Carlos Alberto Hernández Vélez – Bee Specialist in “Bee-Hind the Camera”
GET READY TO BUG OUT!
‘A REAL BUG’S LIFE,’ THE DISNEY+ ORIGINAL SERIES FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, RETURNS WITH A NEW BUG-TASTIC SEASON THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL ENJOY!
Narrated by Awkwafina (‘The Farewell,’ ‘Crazy Rich Asians’), the New Season Brings Even More Drama, More Captivating Bugs, and Shows What Life Is Like for Bugs (Spoiler Alert: It’s EPIC!)
All Episodes Will Stream Jan. 15 on Disney+
Inspired by the World of Disney and Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life,” the new Disney+ Original Series from National Geographic, A REAL BUG’S LIFE, is an incredible adventure into nine different micro bug worlds around the globe, where the forces of nature play out on a miniature scale and where tiny creatures rely on amazing powers and extraordinary alliances to make it through each day. The stakes are high … even if the critters are extraordinarily small. With new developments in filming technology and narrated by fun and witty guide Awkwafina, follow the incredible stories of the tiny heroes living in worlds beyond the imagination — from a jumping spider looking for a home on the streets of New York to a Costa Rican orchid bee’s first day on the job making perfume! Full of mind-blowing new behaviors and larger-than-life characters, this family-friendly series shows that A REAL BUG’S LIFE can be every bit as fantastical as any animated film.
Prepare to meet more tiny heroes with huge dramas in a new season of A REAL BUG’S LIFE, the Disney+ Original series from National Geographic, is crawling back onto your screens. Narrated by the hilarious Awkwafina (“The Farewell,” Crazy Rich Asians”), season two dives even deeper into the weird, wild and wonderful world of bugs, and proves that a real bug’s life is just as dramatic as their animated Pixar counterparts. This season, get ready for more high-stakes battles, enchanting love stories and mind-blowing superpowers (yes, bugs with superpowers!) in a season packed with some of the most extraordinary tiny characters you’ll ever meet. Bonus: Viewers will also get a special, behind-the-scenes look at the filming of this epic series spanning two seasons featuring 130 bug species across six continents with 450 experts and crew. Five new episodes of A REAL BUG’S LIFE stream Jan. 15 on Disney+. All episodes of the first season are currently streaming.
Carlos Alberto Hernández Vélez
Carlos has an Honorary Masters degree in Conservation and Use of Biodiversity. He is more generally a teacher, conservationist and biologist. He also worked as coordinator of the participatory conservation project of the tropical dry forest (conservation courses, restoration agreements, installation of community forest nursery) with communities of the Montes de María in Bolívar, Colombia.
His expertise and affinity with orchid bees has seen him work with several wildlife productions, capturing difficult and new behaviours.
More info on his website here.
Carlos Alberto Hernandez Velez – Bee Specialist in “Bee-Hind the Camera”
CARLOS ALBERTO HERNANDEZ VELEZ Conservationist and Biologist Born in Mexico and raised in Colombia, Carlos Alberto Hernandez Velez studied the natural world from a young age. After graduating with a degree in biology ,he began studying orchid bees and later completed a master’s in conservation and biodiversity. He is currently under taking a Ph.D. project with Indigenous local researchers, learning about traditional ecological knowledge and wildlife use in the Colombian Amazon region. He is interested in the unity of knowledge — including self-development ,psychology ,Indigenous knowledge, science and art —around biodiversity conservation and sustainability, aiming to promote better understanding and action in socioecological contexts. In 2016, he received a meri tmaster’s degree for his research into an isolated multiethnic tribe in the Colombian Amazon. From 2019 to 2020, he directed a participatory restoration in the tropical dry forest in the Colombian Caribbean region (MontesdeMaria). He is also involved in science communication, serving as a field specialist in nature documentaries for National Geographic.
Check out what this season’s A-list talent are saying:
“The colors, the drama, the survival! This series is an absolute feast for the eyes. Every spider needs to watch!”
