Animal instinct: the new meeting of France 2 which is good

In the middle of the holiday season, France 2 is innovating with animal instinct, a program halfway between an animal documentary and a testimonial show. A nugget that offers us a real breath of fresh air, with Julie de Bona as the first guest.

Want a change of scenery? You will enjoy yourself with Animal Instinct, the new magazine that France 2 is launching this Tuesday, December 27. The principle: the great reporter Diego Buñuel (who worked for a long time on Canal+) and the scientist and naturalist Perrine Crosmary (seen on the Animals TV channel or in the programs The New Explorers on Canal+ and, more recently, Citizens trees, on France 2) take a personality to observe wildlife in “total immersion” in order to reconnect with their own emotions. A program that reminds us of the now cult Meeting in unknown landlaunched in 2004 by Frédéric Lopez, but in an animal version.

animal instinct : just a few meters from the king of the savannah…

It is the actress Julie de Bona who opens the ball in the majestic landscapes of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. But immediately forget the marked trails of traditional safaris, because it is on foot that the trio set off to discover the zebras, elephants and big cats of the savannah. Something forbidden to the public in normal times but for which the production has obtained special authorization. “At the start of filming, we had to meet the park rangers to escort us and lend us guns“, explains Diego Buñuel. “But for me, it was absolutely not possible. If we did something stupid, it was up to us to pay, not the animal.“, he continues. If they did not take disproportionate risks, they nevertheless offered themselves some beautiful scares during these twelve days of filming. Thus, as soon as they arrived, even before Perrine Crosmary called the security rules to their apprentice observers, the trio found themselves face to face with two lions in the middle of hunting a herd of zebras. More fear than harm, the felines having quickly let go of the matter in the face of the perfect organization of their prey of the day.

Julie de Bona upset by the shooting: “It overwhelmed me, it was bigger than anything”

But for Julie de Bona, it’s a revelation. She immediately recognized herself in the behavior of a mother trying to protect her little one. As her journey progressed, the 42-year-old actress indulged in a few secrets, such as her fear of abandonment linked to the departure of her older sister from the family home when Julie was only 7 years old, or her chaotic childbirth. “She lived an emotional trajectory where she goes from fear to a form of fullness that has upset her“, assures Nicolas Daniel, director of the magazines of France Télévisions. Deeply transformed, Julie de Bona blesses this”present“unexpected that made this great anguish more”confident in life“.”In the characters I play, I always seek to understand humanity. But there, it overwhelmed me, it was bigger than anything. It lit up in me without me being able to explain it“, concludes the actress, seen recently in The Fighters. A life lesson that will continue with other episodes and new personalities if the audience is there. Let’s hope so !