Synopsis

Thank Heaven for Disneynature; someone (besides National Geographic and such) needs to have the skill and desire to make documentaries of this sort. This gentle, unhurried film, directed by Louie Schwartzberg, will be part of a nutritious diet of for youngsters able to concentrate. Others might be less enamored with the simple narration and slow pace, though it’s interesting to hear Meryl Streep develop a side specialty as nature voice-over artist. (“I am a flower,” she intones.)

Its heart is in the right place, with an opening legend reminding us that “life depends on little things we take for granted.” Those things include bees, bats and birds, though the title wings are less the film’s focus than are plants. The movie also has welcome advice for preserving this fragile ecosystem.

“Wings of Life” is almost so lovely that you suspect it’s as computer-generated as “Life of Pi.” But it’s reality captured, through time-lapse and high-speed techniques: if not the most exciting moviegoing, it’s praiseworthy.

“Wings of Life” slows down a brilliantly colored hummingbird so viewers can observe just what an athletic, agile creature it is. The movie has lots of pretty flowers too.