Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988)

Directed by

Mark Lewis

Genre

nature documentary

Country

Australia

Runtime

47 min

Rated

PG

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 40 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary covers how cane toads were brought to Australia to eat beetles but instead multiplied into a major ecological problem. It presents the story in a way that is often funny and is used in schools to teach biology and environmental science.

informativehumorousquirkyeducationalplayfulmatter-of-factlighthearted

What happens

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History is a 1988 documentary film about the introduction of cane toads to Australia. Cane toads were introduced to Australia with the aim of controlling a sugar cane pest, the cane beetle, but they over-multiplied and became a serious problem in the Australian ecosystem. It is often humorous, and is used in high schools and colleges as a complement to curricula in biology, ecology, environmental science, anthropology, geography, and communication. It was filmed in Cairns and Gordonvale in Queensland. The film was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Short Film. It is distributed in the United States by Radio Pictures. Unusual for a film considered a cult classic, Cane Toads performed very well during its theatrical release. Released in March 1988, the film grossed $613,910 Australian dollars (not adjusted for inflation) as of 2012 and has been one of the top grossing Australian documentaries of all time. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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• Cane Toads: The Conquest (2010)
• Nature of Australia (1988)
• Animals Are Beautiful People (1974)
• Sportz Crazy (1988)
• Wild Down Under (2003)
• Supersense (1988)
• The Hidden World (1958)
• South of the Border (1988)