Having been to the far north to see polar bears in the wild, I guess you can say I have a special affinity for our planet’s more remote locations. In fact, seeing penguins in Antarctica makes my list of top 10 nature sights I want to see.
No surprise then, that I jumped at the chance to review the seven-part nature series Frozen Planet, which explores life in the Polar Regions.
Frozen Planet is a BBC/Discovery Channel co-production four years in the making. Billed as the ultimate polar expedition, the series follows the seasonal changes in the Arctic and Antarctic – and how these changes affect animal migrations, feeding habits, mating rituals and more.
Ultimately, this is a story of survival. Key players here are polar bears, penguins, orca whales, arctic wolves and others. The footage itself in many instances is never-before-seen stuff. Here’s a little taste of what the show’s all about:
It took an amazing group of highly skilled and dedicated folks to put this series together and it’s well worth the watch. But what will the kids think?
Watching Frozen Planet With Kids
While there is no recommended viewing age, I suggest you use your best judgment here. Frozen Planet – like most nature shows – is considered “family friendly” entertainment. While there are a fair amount of warm and fuzzy moments, there are just as many (if not more) dramatic, to-the-death hunting scenes, as well as footage of animals mating.
The Big Explorer (7.5 years old) seemed just the right age to digest much of what he was seeing. He was moved by footage of polar bear cubs just after birth with mom in their den, but also fascinated watching orca whales spend more than an hour chasing a minke whale to death.
There is obviously more footage here than can be watched in a single setting, giving you the opportunity to use the series as a jumping off point for all kinds of nature adventures. You might want to:
- Head to a local aquarium or zoo to see some of the polar animals in real life.
- Compare seasonal changes right in your own backyard using a weather station and/or a nature journal.
- Discuss ways animals in your neighborhood hunt, care for their young and/or migrate.
- Check out some books from a local library to learn more about a polar animal or a geological feature.
I’m glad that the underlying message that what’s happening at the Poles affects us all wasn’t lost on my 7 year old. He’s already dreaming of a visit to the super-cool South Pole science station.
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The Nitty Gritty on Frozen Planet
Frozen Planet provides powerful images of what life is like in our Polar Regions. The harsh reality may not be appropriate for younger kids, but older ones will find the series fascinating.
- 3 disk set includes seven 50-minute episodes plus bonus features
- Narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough, known to many as “the father of natural history television”
- While there is no recommended viewing age, parents should know that although this is a family-friendly series, there are dramatic, to-the-death hunting scenes, as well as footage of animals mating
- Bonus features are worth a look (especially the “Freeze Frame,” making-of shorts that follow each episode & the “Science at the Ends of the Earth”)
- DVD retails for $39.98 ($49.98 in Canada); Blu-Ray retails for $54.98 ($62.48 in Canada)
The Giveaway
Thanks to BBC Home Entertainment, I’ve got not one, but two free copies of the Frozen Planet DVD set to give away.
To enter, leave a comment sharing one thing you’d like to learn about the Polar Regions. Good luck!
- This giveaway will run through midnight PST on Sun., June 3, 2012.
- You must include an email address with your comment. Entries without an email address will not be included.
- This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.
- Winners will be chosen using the nifty random number generator at random.org.
- Winners will have 24 hours to reply to my notification. If I don’t hear back after that, I’ll pick another winner.
Note: I received a free Frozen Planet DVD set in exchange for providing my honest review with you. Read my full disclosure policy for more information.
This set looks amazing! My little guy is obsessed with animals and loves watching Planet Earth with us. My college mascot was the polar bear so we have lots of polar bear things in our house 🙂 Needless to say, he loves our family of plush polar bears. I'd love to learn whether there is a difference between the way climate change is affecting the Arctic and the Antarctic. Is one more at
Polar bear cubs!<br /><br />rkuo50@gmail.com
My family love reading about polar bears, their habitats and the threats the bears face from warming waters. We would love to see these DVDs. <br /><br />shopperchung@yahoo.com
We'd love to learn more about the polar regions, my top curiosity topic is the aurora borealis – Northern lights! Wow, and anything about Antarctica :)<br />perikeet at yahoo dot com
My boys are so into learning about all things nature. What better way to experience the polar region sojourn actually being able to visit in person. I like the idea of show how nature can deal with the harsh environmental extremes.<br /><br />Amberandross@gmail.com
My kids would LOVE to see this! Thanks for this review and giveaway.<br />Kwatrous@gmail.com
My boys would love to find out what the real Happy Feet penguins are like. Thanks for the review–sounds like a treasure to see :)<br /><br />raquelbjoyce@gmail.com
I'd love to learn about the kinds of studies currently being conducted in the area and how humans are affecting the animals and the environment in that region. <br /><br />wandering_off at yahoo dot com
We just got penguins at the Calgary Zoo and my son loves them! This would be great to show him what they are like/do in the wild. thebigpicturecalgary@gmail.com
Love David Attenborough's programs! My son loves penguins and polar bears, but I think it would be a great way to learn about other animals from the poles.
I asked my son what he'd like to learn about the arctic. He answered, "how many penguins live on it, and how cold is the ocean?"
I think this series has a little something for everyone. It’s a great thing to share with the whole family and makes a great movie night.
Our fam would love to learn about how the baby animals survive such cold and harsh conditions! Thanks for the review, excited to see it!<br />TracyVH@gmail.com
Oh SO cool! I want to learn honestly just more about how penguins live….. and my boys LOVE animals – this would be a great thing to show them!
My 5 year old absolutely loves nature documentaries. He's a zoologist in the makeing! We would enjoy learning more about the animals in the polar region. <br />Whittney2 @ gmail .com
My youngest has a thing for penguins and polar bears. We recently read Mr. Popper's Penguin's is she just wants to know more and more about them. Getting to see them in their actual habitat would be an awesome bonus for her! We would love to learn how they really live (not in a refrigerator or in a house that you filled with snow and left the windows open in the winter!<br /><br />
The diversity of wildlife is amazing….I have spent time recently in Fort Severn on Hudson's Bay working on restoring feighter canoes….not exactly polar I guess….but has seals….polar bears….caribou….whales….tundra…<br /><br />I have also spent time further north….we are very fortunate in Canada to have such a beautiful land of more than just ice and snow….amazing landscapes
We LOVE the BBC nature DVDs…big hits in our house of which we NEVER tire. Since we live in a very hot desert (during the summer months), this DVD set may bring some perceived relief 🙂 I marvel at how things survive in such a harsh and COLD environment…we would love to learn more about it. We recently learned about walruses being able to smash through ice to get air…pretty cool.
Oohhhh… I really want to see this! Like you, I was very moved by my experience with polar bears (and I am going back to Churchill in October!).<br /> <br />What would I like to learn? What wouldn't I like to learn? I suppose it would be something about the south pole, since I am less familiar with Antarctica than the Arctic. Are there whales that migrate from pole to pole? How big is