Barack Obama is the surprise host and narrator of Netflix’s latest documentary. “Our Great National Parks” just released its trailer, and it shows Obama visiting different wildlife in places all over the world. The documentary is Netflix’s new project with Higher Ground Productions, the company owned by Michelle and Barack Obama, which signed a deal with Netflix in 2018.
The series stars Obama, who also serves as the show’s narrator. “Join me in a celebration of our planet’s greatest national parks and wilderness,” says Obama in the trailer, which shows footage of different species of animals and locations all over the world. “Our Great National Parks” is made up of 5 episodes, highlighting a variety of animals and locations. Per Deadline, the series makes stops from “Monterey Bay, California, to Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park, and Chilean Patagonia,” all on its first season.
“I’m excited to share the latest project from Higher Ground: Our Great National Parks. Some of my favorite memories are from the trips our family has taken to national parks over the years, and this series will take viewers on a journey to some of the most incredible places in the world,” Obama wrote on Instagram. “As President, I was proud to protect more land and water than any administration in history. And preserving our national parks and wildlife for the next generation is still one of my top priorities.”
The series was first announced in February of last year, with there being no hint that Obama would make an appearance in it, much less narrating it.
Barack and Michelle Obama’s partnership with Netflix highlights “a diverse mix of content, including the potential for scripted series, unscripted series, docuseries, documentaries, and features.” It includes programs of all sorts, from kids’ shows, to the Academy Award Winning documentary “American Factory”, to “Becoming,” the Michelle Obama series based on her best-selling memoir.