Movies Disneynature WINGS OF LIFE

When the set-up screen for a film is stunningly beautiful, it’s easy to predict that the film you’re about to see will be amazing. And that’s exactly what I found when I sat down to watch the movie, Disneynature: Wings of Life (Blu-ray / DVD).

The film starts out with a panoramic view of a waterfall with the soothing voice of Meryl Streep narrating the scene. The opening scene sets the tone for some of Disney’s best high-definition moments on the wings of nature.

Disneynature WINGS OF LIFE

Unlike last years’ CHIMPANZEE, Disneynature got the narrator right on this one and instead of distracting from the film, Meryl Streep adds her unique style and classic voice to enhance the beautiful scenes as they unfold on the screen.  In the film Meryl Streep tells the story in a first-person narrative as a flower. It’s the story of life from the point of view of the flowers, their part in the process of life, and how human survival is dependent on their existence.

The Disneynature: Wings of Life film covers life, death, reproduction, and more. Making contrasts and similarities between the way flowers reproduce as compared to animals. How they use their cunning, which can be their scent, color, or shape to entice winged creatures to help them reproduce.

For me, the joy of doing this film is to be able to explore worlds that humans can’t easily experience—bats sipping nectar in the middle of the desert at night, orchid bees expertly manipulated by a bucket orchid, exotic hummingbirds flying like airborne dancers, and a clustering monarch colony with millions of butterflies. I hope to share the spectacle of nature and to spark in others the sense of wonder I have about the natural world.” – Louie Schwartzberg, Director Disneynature’s WINGS OF LIFE

Disneynature WINGS OF LIFE Movie Still

Like any Disneynature film there are plenty of close-up and time lapse shots which bring the narration to life. The film reaches back into history to explain some of the differences in pollination and reproduction without going too deep into any one topic in too much detail. It’s a great overview of the process told with stunning photographs.

Some scenes are so amazing it’s hard to believe they’re real, but they are. Disneynature filmmakers spends months getting the shots to tell the story. I got the chance to speak with the director of CHIMPANZEE last year about the hardships they go through to bring these movies to the screen. Months of inclement weather, being eaten by bugs, and living through weather and climate issues many of us wouldn’t put up with. I’m so grateful that they do so that I can enjoy films like these.

This film was shot in more than a dozen areas around the world including the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Park in Arizona. Filmmakers used both high-speed and time-lapse cinematography for incredible images. This allowed them to bring us the world of butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and bats and their relationship with flowers in such a satisfying way.

There are some intense scenes in this movie which may not be appropriate for very young children, but most over the age of 6 will find this an enjoyable journey.

Disneynature: Wings of Life will be available on DVD/Blu-Ray on April 16, 2013.