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Posts Tagged ‘Life’
Walt Disney Legacy Collection - True Life Adventures, Vol. 4 (1956)
In the 1950s, Disney produced a host of short nature films that were groundbreaking both for their innovative perspective, combining fantasy with real-life nature photography, and their development and reliance on huge technological advances in cameras and filmmaking. Secrets of Life and Perri, digitally restored 16-mm films retrieved from the Disney archives, are two of the first live-action shorts to offer an up-close and in-depth look at the life cycles of animals, insects, and plants. Listen to our interviewwith director emeritusRoy E. Disney. The photography of Secrets of Life is stunning to this day, offering an incredible time-lapse look at flowers opening, close-up shots of honeybees pollinating flowers and reproducing within the hive, and even footage of a volcano erupting. Even more amazing is the scientific understanding gained through that photography: knowledge of the secrets of adaptation and self preservation of plants, the disparate functions of bees within a colony, and the restorative function of an erupting volcano. While Perri is based on a fictional story about a precocious young squirrel, the depiction of the life and death struggle of squirrel, marten, beaver, and a host of other critters that live in Wildwood Heart is absolutely real and faithfully photographed. Academy Award-winning Nature’s Half Acre portrays the delicate balance of nature and the timeless cycle of seasons complete with birds building their nests, voracious caterpillars eating everything in sight, and a look at the carnivorous Venus Flytrap. Almost as noteworthy as the photography in all of these shorts is the carefully composed music that mirrors the onscreen actions of everything from the tapping of a woodpecker to the jerky jumps of pond frogs. A huge assortment of bonus tracks feature Roy Disney and others discussing everything from the scientist photographers involved in the sometimes yearslong filming of these nature films, to the major technological advances in photographic equipment that these films necessitated, the incredible logistics involved in filming, and a look back at the life of writer, director, and narrator Winston Hibler. Both important pieces of filmmaking history and a great selection of nature programming, the Disney True Life Adventures series DVDs come in unique collectors tins reminiscent of the stored reels of film in Disney’s archives. –Tami Horiuchi
Experience the wonder of Walt Disney’s groundbreaking nature series for the first time on DVD! These acclaimed stories, fully restored to their original beauty, offer previously unseen looks into the magical world of our animal friends. Enjoy NATURE’S MYSTERIES, the fourth volume of Disney’s award-winning TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES. Explore some of the world’s most fascinating natural phenomena in the amazing films “Secrets of Life,” “Perri” and many more. It’s classic Disney live-action shorts at their finest!
Walt Disney Legacy Collection - True Life Adventures, Vol. 3 (1955)
Long before Animal Planet existed, Walt Disney’s True-Life Adventures awakened viewers to the wonders of the natural world. Disney began the series in 1946 with Seal Island, and the six features and seven featurettes won eight Academy Awards. Listen to our interviewwith director emeritusRoy E. Disney. One winner was Bear Country (1953), which is included in Creatures of the Wild, along with The African Lion (1955), Jungle Cat (1959) and The Olympic Elk (1952). Each film traces the course of one year in the life of its subject. Lionesses hunt to feed their cubs (and their glorious but idle mates) on Serengeti Plains. A pair of jaguars in the Amazon and a mother bear in Yellowstone Park raise their cubs, teaching them to find food and avoid predators. Magnificent bull elk fight for mates in the high meadows of the Olympic Mountains. Except for the narration occasionally seeming a little forced or obvious, these documentaries wear their age lightly. The prints have been lovingly restored: scratches and dirt have been removed; the color looks pristine. Artists and scientists will find useful reference material here, and children will enjoy the pageant of nature. Sadly, many of the ecological communities that seemed as inexhaustible as they were beautiful in the 1950’s have been severely damaged during the intervening decades by human encroachment, poaching, and climate change. The two-disc set is loaded with extras, including two black-and-white Disneyland shows from the 1950’s. (Rated G, suitable for ages 6 and older: some hunting sequences may be too intense for very small children)–Charles Solomon
Experience the wonder of Walt Disney’s groundbreaking nature series for the first time on DVD! These acclaimed stories, fully restored to their original beauty, offer previously unseen looks into the magical world of our animal friends. Enjoy CREATURES OF THE WILD, the third volume of Disney’s award-winning TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURES. Journey inside the worlds of some of nature’s most magnificent creatures with “The African Lion,” “Jungle Cat,” “Bear Country” and much more. It’s an unforgettable collection of animal stories that the entire family will love.
