Nature’s captivating giants are on display on a scale like never before in “Big Beasts,” a brand new documentary series available to watch today on Apple TV+ (opens in new tab).
The 10-part spectacle will bring viewers up close and personal with the world’s biggest, most astounding creatures. For a taste of what you can expect to see, Live Science has a short exclusive clip that will leave you wanting more.
The exclusive clip takes viewers on an immersive journey to underwater worlds. Get ready for a deep dive into the Pacific ocean, which contains over half of the water on Earth and is home to marine giants. The full episode promises to dazzle audiences with footage of the world’s biggest fish, deadliest sharks and most enigmatic sea creatures.
The short teaser follows a whale shark before cutting to stunning footage of a sunfish and great white shark. It promises an encounter with a legendary sea monster whose tentacles you’ll see pulsing as it hides away from sight.
“Being big comes with the most unexpected challenges and that’s where we found some of our best material,” executive producer and Emmy Award winner Tom Hugh-Jones (opens in new tab) told Live Science. “A lot of our stories are quite family-friendly — they’re looking at what it’s like to be a mom or a dad or a kid.”
Narrated by Marvel star and Emmy nominee Tom Hiddleston, the series will transport viewers across oceans and continents, from the freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to bring them face to face with the largest living animals.
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“The most challenging part of filming ‘Big Beasts’ was capturing the world from giant animals’ perspective,” Hugh-Jones said. “Giant animals are hard to get close to, sometimes dangerous to get close to, and we had to use all sorts of clever technology in order to put the cameras in unexpected angles.”
The series captures rare and astounding footage of more than 160 species in 17 different countries, including fan-favorites like orangutans, tigers and grizzly bears. “My favorite moment is the grizzly bear fight,” Hugh-Jones said. “The crew came back with this fight between two big male bears, which I think was the most intense, aggressive and impressive fight that any of the wardens, and the scientists or the camera people had seen, and it all played out almost too close for comfort.”
Viewers can also expect poignant, jaw-dropping sequences featuring giant otters, gorillas and gray whales, all filmed using cutting-edge techniques and surprising angles to render the natural world in all its splendor.
“Filming animals in unfamiliar ways has really helped us get a new perspective of what life is like and how big animals face a bigger challenge,” co-producer Bill Markham told Live Science. “Spend some time with them and realize their challenges are the same as ours.”
“In the end, the biggest animals on this planet are a sign of how healthy our planet [is], and it’s amazing that these animals still exist in a world that’s changing so fast,” Hugh-Jones said. “I hope, in a soft way, that people will learn to admire and cherish them.”
Filmed over four and a half years, “Big Beasts” was produced by Plimsoll Productions with Tom Hugh-Jones and Emmy nominees Grant Mansfield and Martha Holmes executive producing. Big Beasts has ten episodes in total – the first four are available to stream now on Apple TV+, with two new episodes releasing each week up until May 19.
