BMZ Review: Beavers
By Dave Lewis

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Beavers
Written by: Dave Lewis
Source: Big Movie Zone
Date: November 2003

Category: Reviews

Perhaps not the first subject idea to spring to mind when considering the awesome potential of the giant screen, the lovable little buck-toothed rodents known as beavers actually make fine film stars.

Originally released in 1988, Beavers follows the day-to-day life of a beaver couple as they gather wood, build a dam and a home, and raise their offspring. It seems that half their lives are devoted to the sole purpose of creating a massive dam, one that forever changes the landscape around it. Excluding humans, beavers alter their surrounding environment more than any other creature on the planet.

The film’s starring beavers are revealed to be incredibly industrious, as they fell nearly 400 trees per year between the two of them. Such awesome labor pays off big-time as they use their new house to protect themselves from bears, foxes and other predators. The big screen lends a larger than life canvas on which the portly little critters and their massive constructions appear even more fantastic than they do in real life. Nicely lensed in Alberta, Canada, Beavers makes full use of the wondrous natural surroundings of the animals.

The film offers little scientific information about the species, but it tells a great story and provides some choice comic moments. The constantly chattering beavers spend as much of their time scratching themselves as they do eating, and often times they appear so much like humans that it's quite hysterical. In one funny scene, a bear cub finds himself stuck up a falling tree that’s coming down thanks to a hard-working beaver.

One of the technical highlights of the film is the gorgeous underwater photography. Directed by Stephen Low (Volcanoes of the Deep Sea), Beavers takes a leisurely look at the titular animals and presents them in a fun, family-friendly manner.