Earth: The Disneynature Movie
Must See Again!
Disney's return to nature real-life movies starts with Earth, narrated by James Earl Jones. It runs 90 min. There is nothing more stunning than the truly amazing action shots captured in the wild. The following of three families as they live in their world. The polar bear cubs are so funny, the baby elephant ends in tragedy, the Great White shark is truly a visual experience, as is the action scene with the cheetah hunting, chasing, capturing its gazelle, the desperate but futile attempt of a male polar bear taking on a tusked walrus, the hilarious strutting peacock trying to find a mate and baby ducks trying to fly.
The 11-part Discovery Channel program, presented in 2007, was a smash, attracting large television audiences in multiple runs and selling some three million copies on DVD in the United States. With such a cash cow, Disney decided to create this movie. So, if you happened watch the TV programs noted on Discovery, you have already seen 60% of the movie, Earth. Still, there remains 40% of the footage you have not seen.
Because of the success of the movie, March of the Penquins from Warner Brothers that sold $127.4 million in tickets worldwide, Disney seeks to recapture the glory days of “True-Life.” The company sees Disneynature Films as fertile ground for merchandising, television and theme park spinoffs. This is nothing new. Disney has been doing such films since the 50's. Each film planned will cost not more than $10,000,000, so the potential for making a big profit is too much to be ignored.
Earth's impact is its slow motion sequences of kill scenes, set to symphonic music, it is totally awesome, Scary? Not at all, just sad and in the wild, real life. No sugar coating.The cheetah and the gazelle begins with the pursuit and as long as the gazelle does not falter, it can out pace the cat, but it stumbles. A split second loss in time seals its fate in the end. What is amazing is to see that although the gazelle is on its back, the cat almost waits for the right moment when the neck is exposed. The night scene of a group of lions chasing and attacking an adult elephant is harrowing as the cats attempt to wrestle it down by jumping on its back. Jabbing it with their claws. The Great White shark like a rapid torpedo towards its prey and devouring it whole. The shark is incredibly huge. Its mouth could swallow a man whole. The wolf and the carribou. The same story as with the cheetah and gazelle. The viewer does not actually see the kill or aftermath because you know it already.
The beauty is in the time lapse photography of the flowers bursting out into bloom, seasons changing color, the geography of the world. On Earth day 2010, Disney will release another nature film, Oceans. It looks awesome!
I found March of the Penquins a bit slow and boring, too much of the same. Earth is diverse, rich, funny, sad, real. It manages to keep all age groups attention.
