Discover one of the greatest survival stories ever told with National Geographic’s Endurance, now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Directed by Jimmy Chin, this captivating documentary chronicles the 1915 expedition led by polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the astonishing tale of survival after his ship, Endurance, sank beneath the Antarctic sea ice. For over a century, the location of the legendary wreck remained a mystery until it was rediscovered in 2022, nearly 10,000 feet below the icy waters. National Geographic’s filmmaking team brings this incredible discovery to life, blending modern technology, archival footage, and groundbreaking AI to immerse viewers in Shackleton’s daring adventure. Learn more about this inspiring journey and the making of the film, courtesy of our friends at National Geographic and D23!
The content below is from our Friends at D23
Ready to learn about the greatest survival story ever told? In 1915, the Endurance sank below the Antarctic sea ice—but thanks to the incredible courage and determination of polar explorer Sir Earnest Shackleton, its entire crew survived.
The location of the shipwreck itself was lost for over a century, due to the Antarctic’s hostile conditions—reaching legendary status among modern explorers. But all that changed in early 2022, when the Endurance was finally discovered nearly 10,000 feet under the sea ice by a team of intrepid scientists and explorers. Our friends at National Geographic were there, capturing the moment of discovery in their latest thrilling documentary—Endurance, directed by Jimmy Chin—available now on Disney+ and Hulu.
Before diving into the icy world of Endurance, here are five trivia tidbits about the legendary Shackleton expedition, and the production of this inspiring film:
All 28 Crew Members Survived
After the Endurance became trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea off the coast of Antarctica in January 1915, Shackleton and his crew abandoned ship and made their way onto an ice floe—surviving for months (yes, months!) on “sledge” rations, like biscuits; the meat of nearby wildlife; and even boiled seaweed. It took all those months of living on the sea ice, and a perilous 800-mile journey in a small lifeboat, but Shackleton and all 27 members of the crew were finally out of danger 750 days after first leaving their native England.
A Camera in Tow
Shackleton included Frank Hurley—an experienced Antarctic traveler, photographer, and cinematographer— on his polar expedition. Nat Geo’s filmmaking team uses Hurley’s photographs and film from the actual 1914 expedition to recreate the visual aspect of the documentary, along with select footage from films of the 1920s and ’30s detailing other polar expeditions.
Hear Ernest Shackleton and His Crew
Using unprecedented AI tools, the voices of Shackleton and his crew “read” their personal diaries from the 1914 expedition and—illustrated with Frank Hurley’s original expedition footage and photos—create an immersive, spine-tingling adventure into the past. Viewers are invited into the expedition as if they’ve joined the crew themselves… listening in as Shackleton and six crew members “speak” from own diary entries, something never recorded when they were alive.
Pioneering Subsea Technology
To meet film production and scientific requirements, it was necessary not only to get high-resolution 4K images but also digital scans of the wreck. For the first time at an unbelievable depth of 9,800 feet underwater, new photogrammetric and laser technology was deployed—enabling millimeter-scale digital reconstruction. AI was also used here to improve data quality, and to create an incredible image of the entire Endurance wreck for the very first time.
Endurance—Enduring in the Antarctic Forever
The Endurance ship is protected by the Antarctic Treaty as a “historic subsea monument,” so nothing can be removed from the ship, and it must remain where it currently lays on the sea floor. But with the high-quality scans, imagery, and footage of the ship in the Endurance documentary, viewers will feel like they’re literally walking aboard the famous ship, for years to come…
National Geographic’s Endurance is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu!
Discover more about the wonders of our world—and be inspired by today’s greatest adventurers—by watching National Geographic on Disney+, and stay up to date on all things Nat Geo by checking out the Nat Geo collection page on D23.
