Best Animal Documentaries

Tilikum, a captive killer whale that killed several people, shows issues in the sea-park industry, man's bond with nature, and what we still don't know about these smart mammals.

Each Antarctic summer, emperor penguins of the South Pole travel to their breeding grounds through a mating ritual. Filmmaker Luc Jacquet captures this in the documentary. The journey across frozen tundra is simple: after the egg hatches, the female transfers it to the male and returns to the sea to feed herself and bring food for her chick.

Water covers most of Earth. Using new tech, filmmakers Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud explore the underwater world. They dive deep into the waters that support all life on Earth, capturing stunning footage of life's beauty and harsh reality beneath the waves.

A rival pride attacks and kills lioness Ma di Tau's mate. She fights hard to save herself and her three cubs. Knowing the conquering lions will kill her young if they are found, she leads them to Duba Island. There, she and her cubs face more danger from hungry crocodiles and fierce water buffalo.

Oprah Winfrey and David Attenborough narrate the series. It explores nature's complex adaptations, showing the constant fight for survival, as Charles Darwin described it.

Taiji, Japan, local fishermen hide a gruesome secret: they capture and slaughter dolphins. Activist Ric O'Barry, who trained dolphins for the "Flipper" TV series, joins Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to expose this brutal practice, risking life and limb.

The mysterious 52 Hertz whale makes a call other whales do not recognize, causing it to live alone.

Werner Herzog's documentary, pieced from Timothy Treadwell's video, examines the drive that made Treadwell live with a tribe of wild grizzly bears in an Alaskan reserve. Timothy, a conservationist who loved adventure, thought he connected humans and beasts. When a bear he loved and protected attacks him, the footage he shot shows us nature's grim truths.

The Druid wolf pack lives in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, defending their territory from rival packs. Leadership within the pack shifts as the alpha male and female get older.

The Tiger Next Door is a 2009 feature documentary film directed and produced by Camilla Calamandrei.

An Apology to Elephants, a 2013 documentary, shows abuse and brutal treatment of elephants. It displays elephant training and the psychological trauma and physical harm from living conditions in some zoos and circuses. HBO premiered the film on April 24, 2013, also marking Earth Day. Environmental activists and biologists, including Performing Animal Welfare Society co-founders Ed Stewart and Pat Derby, give interviews. The film honors Derby, also known as "elephant lady," who died February 15, 2013. Narrator Li.

A team of brave individuals risks their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.

This documentary shows an epic look at winter bird migration. Filmed across all seven continents over four years, the footage creates one view of a journey that is extremely hard for all bird types. The film shows the physical effort birds use on their separate paths, not just statistics or facts. Viewers see the many dangers they face, from trash made by humans to hungry crabs.

Earthlings is a 2005 American documentary about humanity using other animals as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and for science. Joaquin Phoenix narrates the film, Moby provides the music, Shaun Monson directed it, and Maggie Q co-produced it; all three practice veganism.

David Clark and Al Giddings directed the short documentary film, Galapagos: IMAX.

Two biologists undertake a massive task: figuring out the complex communication of whales. Dr. Michelle Fournet and Dr. Ellen Garland travel to opposite hemispheres to find a culture much older than ours.

Five puppies go through the process of becoming guide dogs for the blind, starting from birth.

The insect kingdom, captured by the filmmakers, appears as action-packed and beautiful as anything else, even if small to the human eye. Using different film techniques and an inspired score, the image of a beetle pushing dung gains the mythic quality of Sisyphus's boulder. Meanwhile, endless caterpillar lines suggest the rhythm of modern highway traffic during rush hour.

Biologist Rob Stewart argues sharks are misunderstood as dangerous. He travels to the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, and other locations where sharks exist. Underwater, he feeds sharks to show their nonviolent nature. With 90 percent of the shark population destroyed by hunting, Stewart joins conservationist Paul Watson to fight poachers who illegally kill animals for fins and sell meat to the Taiwanese Mafia.

A bear cub faces death when its mother dies in a rockslide, leaving it alone without food or defense. The cub then tries to bond with a male grizzly, who first ignores it. Hunters pursue the grizzly, and the cub helps, winning the grizzly's affection. A hunter captures the cub, forcing the grizzly to fight the armed men. The story comes from the cub's point of view.

