Former President Barack Obama is returning to the spotlight as the host and narrator of a documentary series on Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) celebrating national parks across the world.
What Happened: Netflix has released its trailer for the five-part series “Our Great National Parks,” which premieres on April 13. The series will span five continents and include visits to California’s Monterey Bay, Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park, and Chile’s Patagonia.
In the trailer, Obama describes “Our Great National Parks” as a “journey through the natural wonders of our shared birthright.” Netflix highlighted the former president’s participation by observing how he “protected more public lands and waters than any U.S. president” and described the production “as much a celebration of nature as it is a call to action” in the wake of “manmade disasters and indulgences that have hastened a global climate crisis.”
Why It Happened: Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama (who is not part of the new series) signed a multiyear deal with Netflix in 2018 for the creation of a “diverse mix” of programs via their Higher Ground Productions. The first production under the Higher Ground Productions banner, the 2019 documentary "American Factory," won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and its other notable titles include the Oscar-nominated "Crip Camp" and the Emmy-nominated "Becoming."
Three ecosystem-focused nonprofits – Freeborne Impact, Higher Ground and Wildlife Conservation Society – are teaming with Netflix to launch an initiative in conjunction with the series called “Wild For All” that seeks to inspire people to experience nature and advocate for its protection “not only in faraway places, but in the everyday wild at our doorsteps too.”
Photo: Netflix