–Peppy the Peacock Spider
“My flashing lights are the perfect bait, and this show brilliantly captures my nightly escapades! It’s a glow-up for fireflies everywhere!”
–Flora the Femme Fatale Firefly
I can’t believe how well they portrayed my quest for love! My episode is a knight’s tale like no other.”
–Sir Stag the American Stag Beetle
Inspired by Disney and Pixar’s classic “A Bug’s Life,” the newest episodes take viewers on a globetrotting adventure, from the tropical beaches of Malaysia and the misty forests of the Smoky Mountains to the wetlands of Derbyshire and even all the way Down Under, where the tiniest creatures face the biggest challenges. Audiences will follow incredible stories of tiny heroes, exploring their daily dramas, unique quirks and remarkable superpowers – like the peacock spiders that can see more colors than humans and can jump 40 times their body length; the fireflies that can create cold light with an enzyme called “luciferase”; and the damselfly nymphs that can grab their prey in just 40 milliseconds – less than half the time it takes for one to blink an eye.
Armed with cutting-edge filming technology — including motion-controlled cameras, ultra high-speed lenses, macro filming, photogrammetry, probe and microscope lenses, racing first-person drones and ultra high-speed cameras — the series captures astonishingly precise shots of creatures on an incredibly small scale, revealing never-before-filmed behaviors and larger-than-life traits. This season uncovers captivating traits, including first-ever filmed encounters with the Malaysian tiger beetle running so fast that it temporarily loses its ability to see clearly, the femme fatale firefly stealing from a rival spider’s web, American giant stag beetles battling for a mate, and the hatching of peacock spiderlings, small as a grain of sand.
New episodes to ant-icipate include the following:
● “LOVE IN THE FOREST”
On a midsummer’s night, Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Forest is swarming with bugs looking for love. A clumsy luna moth, a headstrong stag beetle and a fearless firefly each have just one tiny window to mate and fulfill their destiny. So how do these tiny creatures brave the darkness and find each other? The course of true love has never run smoothly…
● “LIFE’S A BEACH”
A tropical beach may be paradise for people, but it’s one of the toughest places on Earth for bugs. A young female hermit crab is growing up fast and needs to find a bigger shell if she’s going to survive. But her search for an upgrade soon gets her in trouble, and her chances of making it to adulthood are at the mercy of the tides.
● “ONCE A POND A TIME”
In an English pond, a delicate young damselfly and a host of other bugs battle predators and humans to make it to the surface by summer. Even once the damselfly transforms into an adult and sets his heart on finding a mate, old foes are waiting for him. Can he overcome huge challenges, leave his past behind, and escape the pond for good?
● “TINY HEROES DOWN UNDER”
Many think Australia’s bugs are the stuff of nightmares. But truly, they’re just trying hard to survive, and some are surprisingly cute. Meet an adorable peacock spider dancing his way to a female, a jack jumper ant battling to protect her family, and a weevil trying to stay alive in the face of a fearsome climate. Soon, a viewer will realize these bugs aren’t all villains but tiny heroes Down Under.
● “BEE-HIND THE CAMERA”
Surviving hordes of army ants, chasing some of the fastest-running insects on Earth, crawling through muddy mangrove swamps, and climbing to the top of the rainforest canopy, this is how a team of world-renowned scientists, experts and filmmakers armed with the most innovative filming equipment capture the hidden world and untold stories of the planet’s tiniest and most underappreciated animals—bugs!
The first season of the series features other incredible stories of the tiny heroes living in worlds beyond the imagination — from a jumping spider looking for a home on the streets of New York to a Costa Rican orchid bee’s first day on the job making perfume. Episodes currently streaming include “The Big City,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Braving the Backyard,” “Land of Giants” and “The Busy Farm.”
A REAL BUG’S LIFE is produced by Plimsoll Productions for National Geographic. Martha Holmes, Grant Mansfield and Tom Hugh-Jones are executive producers for Plimsoll. For National Geographic, Justine Schmidt and Pamela Caragol serve as executive producers.
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