Breathtaking, Gorgeous, Unbelievable these are just a few of a long list of adjectives describing the beauty of Disney Nature’s OCEANS. There is no story only amazing cinematography in all areas of the earth’s oceans, that will cause you to ask the question, “How did they capture that?”
OCEANS leads in with a huge pod of dolphins resembling the thousand ships launched toward Troy. We quickly enter a feeding frenzy of mass proportions involving sharks, whales and birds, all after the same area of large schools of fish. I immediately doubted if it was even real it was so amazing. I firmly believed the filmmakers were catching moments then piecing them together to make is seem bigger than it actually was but the special features proved I was wrong and the footage was very much real (more on that later).
On a couple of different occasions a scuba diver (without a cage) is seen up close with a Hump Back whale and a Great White shark. These images are nothing like I’ve seen before on the Discovery channel or Shark Week. The water is empty and vast with only a human showing the scale of these powerfully massive animals under the sea. It’s quite exhilarating delivering fear and peace simultaneously. In one of the more shocking images from satellites we are able to see pollution lines like veins pumping into the ocean. It’s hauntingly eye opening.
Pierce Brosnan narrates the English version in a calm elegant way that matches some of the tranquil imagery captured. However, a nice feature would include an option without the narrator leaving only the beautiful score by Bruno Coulais. The film is bookended with children playing then overlooking the sea that was a bit over dramatic and unnecessary. But it does bring on a point that I believe this would be great for little ones. The imagery is so interesting and the pace is just quick enough that if your child has yet to be diagnosed with ADD from the overstimulation of other programs or games, they may just sit long enough and be inspired.
The film touches on all areas of the ocean and all the creatures that use it ranging from fish, bird to human. Its wide range is it’s greatest asset and downfall. It looks at so much interesting life and never lingers long enough to give you a full appreciation and understanding. I would love a longer time with each of these creatures but I don’t think that complaint is fair since the film is called OCEANS. I love the ocean and find all life that inhabits it fascinating. This particular nature film is good for all ages and leaves you wanting more. It is simply exquisite.
Video: (1080P High Definition 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio) Absolutely magnificent. This is what Blu-ray is meant for. Picture does not get any better than this.
Audio: (5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio) The sound is good mostly consisting of the beautiful score by Bruno Coulais.
Living Menus: A globe of the earth appears that can rotate around with the use of the control arrows. Nine different hot spots appear every month around the globe giving facts, information and videos. In the right hand corner the time, date and weather specific to where you live appears. This technology is incredibly impressive.
Filmmaker Annotations: This is somewhat like a commentary and making-of combination. Different filmmakers show how they captured the different images and their work using video picture and picture box. In some ways the making-of is more interesting because you actually see them capturing the footage with the crew there on site. The footage is unreal it’s so good, making this feature very necessary.
Disney and Nature: Preserving The World We Share (7:54): This is Disney bragging about how great they are…which they are. They explain how they are helping the world and nature with their donations and for every ticket they sold they would plant a tree. Disney World Conservation Fund has raised 15 million dollars in protecting wildlife.
Make A Wave – Disney’s Friends For Change Music Video Featuring Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato (1:50): The title basically describes it. The music video consists of the two singers dancing on the beach with clips of the film edited in between.
