Episode Guide
Savannah Jungle Island Outback Woodland Garden Earlier in the Summer, Netflix released a nature documentary called Tiny Creatures. With some contrived set pieces and a questionable tone that felt incredibly staged, Netflix’s nature doc ultimately came up short. Thankfully in this crowded streaming market, there’s always someone primed and ready to pick up the pieces. Narrated by Paul Rudd (who also plays Ant-Man and that’s definitely not an accident), Apple TV+ take an extra step forward where Netflix faltered. Split across 6 colourful episodes, Tiny World is a nature documentary dedicated entirely to some of the smallest creatures in the world. From Monkeys that can fit in the palm of your hand to tiny critters in your own back garden, Tiny World breaks down each of these biomes through a host of colourful and diverse creatures. Each of the segments clock in at around 30 minutes and the narration itself is pretty good. Paul Rudd is certainly no David Attenborough but the dialogue isn’t distracting and complements the visuals on-screen. Those visuals are ultimately the real star of the show here. There’s some great editing, with one scene during the first episode seamlessly shifting between two creatures in a one-shot motion. There’s also time-lapse technology used along with lots of extreme close-ups for some of the more minute animals. The CGI does sometimes overbear the shots – with one particular motion showing a colony of ants inside an acorn spinning that doesn’t quite look natural. There’s a good balance between the prey and predator here, although some creatures tend to crop up multiple times across the different episodes. Snakes and ants in particular are mainstays and the latter show up in at least 3 episodes. Given the number of creatures out there and the constant discovery of new species, it’s a bit of a shame that these – despite how fascinating they are – are shown over and over again. There’s also a few bites of humour that are laid out over the orchestral score that works quite well to keep things lighthearted and energetic. This, combined with the close up camera shots, make for an aesthetically pleasing show that’s certainly worth checking out. Tiny World is not going to challenge some of the better nature documentaries out there. It is, however, a big improvement over Tiny Creatures and showcases what Netflix perhaps should have done with their series on this same topic. The visuals are decent, the colours are nicely vibrant and the storytelling is good enough to keep you captivated and watching through to the end. There’s some nice facts in here too although as a personal preference I would have liked a “Behind The Scenes” segment at the end of each episode. Still, that’s a minor gripe in what’s otherwise a decent series. If you’re a fan of nature documentaries, this one is certainly worth checking out.
