Apple TV+ Celebrates Earth Day With The Release Of ‘Tiny World’ Season 2

To quote that classic episode of SpongeBob SquarePants that’s since turned into a Tik Tok trend: “It’s becoming increasingly obvious. I cannot deny it NO LONGER..._{I am small}.” Oh, cheer up, Plankton — being petite isn’t always a bad thing. Apple TV+’s Tiny World is concrete proof that some of the most minuscule creatures on Earth still have a major impact on the complex ecosystems in which they live.

For example, did you know that there’s microscopic “good” bacteria in your colon that keeps your digestive tract healthy and regular? ... What? Too much information?

Anyway, the nature-based docuseries, which Forbes Entertainment exclusively previewed last October, just premiered its second season in honor of Earth Day. Naturally, Ant-Man star Paul Rudd returns to narrate the sophomore batch of episodes.

“Insects, reptiles, rodents and other little creatures are often overlooked and often maligned, but their role in pollinating plants, keeping our world clean, and providing food cannot be overstated,” says executive producer Tom Hugh-Jones (Hostile Planet). “Small animals are fundamental to the health of our planet and the future of humankind. Yet, right across the planet, their numbers of are in rapid decline.”

Below, you can watch a Season 2 clip that deals with the Etruscan shrew, the world’s smallest — and hungriest — mammal. Funny, the title of “world’s hungriest mammal” pretty much describes all of us in quarantine, wouldn’t you say? Take a look:

"Of all the animals featured in Tiny World, Etruscan shrews were one of the hardest to film,” Hugh-Jones reveals. “As well as only being about the size of an almond, they also move incredibly fast. It took ultra-high-speed (1000 fps) macro camera technology and a lot of patience to capture them in action. Predicting where or when these little ninjas would attack was so hard, we had the whole crew watching out to try and spot where they were about to strike next.”

Choosing Rudd as the narrator seems like a no-brainer, but the producer didn’t get the idea until he sat down to watch one of the Avengers films with his Marvel-loving sons.

“It struck me that Ant-Man could be an apt choice for a narrator. I loved the idea of having a tiny superhero voice a series about nature’s own miniature marvels,” Hugh-Jones said last year. “After all, when you consider the incredible powers little creatures have evolved to help them triumph in a big, bad world full of giant enemies and enormous forces, they really do come out looking like a cast from a comic book.”

Apple was also kind enough to provide Forbes Entertainment with a collection of never-before-seen images from the small-scale production (and I mean that quite literally) of Season 2. Feast your eyes:

As giants ourselves, it may be easy to ignore a lot of these Lilliputian creatures, but if they ever disappeared, the natural order of things would be thrown way off balance.

“Many species are becoming extinct and often before we know they exist or realize just how important or amazing they are,” Hugh-Jones warns. “Celebrating the wonder of the smaller things in life, in all its spectacle and drama, Tiny World hopes to encourage as many people as possible to respect and protect nature’s underdogs."

And remember, if you ever find yourself shrunken down to size, simply turn Mermaid Man’s belt to “Wumbo.” Season 2 of Tiny World is now streaming on Apple TV+