Disneynature has recently released “Crimson Wing” and “Oceans” to DVD and blu-ray both present amazing never-before-seen images of their respective subjects, and bring a message of conservation, not through presenting endless scenarios of a dark future but by simply introducing nature’s magnificent beauty, its residents and getting viewers invested in their story.
In Crimson Wing we follow the amazing adventure of the lesser flamingos who gather in the millions along the shores of Lake Natron in Tanzania to breed. Thanks to the filmmakers’ efforts we follow the flamingos’ adventures through their cycle of life and uncover why they could have inspired the myth of the phoenix. Flamingos have been a part of some of my favorite Disney moments — in the opening sequence of The Lion King, they add drama as their large, lanky bodies fill the skies while in Fantasia 2000 the brightly-colored birds synchronized moves are accompanied by Saint-Saëns’s “Carnival of the Animals, Finale.” presenting one of the movie’s most humorous sequences. As in typical with Disney animation, there is real-life inspiration for these moments and both can be found while viewing Crimson Wing.
Like most nature documentaries there were moments of joy, beauty, adversity, death, and sadness. But I was unprepared for the level of adversity these beautiful birds struggle against from their very beginning and the film’s authencity in presenting them. In fact I was a bit surprised when the cameras held strong during sequences of predators feasting on young flamingos due to the film’s G-rating and found myself turning away and even fast-forwarding briefly to avoid the audio of the feast. And while these stunning birds are born into an incredibly hostile environment, their triumphs combined with the beautiful images ultimately result in an inspiring and uplifting film. A favorite visual is a shot after a rainstorm where the filmmakers capture a flamingo standing at the lake awash in the colors of a rainbow and the various sequences of the flamingoes where the still Lake Natron reflects as a mirror are stunning.
With the Cine-Explore feature on the blu-ray, various factoids pop-up through the film offering further details on the location, or facts about the animals on screen. It also lets the filmmakers take viewers behind the scenes through “picture-in-picture” interviews or clips. It’s a great way to understand how they captured the never-before-seen footage of the flamingos breeding at Lake Natron. It was interesting to hear the filmmakers discuss their own challenges in making the film whether it was battling the elements or choosing to let nature be as predators invaded the flock. Also offered on the blu-ray are stunning sequences of the flamingos in flight presented as a screensaver and an interactive menu that will update monthly with nature facts from around the globe.
Disneynature’s Earth Day 2010 presentation Oceans takes viewers on a spectacular adventure through the global waters. Rather than weave a specific tale or follow the seasons, the filmmakers take you on a journey of emotions. They present the tenderness reflected in a mother walrus cuddling her baby, the exhiliration of gliding along the waves with a pod of dolphins, the drama of a feeding frenzy and humor of a crab’s unusual housekeeping habits. The film took two years to plan and four years to shoot. In watching the blu-ray’s annotated offering you’ll discover the various techniques the team utilized to bring new perspectives to the film including a stablization system that allowed the camera to follow the aquatic animals along at high speeds without impact from the oceans waves or currents. By using special breathing apparatus that recycles carbon dioxide rather than expelling it through distracting bubbles they were able to stay underwater longer, better blending in enabling some of the film’s more stunning visuals like the shimmering ball of mackarel. While the directors choose to present one global ocean as their storyline I missed knowing the context of the visuals and appreciate the blu-ray’s pop-up annotations that label the location of the various sequences or offer filmmakers or ocean experts remarks on the sequence. The blu-ray edition offers an interactive menu that will be updated monthly with nature news and information from around the globe. For example with Oceans you can select various highlighted ocean locations around the globe and learn about specific events occurring there now such as whale migrations or discover the seasonal timeframe of a sequence from the film.