Nanu, a polar bear cub, and Seela, a young walrus, live and mature in the frozen North. The tundra has sheltered their kind for generations. Now, global warming melts the ice beneath them, causing the Arctic's wildlife to shrink.

Famous feline Abatutu shows off cats' best and slickest moments using a collection of home videos.

Dr. Jane Goodall, a known anthropologist, studies primates in Africa. This film tracks her travels, sharing her conservationism and research, especially her four-and-a-half-decade study of African chimpanzees. Though in her 70s, Goodall remains energetic, knowledgeable about her subject and conservation.

The 2004 American documentary film, 'Best Friend Forgotten,' shows the tough problem of pet overpopulation. David Duchovny hosts the film. It tells the stories of Oreo the cat and Clover the dog as they face harsh pet overpopulation realities. Viewers see a balanced look at euthanasia and the no-kill movement. Candid interviews expose myths about spaying and neutering. Leaders from government and animal rights groups discuss the pet overpopulation plague and its societal effect.

This film shows a multi-generational orangutan family.

Sea of Shadows, a 2019 Austrian documentary by Richard Ladkani, Sean Bogle, and Matthew Podolsky, examines how Mexican cartels and the Chinese mafia threaten the vaquita, the world's smallest whale.

This tells the story of a group of gorillas.

A baby pangolin, rescued from poachers, journeys back to the wild with help from a devoted human guardian.

Penguins, a 2019 American nature documentary by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson, follows Adélie penguin Steve. Steve joins millions of males in the Antarctic spring to build a nest, find a mate, and start a family.

Cynthia Wade directed and produced Shelter Dogs in 2003. The film examines animal welfare in the United States and the ethics of animal euthanasia. Wade follows a New York animal shelter and its staff over three years. The film shows the tough decisions made with homeless animals.

Ali Tabrizi directed Seaspiracy in 2021. This American nature documentary focuses on ocean life. The filmmaker documents human harm to marine species and uncovers global corruption.

A film explores how dogs influence people's daily lives. It shows the simple and extraordinary ways dogs affect people.

Worldwide stories show human-animal bonds. These follow pet owners and rescuers with dogs, cats, pigs, goats, and birds of prey. Interviews, archives, and viral clips show people's animal connections.

A spare documentary follows shepherds guiding hundreds of sheep through Montana wilderness. The crew herds livestock through the Beartooth Mountains. They face dangerous weather and wild animals like bears and wolves. The film shows the hardships of this age-old job in the 21st-century United States.

Filmmaker Elizabeth Lo follows three stray dogs. These dogs find human companionship on the streets of Turkey.

A journey into dogs reveals scientific and emotional insights about these lovable companions.

Indah, an adolescent orangutan, learns to live as she prepares to leave her family and explore alone for the first time.

Explore the wonders, threats, and hope for our vast, interconnected ocean.

Dealing Dogs, a 2006 documentary by Last Chance for Animals, shows animal welfare in the United States. The film focuses on marketing and selling dogs to vet schools and research labs. It earned a 2007 Emmy Nominee for Best Cable Documentary and Outstanding Investigative Journalism - Long Form, and a 2007 Genesis Award for Outstanding Cable Documentary.

Cat Dancers (HBO, 2008) is an American documentary film directed by Harris Fishman. It shows how Ron Holiday, Joy Holiday, and Chuck Lizza, the "Cat Dancers," became one of the first exotic tiger entertainment acts. They shared a happy, if strange, life until tragedy struck.

Jeff Orlowski directed Chasing Coral in 2017. As coral reefs worldwide vanish fast, a team of divers, photographers, and scientists begins a thrilling ocean adventure. They seek to find out why and show the underwater mystery to the world.

A film crew follows two leopard cubs.

Tigers are returning. They reclaim their land. They enter areas outside forest reserves, creating problems for people and animals.

A young tigress raises her cubs in Indian forests.

Filmmakers Kip Andersen and Kameron Waters show harsh facts about animal cruelty dressed up as religion.

Photographer Valerie Taylor becomes a leader for ocean creatures many people dislike and misunderstand.

Explorers seek the biggest, hardest-to-find land mammals alive now.

Goodall linked people and nature.

A young penguin answers a strange call that forces animals toward an unknown place.

Ocean Ramsey dives into her mission.