Underplayed Gems

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1988)

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History poster
Directed by
Mark Lewis
Genre
nature documentary
Country
Australia
Runtime
47 min
Rated
PG
Rating
6.8 of 10 from 40 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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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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