Disneynature is set to release its new Blu-ray that includes Oceans and The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos. The Oceans review is coming a little bit later, but for now know that you shouldn’t discount The Crimson Wing simply because it revolves around the birth, life and death of the Flamingo.
What amazes me most about the film is how absolutely complex the flamingo society can be. From their awkward, but in formation, mating ritual to the protection of their young in dangerous moments; these birds have more personality than some people I know. Disneynature does a fantastic job in capturing this mysterious majestic period of months/years in the life of a flamingo. They keep the good moments flowing with the sad moments that will bring you back down to the ground. For example, you’ll be fascinated with how cute the baby flamingos can be. You’ll sit there as they gather their strength to walk and be goofy as a young bird. As soon as they leave their nest you’ll be horrified by what hazards await them (bring tissues). By the end of it all you’ll appreciate the life cycle of the bird and you’ll be enthralled with how the process of a flamingo begins and ends.
Disneynature did a superb job of following the lifespan of the knee-backwards bird and didn’t pull any punches to make it ‘disney’. You’ll feel how cute they are, but you’ll also see how the cute can be for dinner for another animal. Disney balances out the good with the bad and gives a nice even flow to the entire piece. It’s not too long in the tooth and it’s not too short when it comes to explaining everything; it’s just right.
Are there any flaws to this release? While opened minded people like myself embraced the thought of flamingos being interesting, some people will reject the notion. Another worry I have is that kids may not take to it, due to the content. Disneynature captures everything about the flamingo, including mating, so be prepared for questions about what the two birds are doing onscreen (just tell them one is giving a piggy-back to the other and they’ll be fine with it). Those are my only concerns, as the production as a whole is pretty spot on.
Shifting gears a bit, what’s amazing about this film is how gorgeous it looks on Blu-ray. When I first got this and I put it in the Blu-ray player the interns and I were instantly ‘wowed’ at how high quality this documentary was. Granted, most of the content consists of heavy whites/blacks in the picture, but regardless it was probably the most gorgeous Blu-ray I’ve laid my eyes on. Usually Warner Brothers takes that title, but Disney certainly snatched it from them. What’s remarkable is that you can see the details of the flamingos’ feathers, the grove in the beaks and the blood red eyes on the creature. What’s even more charming is how close the camera gets when a baby flamingo is hatching from its egg and how much details comes with that. Now, with all of this said, the high quality picture comes with a price. When you see the giant pelicans invade the flamingos surrounding and start picking off the young babies you will tear up a bit. I didn’t, but when I showed the movie to my wife she did. You get all the gorgeous and gruesome moments on Blu-ray and they’re magnified by the HD format.
Rivaling the video is the fantastic audio that accompanies this Disneynature series. I found the audio to be crisp and clear. Not only is it extremely pleasurable to the ears, but it also is quite impressive how well the audio picks up the sights and sounds of the picture. From the pecking of the eggs, to the screeching of the birds, to the cry of a wounded baby, you’ll be charmed and horrified, ultimately impressed, with what you get from the audio portion of this Blu-ray. I’m not sure how they managed to get it, but I’m glad they did.
As for the features, here’s what you’re looking at:
DVD Includes:
• Lake Natron Diaries: Behind The Crimson Wing – 5 behind‐the‐scenes pods
Blu-ray Includes:
• Living Planet – Fully interactive through BD‐Live, explore the Earth with up‐to‐date facts, migration information and videos by the filmmakers and leading wildlife experts
• Filmmaker Annotations (CineExplore) – An in‐movie experience with pop‐up facts from the directors Leander Ward & Matthew Aberhard, and screenwriter Melanie Finn
• The Crimson Wing Screensaver
As you can see you get some good quality features with this release. I think the DVD feature, Lake Natron Diaries, should have made it to the Blu-ray in some fashion (possibly upscaling). Ultimately, you get some great informative and interactive features with this release. I have always admired Disney’s nature series and they add more value to it with the above features. Too bad they couldn’t do this in the 60s/70s with their other nature releases.