Wish Gone Amiss (Cory in the House / Hannah Montana / The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) (2005)
It’s common knowledge that wishing on a shooting star guarantees a wish come true, but Miley Stewart (Hannah Montana), Cory (Cory in the House), and Zack and Cody (Suite Life of Zack and Cody) are about to find out that impulsive wishes often result in unintended consequences in Wish Gone Amiss. The ever-scheming Cory wishes himself into the presidency in “Gone Wishin’” only to discover that the responsibilities of the Presidency are enormous, especially when robotic aliens threaten to replace all of his cabinet members and take over the world. Miley Stewart’s wish that she could leave her secret identity behind and be Hannah Montana all the time lands Hannah in the lap of luxury, but the cost to her family’s individual and collective happiness is huge. Zack and Cody wish themselves into superheroes, but soon find out that with super powers come evil villains like Moseby the “Meanager” and super responsibilities. Each of these three fantastical episodes relies on a heavy dose of the comically ridiculous for maximum entertainment while offering an important message about responsibility and an appreciation of one’s own circumstances. (Ages 5 and older) –Tami Horiuchi
Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 11/27/2007 Run time: 66 minutes
That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana (2003)
The Tipton Hotel is the happening place in Boston and one famous personality after another is checking in. First, Raven (That’s So Raven) gets the chance of a lifetime when her boss Donna Cabonna asks her to fill in for a sick assistant and accompany her on an important Boston photo shoot that will launch her new boys clothing line. Raven’s ineptitude with a new electronic scheduler lands their famous photographer at a Tipton half way around the world in Italy, strands their two young models somewhere in Central Europe, and threatens to derail the whole photo-shoot. Luckily, Zack and Cody (Suite Life of Zack and Cody) step in to serve as last minute models and the photographer manages to make her way to the correct Tipton Hotel. While she’s there, Raven has one of her psychic premonitions and warns Zack and Cody that the surprise party they’re planning for their mother’s birthday will somehow go very wrong and Maddie and Raven hatch a plot to trick London into wearing a Raven-original dress to an important “Young Heiress Magazine” photo shoot. Hannah Montana (Hannah Montana) also happens to be at the Tipton Hotel where she falls in love with London’s Raven-original dress and begs Raven for a dress of her own to wear to an important award show. Back home, Miley (Hannah) suddenly realizes that she and her brother may be holding her father back from his own musical ambitions and the pair makes some big sacrifices to put him back on the road again. The Disney worlds of That’s So Raven, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Hannah Montana collide in three consecutive mixed-up episodes that are sure to enchant Disney fans ages 7 to 13. Bonus features include an episode of Suite Life of Zack and Cody that focuses on the difficulty of sensible eating and weight problems, an interactive That’s So Raven trivia game, and the Hannah Montana music video “Who Said.” –Tami Horiuchi
Get ready for Mixed Up, Mashed Up fun when three of the hottest hit shows from the Disney Channel get together in THAT’S SO SUITE LIFE OF HANNAH MONTANA! The exciting crossover event begins when Raven Baxter checks into the swanky Tipton Hotel while on a business trip with her designer boss. Zack and Cody get into the action when the models for Raven’s photo shoot take a detour and Raven has a spooky premonition about the twins’ fate. Meanwhile, Maddie comes up with a plan to get London to wear one of Ravens new dresses. It almost backfires until London finds out that super pop star Hannah Montana wants a Raven original to wear on her new tour. This new Mixed Up, Mashed Up Edition DVD is loaded with bonus features including the “So You Think You Know Raven Volume 2″ DVD game, a Hannah Montana music video and a never-before-seen episode of THE SUITE LIFE OF ZACK & CODY. Get in the mix as your favorite stars come together and mash things up!
Hannah Montana, Vol. 1 - Livin’ the Rock Star Life (2006)
Being the famous 14-year old rock star Hannah Montana isn’t easy, nor is the life of an average Los Angeles middle school student who’s trying to figure out her place in the social scene. Imagine, then, how difficult Disney Channel’s Miley Stewart’s life is considering she’s living both lives simultaneously. One of the most down-to-earth pop stars you’ll ever meet, Miley goes to exceptional lengths to keep her identity as Hannah Montana a secret from her best friend Lilly because she’s afraid of being treated differently in “Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret.” When Oliver’s obsession with Hannah Montana gets to be too much for Miley to handle in “Miley Get Your Gum,” she devises a gum-chewing scenario that just about guarantees an end to Oliver’s crush on Hannah Montana. Far from the usual adoring fan, Miley’s newest crush Josh actually says he doesn’t like Hannah Montana in “I Can’t Make You Love Hannah If You Dont,” so Miley sets out to change Josh’s musical preferences. The never-before-seen episode “Money for Nothing, Guilt for Free” finds rich snobs Amber and Ashley in ugly competition with Miley, Lilly and Oliver over a school contest to raise money for the needy while Miley’s brother Jackson is bent on beating his father at just about any kind of competition. Bonus features include the Hannah Montana music video “Best of Both Worlds,” a backstage interview with Miley Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus about following your dreams, and Miley’s audition tapes. (Ages 7 and older) –Tami Horiuchi
Put your hands together, y’all, for the hottest teen pop sensation to come from Tennessee to Malibu, Miley Stewart, aka . . . Hannah Montana! New on DVD! Watch three of your favorite episodes and one you’ve never seen before from the smash-hit Disney Channel original series — plus rockin’ exclusive bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at Miley’s world, music videos, and more. Hannah Montana is living the rock star dream, with cool concerts, lots of limos, and a huge closet full of the latest styles. And the best part is, nobody knows that underneath all the glitz ‘n’ glamour she’s simply sweet Miley Stewart. Y’all won’t believe all the hilarious things she does to try to keep the biggest celebrity secret in the world from her best friends Lilly and Oliver while navigating the challenges of homework, crushes, and being accepted into the local social scene. It all works out, though, because this chick totally rocks!
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