Produced by my colleagues here at the BBC Natural History Unit - it is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring productions we have ever made. The reverent tones of Sir David Attenborough graced the UK version but you folks will be treated to a performance by Alec Baldwin. Whatever your preference of narrator, rest assured that this is a not-to-be missed event that transcends even television!
This is what I wrote in the lead-up to the UK Premiere:
"Frozen Planet will whisk you away to a glistening alien world where giants roam and the earth creaks - Polar Bears, Narwhals, Elephant Seals, these are animals and landscapes that fuel the imagination. Not since 1993 and 'Life in the Freezer' have we seen a series on the poles as ambitious as this. You may think that it's just going to be another series about polar bears and penguins, but believe me this is going to be a landmark event in television history." Read more of my preview, and see images and clips, HERE
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(may not be visible to people outside of the US)
Frozen Planet's Top Moments
The Killer Instinct
A pod of orcas spyhopping amongst the breaking sea ice, Ross Sea, Antarctica. The orcas spyhop through gaps in the ice to determine how they can reach new fishing grounds. (BBC/Chadden Hunter)
Leopard Seal attacks Adele Penguins on an ice floe. But what goes up...
...Must come down! A pod of killer whales, worked in perfect unison for 3 hours, creating waves and tipping the ice floe to get hold of this terrified seal (BBC)
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A sea lion chases a gentoo penguin onto land - both are like fish out of water and the sea lion struggles to make a kill. (BBC)
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Wolves bring down a bison in an adrenalin-pumping pursuit. (BBC)
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Gray owl swoops down for prey under the snow (BBC)
Criminal Penguin
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A sea lion chases a gentoo penguin onto land - both are like fish out of water and the sea lion struggles to make a kill. (BBC)
Criminal Penguin
An Adélie penguin steals the show - and a whole lot more - in the funniest scene of the series. A chaotic colony of male birds scurry around, collecting pebbles to build nests before the females arrive. One male is oblivious to the thief who sneaks pebbles from his collection every time he turns his back. (BBC)
Play the Criminal Penguin Game
Adelie penguin adults make their chicks chase them for food after returning from the sea. This draws them chicks away from the large creches in the colony and deters other greedy chicks from collecting food from penguins that are not their parents! (BBC/Jeff Wilson)
The Gentle Side of Polar Bears
A polar bear mother and her two cubs (BBC/Jason Roberts)
Young polar bears relaxing in Hudson Bay, Canada. (BBC/Nick Garbutt)
The Brinicle of Death
If I remember just one thing from Frozen Planet then the 'Brinicle of Death' will be it. Not only for the 'how on earth did they film that' sense of awe and respect, but also for the 'holy cr*p, that's something out of science fiction' disbelief. A simple explanation is that a brinicle is like a finger of ice that reaches down from the frozen sea surface, when it touches the sea floor it freezes everything around it. It blew my mind, not only how incredible the phenomenon is, but also how on earth it was filmed.
"With timelapse cameras, specialists recorded salt water being excluded from the sea ice and sinking. The temperature of this sinking brine, which was well below 0C, caused the water to freeze in an icy sheath around it. Where the so-called "brinicle" met the sea bed, a web of ice formed that froze everything it touched, including sea urchins and starfish" - Doug Anderson
