First and foremost in the world of film is the story.
Narrated by John C. Reilly, the story presented by Disneynature’s "Bears" will keep viewers of all ages entertained and engaged in the true life survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
Using the same formula that made "Earth" and "Chimpanzee" success at the box office and home entertainment sales, the producers spun together a tale using the best of their breath-taking photography.
The crew spent more than a year following the hibernating mother bear, Sky, and her two cubs, Scout and Amber, coming down from the mountain den and the trip to the meadow where they and the other bears in the area gather to find food. If they get by the daily obstacles, they go searching for the best places to hunt the salmon, making the run upriver to spawn.
Then it is a trip back to the den to sleep for another winter under a blanket of snow.
Emotion, intelligence and personality shine through the footage of the bears, and the presentation is a great introduction for children to know more about these great beasts.
The Blu-ray combo package was released this week and the ones sold before Tuesday will help raise funds for s great cause. A portion of the proceeds will go to the National Park Foundation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. I had the opportunity to view the Blu-ray and DVD this week.
In the extras is where the photography and producing crew get to show off the process and work that went into the film. The "Welcome to Alaska" feature offers a look at the beach landing strip where the crew’s plane, and only way in and out of the national park, is the lifeline to the outside world. They had to cart in the base camp and photography supplies by raft and then by land. In "A Guide To Living With Bears," we meet the guides who know how to talk to the animals. With their posture and voice they show the bears that the camera crew is not a threat.
Overall, by watching the film and the extras, the viewers are given an entertaining story and a look at the process involved to make it possible.
Media is bombarding us everywhere.
Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.
The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.
