Disneynature Elephant follows a herd of elephants on their annual migration with young Jomo in tow. Fans of the Disney+ exclusive film can go behind-the-scenes with a full-length documentary, Disneynature In the Footsteps of Elephant. Get to know the adventurous filmmakers who risked it all to bring you the incredible footage used in the final film.
Welcome to Botswana, home to a third of Africa’s elephants and the only place in the world where they are still able to migrate. Human settlements have disrupted most of the elephant migrational pathways throughout the continent. In this location, thirteen have been preserved by Elephants without Borders making this journey possible. Unlike most of the Disneynatue behind-the-scenes documentaries, this one includes experts in the field weighing in through talking head interviews.
Even with an experienced guide with over two decades of experience trailing elephants, this is no easy journey for the cinematographers. Their adventure starts with customizing swamp trucks that will hopefully help them get through the various terrain they’re about to encounter, including thick sand, swamp land, and deep rivers. Even with these highly customized vehicles, they still face challenges and get stuck, starting on their first day of shooting.
The migratory journey is dangerous for the elephants, as you can see in the final film, but In the Footsteps of Elephants shows just how dangerous the journey was for the humans along to document it. On a savannah where sneaky lions can show up any moment, the camera crew tries to film as much as possible from the edge of their trucks. The big cats that rule this land even cause havoc on their camps, although sometimes what sounds like a lion roar may just be one of the filmmakers snoring.
The story of Disneynature Elephant is about a search for water and liquid space was part of the project as well. You’ll see a diving crew filming the elephants from under the surface at times and risking their lives in crocodile infested waters. The mists of Victoria Falls also wreaks havoc on an expensive state of the art drone as the team tries to get an establishing shot for the film.
The Disneynature team worked tirelessly for months to capture footage of Jomo and his mother Shani on this annual migration, capturing footage by land, water, and air. After seeing Disneynature Elephant, I highly recommend going behind-the-scenes with Disneynature In the Footsteps of Elephant on Disney+.
I give In the Footsteps of Elephant 5 out of 5 lurking lions.