Well, when I read about that the Treasures Wave 3 propably will be pushed forward until May 2004, I felt very very depressed.
Some of you surely will say: Come on man, get a life! - But seriously, I have waited and longed for this sets in more than six months (as many others have as well!) and it now feels very empty inside.
I have mostly all thing on the sets already, but not in this quality that the DVD sets bring. Oh, well...I felt then that I must occupy my mind with something else and view something beautiful (during the time that the brain needs to accept these horrible facts!), so I turned to Disney during the 50´s and 60´s, where some wonderful material, often overlooked, lays (in those days it was a trustful company, which didn´t changed on and off on their decisions all the time!).
So I have spent this weekend in a marathon viewing of all the True Life Adventures/Fantasy short and long subjects that Disney had made.
This is a highly recommended series to those that have never viewed it.
Even that some of the facts and comments in the films are dated due to it´s age, and despite the negative critique Disney was faced with when he played a little with the nature´s truth!
Below I will express some of my feelings for each of the project (I also mention the one that I have not seen or aren´t in my collection - yet!) and I would like to hear from you, on your thoughts and opinion of the same.
Short subjects:
SEAL ISLAND 1948
The first in the series is not in my possession. But as I remember it (I have not seen it in 10 years I think, so if there will be a future Treasure Tin with the short subjects in the series, I would be very happy indeed!
) I didn´t like it so much as the other in the series. Maybe because it was almost in a greyish tone and had a very shaky picture quality. But it´s interesting to know that it won an AA.BEAVER VALLEY 1950
One of my favorites. I saw it already as a child in the school´s nature lessons. I especially like the scenes when the elk/moose comes to the lake and all of the winter settings. Also won an AA.
NATURE´S HALF ACRE 1951
This is one of the few things from Disney that I have never seen.
It won an AA.
THE OLYMPIC ELK 1952
An impressing short, with the great elks wandering through the woods. The fight scenes are good.
WATER BIRDS 1952
Not one of the best True Life Adventure shorts according to my taste, but still entertaining. I feel that it doesn´t really deliver something more than beautiful pictures, which of course isn´t bad in itself!
AA winner.
BEAR COUNTRY 1953
Beautiful, beautiful! The black bear of North America is interesting to watch. Especially when they fish salmon in the river (did someone said Brother Bear!
) and in the end when the cubs are alone without their mother. AA winner.PROWLERS OF THE EVERGLADES 1953
A favorite by me, maybe because I have been a lot in the Everglades myself. But here you come close to the animals that you DON´T want to meet up close, when you are in that Nationalpark.
Feature Lenght Subjects:
THE LIVING DESERT 1953
The first feature lenght film in the series, is still very very good (if you skip out the sometimes dated facts that have changed during the past 50 years, and some of the scenes made to do the feature more pleasing to young viewers - like the scorpion dance for an example!).
My favorite is Skinny - the brave ground squirrel.
Won an AA.
THE VANISHING PRAIRIE 1954
Not as good as Desert but still very intertaining. Favorite scenes are of the prairie dogs life and when the mountain big-horn sheep fights.
The muscial score is better in this one than in Desert according to me - I have them both, as well as soundtracks to Secrets of Life (below) and parts of the score to the short subjects Beaver Valley, Bear Country, Prowlers of the Everglades, Nature´s Half Acre and The Olympic Elk (all above), on a compilation LP.
Won an AA.
THE AFRICAN LION 1955
Here we have the shaky photography again! And it is the same photographer as in Seal Island
But the film is interesting and slightly different, since it for the first time in the series, picture a continents animal life, away from North America.
Favorite scenes are of the lion cubs playing, the locust invasion and the rhinoceros stuck in the mud.
SECRETS OF LIFE 1956
According to me this is the best and most interesting in the whole series.
It takes a closer look to animal life and plants than in the previous films.
It also use more animation than the other films.
I love the scenes with the bees and their fascinating society. As well as the beauty of the vulcano eruption in the end.
WHITE WILDERNESS 1958
Now we turn to the snowy parts of the north of our globe. The polarbear cubs are cute and you notice the difference and contrast to the merciless hunt the wolwerine do to get himself food. The lemmings fanatic suicide march is scary and the film doesn´t give any answer to why they do it!
(It was not known in the 50´s!)
Not as good as the other in the series, but it´s still very much worth to see.
JUNGLE CAT 1960
This is the last in the series and it was not very good recieved when it premiered in the 60´s. I think that was wrong, because I feel this film strong in picture, color and interesting scenes.
Especially the jaguars fights with the alligator and the boa constrictor.
In contrast we have the cute scene where the jaguar cubs are playing and trying to swim.
Maybe the whole picture is a little too long and should maybe have fit better into the short subjects instead.
THE BEST OF WALT DISNEY´S TRUE LIFE ADVENTURES 1975
A compilation feature that shows the best of the above. Nothing really new is added here. But there is a treat to see the best part again, that you learned to love from the series. If you feel uncertain if the whole series is something for you - try this feature out first!
Disney only made one True Life Fantasy (I think it was intended to do more!) but it´s fantastic and truly lovely. It should in fact not be counted into the series above, but I can´t leave it out here - it is of course:
PERRI 1957
One of my all time favorite Disney films. The squirrel Perri is one of the cutest ever on nature screens. The songs are good and beautiful and I wish they could have released a soundtrack to this film - but no!
The film is full of nature´s cruelty and some scene are really terrifying in sense of what you have seen in other Disney features with cute little animals - but that´s life, as the narrator points out.
All about this film is perfect - almost a little too perfect, but since it call itself a fantasy I think it´s allright.
Unfortunately this film has never been released on video homemarket in US, but I hope some of you have seen it on TV or so, to discuss it here.
Well, was I too long again...
Anyhow I have had a pleasant weekend in my trying to forget the news about the Treasure Tins Wave 3.
