Synopsis

This 40-minute documentary presents Earth as a living, interconnected system, moving from the first complete views of the planet from space to its oceans, weather, landscapes, wildlife, and human communities. Combining orbital photography, underwater footage, satellite-based computer animation, and images from the surface, it celebrates Earth's beauty while warning that pollution and climate change threaten its fragile balance.

Factoids & Trivia

• Blue Planet was produced as an IMAX film with the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum and Lockheed Corporation, in cooperation with NASA.

• The film incorporates footage shot during Space Shuttle missions, including material connected to the 1989 Mission to Planet Earth program.

• Its visual approach moves between space photography, underwater cinematography, computer animation based on satellite data, and conventional location footage.

• The documentary links natural systems with human technology, suggesting that spacecraft life-support systems imitate processes found on Earth.

• The film includes images of Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Jerry, the 1989 eruption of Sakurajima, and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

• Blue Planet earned approximately $22.8 million in the United States and Canada, a strong theatrical result for a short-format documentary.

• A later Blu-ray release included The Dream Is Alive, the 1985 IMAX space documentary, as a bonus feature.