
Cinematography
  • Brian Armstrong
  • Andy Mitchell
Production companyRed Rock Films
Release
Original network

The series won the 2021 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. It received positive review from critics.

Premise

The television series follows the life, culture, and behavior of different whale species across the globe.[4]

Featured whales
Name Image Family Location Size
Orca Oceanic dolphinPrefer cold water oceans.
Humpback Whale RorqualFeeding in polar waters and migrating to tropical waters
Beluga whale MonodontidaeArctic and subarctic ocean.
Narwhal Monodontidae
Sperm whale PhyseteroideaMigrating seasonally for feeding and breeding.

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Orca Dynasty"Brian Armstrong & Andy MitchellBrian Armstrong & Andy MitchellApril 22, 2021 (2021-04-22)
Orcas display differing survival strategies across the world. In New Zealand waters, a mother teachers her offspring to catch stingrays by flipping them upside down. Marine wildlife photographer Brian Skerry has a close encounter with the mother orca, who offers him a stingray. In Patagonia, a grandmother passes on the difficult technique of catching sea lions by rushing up onto shore. An adopted orca struggles to learn this hunting strategy. Unique knowledge like this must be passed down from generation to generation, indicating whales have a sense of culture.
2"Humpback Song"Brian Armstrong & Andy MitchellBrian Armstrong & Andy MitchellApril 22, 2021 (2021-04-22)
Humpback whales travel vast distances from the poles to the equatorial ocean to give birth. Mothers and calves must make the long journey back to northern or southern waters. In the southern hemisphere, the whales pass along a specific mating song for thousands of miles. In the northern hemisphere, a group of whales return year after year to work together as they capture krill in bubble nets. A mother humpback teaches her calf this skill, which takes practice to master.
3"Beluga Kingdom"Brian Armstrong & Andy MitchellBrian Armstrong & Andy MitchellApril 22, 2021 (2021-04-22)
Around Greenland, over two-thousand beluga whales return to the same place each year where mothers give birth to their calves. They will teach their babies the hundreds of complex vocalizations belugas use to communicate. A polar bear poses a threat when two belugas are trapped in shallow waters and a calf is separated from his mother. Parent and offspring are eventually reunited, but the third whale falls pray to the hungry bear. Narwhals migrate from Baffin Bay to shallow, warmer western waters. One narwhal is separated from his family and becomes increasingly lost. Facing starvation, he encounters a pod of belugas (the narwhal's closest species) and joins the group to survive.
4"Ocean Giants"Brian Armstrong & Andy MitchellBrian Armstrong & Andy MitchellApril 22, 2021 (2021-04-22)
On an epic journey that spans the world's oceans in Dominica, the Azores and Sri Lanka, witness the complex culture of the gentle giants. Relying solely on the next generation's ability to learn their intricate ways, family culture and secrets, the sperm whales' future rests upon its youngest members.

Release

Secrets of the Whales premiered on April 22, 2021, on Disney+ and National Geographic for Earth Day.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.60/10.[6] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[7]

Mike Hale of The New York Times found the visuals exciting, stating that the shots manage to provide a deep emotion for the audience, while claiming that the series emphasizes the intelligence and the social skills of whales.[8] John Serba of Decider stated that the series succeeds to distinguish itself from other wildlife documentaries, claiming it provides fairly scientific data and very satisfying visuals that manage to capture the attention of the audience.[9] Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times gave the series a 4 out of 4 stars rating, claimed that the documentary succeeds to explore the behavior and culture of different whale species scientifically, found the visuals of the series astonishing across its photography, while saying that Sigourney Weaver was the ideal choice as the narrator.[10] Joly Herman of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars and acclaimed the education value, claiming that the documentary succeeds to portray the intelligence and culture of whales, praised the positive messages and role models, stating that Secrets of the Whales depicts the importance of love, teamwork, and creativity among the whales to the survival of their species, while complimenting Weaver's performance.[11]

Accolades
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2021 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award Outstanding Narrator Sigourney Weaver Nominated [12]
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series James Cameron, Maria Wilhelm, Shannon, Malone-Debenedictis, Pamela Caragol, Kevin Krug, Samuel LeGrys, Brian Skerry Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Hayes Baxley, Andy Mitchell, Brian Armstrong Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Best Narration Sigourney Weaver Nominated [13]
Best Cinematography in a Variety, Sketch, Nonfiction, or Reality Program Secrets of the Whales Nominated

References
  1. "Secrets of the Whales". Disney+. 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  2. "Secrets of the Whales". National Geographic. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  3. "Secrets of the Whales is a deep dive into whale culture". ABC news. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  4. "Inside the secret culture of whales, from favorite foods to family names". KCRW. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  5. Vitarelli, Alicia (2021-04-21). "'Secrets of the Whales' debuts Earth Day on Disney+". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  6. "SECRETS OF THE WHALES". Rotten Tomatoes.
  7. "Secrets of the Whales". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  8. Hale, Mike (2021-04-21). "On TV, Spend Earth Day With David, Greta … or Cher?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  9. "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Secrets of the Whales' on Disney+, a Nature-Doc Series That Promises to Dish on the Big Mammals". Decider. 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  10. "'Secrets of the Whales': Amazing footage shows not just how the sea mammals look, but how they live". Chicago Sun-Times. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  11. "Secrets of the Whales TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
  12. Hersko, Tyler (2021-09-12). "'Secrets of the Whales' Wins Best Documentary Series at the 2021 Emmys". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  13. "25th Annual TV Awards (2020-21) - Online Film & Television Association". Retrieved 2022-05-19.
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