Best Animal Documentaries

Wildlife fans will delight in these exceptional documentaries about the wonders of the animal kingdom. Kids will love getting to see their favorite animals up close and personal, from tiny insects to gigantic elephants. Keep in mind some of these documentaries focus on predators on the hunt, and others show the brutal conditions faced by creatures in captivity. So make sure you know what your kids can handle before diving into a documentary like Blackfish. To learn more about the environment and what we can do to protect it, check out our list of Green TV.

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Born to Be Wild Poster Image
MOVIE

Born to Be Wild

age 5+

Sweet, inspiring tale of two wildlife fairy godmothers.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2011)
Gunda Poster Image
MOVIE

Gunda

age 5+

Beautiful, profound B&W farm docu is mild but slow paced.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2021)
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar Poster Image
MOVIE

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

age 5+

Nature docu explores fascinating world & history of lemurs.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2014)
Ocean Mysteries Poster Image
TV

Ocean Mysteries

age 5+

Corwin's marine field trips are inspiring for families.

Network: ABC (2011)
African Cats Poster Image
MOVIE

African Cats

age 6+

Nature docu emphasizes a mother's love and sacrifice.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2011)
Arctic Tale Poster Image
MOVIE

Arctic Tale

age 6+

Kid-friendly film serves up inconvenient truth.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2007)
Bears Poster Image
MOVIE

Bears

age 6+

Some tense moments in Disney's nature documentary.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2014)
Born in China Poster Image
MOVIE

Born in China

age 6+

Nature docu has gorgeous vistas, moments of peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2017)
Dolphin Reef Poster Image
MOVIE

Dolphin Reef

age 6+

Entertaining, educational nature docu has some peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2020)
Earth Poster Image
MOVIE

Earth

age 6+

Dazzling wildlife docu has a few intense moments.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2009)
Elephant Poster Image
MOVIE

Elephant

age 6+

Nature docu has stunning visuals, positive messages, peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2020)
The Elephant Queen Poster Image
MOVIE

The Elephant Queen

age 6+

Big-hearted, beautiful docu about matriarchal elephant herd.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2019)
Growing Up Wild Poster Image
MOVIE

Growing Up Wild

age 6+

Intimate look at baby wildlife; some violence, peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2016)
Kangaroo Valley Movie
MOVIE

Kangaroo Valley

age 6+

Absorbing kangaroo docu has peril, predator chases.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2022)
March of the Penguins Poster Image
MOVIE

March of the Penguins

age 6+

Stunning, loving documentary; some intense peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2005)
March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step Poster Image
MOVIE

March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step

age 6+

Another beautiful, fascinating penguin docu; some peril.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2018)
Microcosmos Poster Image
MOVIE

Microcosmos

age 6+

Breathtaking docu zooms in on insect life in vivid color.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 1996)
Monkey Kingdom Poster Image
MOVIE

Monkey Kingdom

age 6+

Tina Fey-narrated monkey documentary is funny, educational.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2015)
Pandas Poster Image
MOVIE

Pandas

age 6+

Educational doc about scientists training pandas to go wild.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2018)
Penguins Poster Image
MOVIE

Penguins

age 6+

Funny narration makes Arctic docu particularly kid-friendly.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2019)