David Antenborough narrates this picture-book send-up of a nature
documentary, sounding just like the real-life David but with more
gesticulations, since he has six limbs at his disposal. Director Stephen
Spielbug tries to keep the cast of characters on task, but it's worse
than herding cats: The orb-weaving spider would like to eat one or two
other actors; the grasshopper is a diva; the worm is too busy munching
dirt to emerge from the ground on cue; the robin has joined a union and
declines to show up for the predation scene; and the slug is too
embarrassed by his slime to perform. As David and Stephen near the
wrap-up, filming is interrupted by a whuffling noise and then a
foul-smelling hurricane, and Fido the dog sniffs his way through the
grass and onto their set. The panicked actors flee at top speed (which
is not very fast in the slug's case), but the intrepid Antenborough
continues narrating, Spielbug keeps directing, and they bring the film
to a dramatic conclusion. Despite the chaos--or maybe because of it--we
learn some things about these animals, and backmatter nature facts give
us more.