Two new movies, two unforgettable journeys. Start streaming Disneynature’s Elephant, narrated by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, and Disneynature’s Dolphin Reef, narrated by Natalie Portman, on April 3, only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/rSPe8zwpuW
— Walt Disney Studios (@DisneyStudios) March 26, 2020
While no longer a senior royal, Meghan Markle is going back to her other love: acting. She is going to be narrating a new nature documentary, Disneynature’s Elephant. We love it when former royals have jobs, even if they are celebrity ones.
“Elephant, narrated by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, follows one family’s extraordinary, 1,000-mile journey across Africa, on an adventure that will change their lives,” says the narrator from a collection of clips attached to one of the tweets celebrating the announcement. According to HuffPo, the collaboration will benefit the charity Elephants Without Borders.
This deal comes out of a suggestion that Harry planted in the brain of then-Disney CEO Bob Iger, when they met at the UK premiere of The Lion King (2019):
“You know she does voiceovers?” Harry said to Iger, according to video and captions by TMZ. Iger responds with a surprised, “Oh really? Ah…” before looking over at the duchess.
“Did you know that?” Harry asked.
“You seem surprised,” the duke said, before adding, “She’s really interested.”
“We’d love to try,” Iger said to Harry.
And try they most certainly have, as this marks the first post-royal job Meghan has had since her marriage to Prince Harry—or just Harry now, I suppose.
The project also lines up with the couple’s commitment to environmental and conservation efforts. Just last year, they took pictures and were shown helping to place trackers on elephants, which would help protect them from poachers. While we don’t know how much money (if any) the actress will be getting from this documentary, what it has done is help position her family’s decision to move from London to Hollywood as a power move.
People were, rightfully, skeptical of how they were going to pay for their lifestyle, security, and other things without taking money directly from the crown, but creating substantial ties with one of the most capitalistic companies on Earth, with an international stage? That’ll do it.
Not to mention, just the allure of having a “royal” in one of their films is, I’m sure, plenty of motivation for Disney itself. It’s free marketing with a built-in fanbase, plus people love elephants.
Looking forward to having a former royals watch party to kick off my birthday celebrations on April 3rd!
(via Huffington Post, image: Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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