56 minutes of pure, unbutterflied magic — nature's wildest road trip you never knew existed.
Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly is a 56-minute narrated film that unfolds along the shores of Cape Ann and in the heart of Mexico’s forested volcanic mountains. Every stage of the butterfly’s life cycle is experienced in vibrant close-up, from mating to egg to caterpillar to adult, and set against the backdrop of sea and forest, sun and wind.
Cinematography
Macro shots so intimate you'll feel like you're dating a caterpillar.
Direction
Kim Smith turns backyard bugs into Shakespearean protagonists.
Director
Kim Smith
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The monarch migration spans 3,000 miles and takes four generations to complete — meaning the butterflies arriving in Mexico have never been there before and somehow know exactly where to go.
Monarchs hold sacred significance in Mexican culture, believed to carry the souls of ancestors returning for Día de los Muertos — the film's Mexico sequences were timed to capture this spiritual overlap.
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