One of the most extreme periods in Earth’s history, the Ice Age, has remained hidden for a long time. Still, now Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age finally gives it the critical attention it deserves. With this third season of Prehistoric Planet comes a new voice as Tom Hiddleston takes over the baton from David Attenborough. His narration amps the drama, especially compared to Attenborough’s more restrained narrative. Still, just like its predecessors, this five-parter clearly doesn’t shy away from showing the harsh reality of nature. Leaving the Mesozoic landscapes, executive producer Jon Favreau, Attenborough’s long-time collaborator Mike Gunton and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit take you to the cold and turbulent Pleistocene.
The Ice Age time was one of ‘eat or be eaten and freeze or survive’, and the series gets straight to that point. In the eye-opening first scene, you witness how a woolly mammoth is about to give birth in a blizzard and the unwavering support of the herd. The natural changes and challenges for the animals are undoubtedly present from the start, while the creatures are far more ruthless than anticipated. While some animals will certainly make your heart melt – baby woolly mammoth and dwarf Stegodon, we’re looking at you – others come straight out of your nightmares, such as the 14-foot-tall bears and large-than-life marsupials.
One of the species with the most significant impact is the bone-crushing cave hyena. When they’re hunting down hibernating cave bears, their predatory journey soon becomes a fight to the death between unseen bears, hyenas and lions. Who survives this ultimate battle? Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age shows that in the most straightforward way possible, without any slow motion or cinematic gimmicks. The hunts and killings don’t need to be over-the-top for this series to convey its essential message. The climate changes and the ice melting at lightning speed force herds to move, while food scarcity and lurking predators lead to nonstop violent confrontations to survive.
Despite all five episodes taking place during the Ice Age, none feel like carbon copies of the episodes that came before. That’s because the animals get themselves into different extraordinary situations. Seeing how they handle each difficult circumstance, such as the scimitar-toothed cats looking for their first meals in weeks and the baby snow sloths having trouble reaching leaves, always results in a fresh and immersive viewing experience.
What makes this work stand out from the mammoth amount of similar series and documentaries is that it highlights animals never seen on the big or small screen before. The dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years, and it’s time for other wildlife to show itself. From kangaroos that can’t hop due to their size to dwarf elephants that look oh so cute, they all get the chance to shine.
And shine they do because of the spectacular CGI. To ensure that the animals look as terrific and as real-life as they do, the filmmaking team used technical reference puppets for the first time. After taking them to 15 different countries over the three-year production process, those puppets proved to be the perfect backbone for the digitally created animals. For most of the series, the immersive visuals make you instantly forget that the animals have been gone for millions of years. They feel more alive than ever! It’s only during a handful of times that the CGI looks slightly less natural than intended.
The on-screen gorgeousness doesn’t come only from the meticulously crafted CGI, but also from the mix of scientific expertise and the team’s deep affection for the Ice Age. With the support of over 50 specialists, countless drawings, and expert knowledge, each movement, every fur, and every footprint is hyper-realistic. To add more real-life context, the team doesn’t use only real animals in some scenes; it also attaches a mini-documentary to each episode. During one of those ‘Under The Ice’ mini-docs, it becomes clear after examination of the trapped gases under the ice that there actually were eight different Ice Ages, which is something that might come as a surprise.
This third Prehistoric Planet chapter wonderfully combines engaging storytelling, lifelike VFX and in-depth knowledge. This results in a raw, profound and well-paced representation of forgotten ecosystems and their stunning animals.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age is now available to stream on Apple TV+.
Freelancer by day. Film journalist by night.
