Animal Planet picks Disney docs

US cable network Animal Planet has picked up three feature-length natural history films from DisneyNature to air this year and in 2013.

DisneyNature was launched in 2008 to bring together the world’s top wildlife filmmakers to produce feature-length films for the big screen.

Three of its initial projects – Oceans, African Cats and The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos – will air on Discovery-owned Animal Planet after the cablenet struck a deal with Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

Oceans, narrated by Pierce Brosnan, explores the mystery of the world’s seas, while African Cats sees Samuel L Jackson tell stories from Africa’s Savannah. The Crimson Wing sheds light on the rarely documented life of the crimson-winged flamingo.

Oceans will air in the third quarter of this year followed by The Crimson Wing in Q4 and African Cats in 2013.