The Beginnings of Life

"The Rites of Spring" selection focuses on the beginnings of life on Earth. Before beginning the selection, Taylor explains that the creators wanted to use this piece to show how evolution occurred and how we as humans came to exist. We are brought from our impressions that were focused on early in the film to the first impressions that might have been had by the amoebas and first animals on the planet. We see how the world could have come into being over the course of millions of years. As we watch, the earliest animals come out of the ooze of the Earth and begin to populate it. We also watch as they seek to survive against many difficult situations and predators. The dinosaurs evolve but die because of a terrible drought. Eventually, they all die in the wilderness.

The beginnings of life are our...