[5] Disney had a background in making nature films prior to the creation of Disneynature; Bambi (1942) featured forest life and was a hit.

[4] Animal Kingdom has contributed to conservation causes by nursing endangered sea turtles back to health, returning white rhinos to Africa and conducting a census of cotton-top tamarins, a monkey species native to Colombia.

[2] After a long absence from nature documentaries, Disney decided to get back into the market after the French release of March of the Penguins.

[2] Jean-Francois Camilleri, head of Buena Vista International France at the time, had the company acquire the film for the French market.

Buena Vista International France also managed to obtain a 20% ownership stake in the French version of the film, but Buena Vista Pictures Distribution's bid to distribute the film in the U.S. ultimately failed.

[11] Animal Planet pick up for a two-year period three Disneynature films, Oceans, African Cats, and The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos, in April 2012 from Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

The production was made possible due to an expansion of Disney's relationship with Shanghai Media Group starting in 2014.

In 2016, the company released its first compilation film, Growing Up Wild, direct-to-video (Blu-ray and DVD) and video on demand.