Der verzauberte Wald

This kicks off very much in the style of a Disney movie as we watch a family of hungry raccoons gambolling around a meadow high on the Apennines before they climb a tree and make short shrift of it's juicy leaves. That introduces us to our guide for much of the next hour or so as he leads us on a tour of the varied flora and fauna of his home. Aided by a jolly score, we meet a wide range of critters from praying mantises having a duel to beetles carrying twice their body weight in perfectly spherical dung! There are morphing chrysalises, chewing caterpillars and a great formicarium on his patch as well as an owl precariously perched on a branch that maybe our own version of "Rocky" might be wiser not to test. The photography mixes the broad brush with the detailed and some of the intimate coverage takes us deep into the nests, streams and burrows as we watch how the weather and the climate affects all that live in this largely untouched wilderness. I did wonder if eighty minutes might be a bit long for a documentary on nature, but this has been quite creatively crafted to use our furry critter as a curious conduit to a series of adventures and escapades in this vivid, lively and sometimes distinctly dangerous environment. There are some funny and quirky moments here, too, and the natural sound also works well augmenting the simplicity of nature at work covered by a camera crew who know how to get the best from their quarry without disturbing them or making this look artificial.