National Geographic Teases Real-Life FINDING NEMO
By Movieguide® Contributor
National Geographic released the wildlife documentary A REAL BUG’S LIFE—inspired by the 1998 animated movie A BUG’S LIFE—and teased similar projects in the future.
“A REAL BUG’S LIFE is an adventure into a world beyond your imagination where life is on a completely different scale and little creatures rely on amazing powers to make it through the day,” a synopsis reads.
Movieguide®’s review for A REAL BUG’S LIFE reads:
A REAL BUG’S LIFE is a fun documentary series on Disney+ showing the lives of bugs in various environments. Each of the five episodes shows different bugs surviving different environments and interacting with other creatures in their ecosystems. The whole show is narrated by the very excited and energetic Awkwafina, who brings a sense of joy in talking about bugs. Each episode has different bug heroes, who overcome various adversities to accomplish their goals of survival.
The main purpose of A REAL BUG’S LIFE is educational. The whole point is to show that, despite the fact that many people find bugs to be a bit creepy, they are still important to their various ecosystems. The main concern in the series is depictions of insect violence. Various episodes showcase a predator-prey relationship between bugs as well as territory disputes. The other concern is that mating does occur, but the depictions of bugs mating aren’t graphic. Overall, A REAL BUG’S LIFE is entertaining, engaging, educational, and uplifting. It has a moral undertone. It stresses human stewardship of the planet and promotes hard work and perseverance.
Courteney Monroe, President of National Geographic Global Television Networks, said this is just the beginning of bringing other animated movies to life.
“There is such a rich IP to mine and there’s so much shared DNA between the Nat Geo and Disney brands that we are exploring lots of opportunities. You can imagine maybe a real FINDING NEMO and other franchises there, where there’s so many families with young children on the Disney+ platform that would gravitate to the real world storytelling around this franchise,” she said.
Although no formal conversations have occurred for a real-life FINDING NEMO, Monroe explained that A REAL BUG’S LIFE “was created with a Disney+ audience in mind given the original Pixar film,” according to The Wrap.
She also said that real-life RATATOUILLE is a “good idea.”
“We’re finding that National Geographic storytelling really does appeal to different audiences — the same exact story — it’s just reaching different demographics depending on the platform,” Monroe added. “Those stories can exist in the National Geographic print magazine, they can exist in shortform on social, they can exist in longform on Disney+ or on linear.”
In addition to real-life documentaries inspired by some of the best animated films, National Geographic could become an attraction at Disney World.
Nothing is confirmed, but Monroe said that there’s a “tremendous amount of untapped potential for National Geographic inside the Walt Disney Company beyond just in terms of the content that we create.”
“There’s a lot of really exciting conversations happening about how can we expand our presence in the parks, working with the Disney consumer products team, working with a travel team, there’s a whole Nat Geo experiences business,” she added. “The Walt Disney Company is a perfect fit for the National Geographic brand and I do think there’s a lot of opportunities outside of television and film and there’s some really good conversations underway.”
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