The Whale

G

Released Sep 9, 2011

1h 25m

Documentary

List

86%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

After becoming separated from his pod, a young orca adopts residents of Vancouver Island's Nootka Sound as his surrogate family.

Stephanie Merry

Washington Post

There's no denying that filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit captured spectacular shots of both wildlife and picturesque scenery of evergreen-lined water under vibrant pink sunsets.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 14, 2011

Full Review

Kate Erbland

Film School Rejects

The sort of doc that presents an issue that's never quite fleshed out enough to present real solutions

Rated: C+

Oct 5, 2011

Full Review

Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

Thoughtful and moving, if often heavy-handed...

Rated: 3/5

Sep 29, 2011

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

The film is narrated by Ryan Reynolds, who lends the whole production a tremendous sensitivity.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 27, 2020

Full Review

Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

A very caring movie about a rare but beautiful encounter.

Rated: B

Aug 5, 2020

Full Review

Francesca Rudkin

New Zealand Herald

A moving and beautifully shot nature documentary.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 7, 2016

Full Review

Read all reviews

Dash G

The acting of Brendan Fraser is impecable. This man made of this character his own and gets a well deserved Oscar. Perhaps the history has the sadness about obesity, anxiety, eating disorder and religion issues, which obviously some of us have gone thru. Many people might say this film is cruel. Maybe in a part. But the other side of the story showed love. People deserve to be accepted as each of us are. We all have our own struggles to deal with. Some are visible, some others don't. Incredibly played by the rest of the cast. But I would've loved a better ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/19/23

Full Review

Joshua M

Amazing performance! Very emotional!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/27/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Another great documentary narrated by Ryan Reynolds. Beautifully done. Couldn't hold back the tears. You'll laugh, smile and cry all at once. <3 #Luna ð??³ #TearJerker ð??¢

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Beautiful Documentary of a Whale off of British Columbia. Beautiful Narration by Canadian Ryan Reynolds. A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Absolutely the best orc a film you will ever find. Disproves most of the statements made in Blackfish and renews your belief in humans and animals coexisting in the same area! A fantastic film definitely worth tracking down to see!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Christ, man. Fuck everything.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Suzanne Chisholm

Director

Michael Parfit

Director

Ryan Reynolds

Narrator

Ryan Reynolds

Executive Producer

Scarlett Johansson

Executive Producer

Eric Desatnik

Executive Producer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Chimpanzee

74%

75%

Chimpanzee

African Cats

74%

77%

African Cats

Arctic Tale

61%

61%

Arctic Tale

To the Arctic

64%

66%

To the Arctic

Journey to the South Pacific

100%

69%

Journey to the South Pacific

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Moneyball is Certified Fresh

View more photos

Synopsis

After becoming separated from his pod, a young orca adopts residents of Vancouver Island's Nootka Sound as his surrogate family.

Director: Suzanne Chisholm, Michael Parfit
Distributor: Paladin
Production Co: Téléfilm Canada
Rating: G
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 9, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $81.2K
Runtime: 1h 25m