Disneynature - Earth (DVD, 2009)

Partially constructed from the groundbreaking BBC and Discovery Channel television series PLANET EARTH, EARTH is a ravishing and often gut-wrenching tale of natural survival and beauty. Five years in the making (including 250 days of aerial footage shot from planes, helicopters, and two-man balloons) and narrated by actor James Earl Jones, EARTH follows the trials of three families of polar bears, elephants, and whales. Though separated by seasons and continents, each family will cross great lengths and confront numerous hardships: for the Arctic polar bears, it is an increasingly warming planet that melts the ice they need for a hunting platform; for the African elephants, hot desert conditions and hungry predators will stand in the way of reaching a lush delta; and for the Pacific humpback whales, their Antarctic migration will be fraught with rough waters and great white sharks. Along the way, EARTH takes us on a global tour of nature in all its colorful splendor and harrowing moments--from windswept tundra to teeming rainforests, from cheetahs running down their prey to ducklings taking first flight. And as each family struggles towards their much-needed feeding grounds, directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield ultimately show us that nature can be equally giving and unforgiving. Educational but never preachy, EARTH is an unprecedented invitation for adults and children alike to experience the everyday natural wonders that deserve our awe and safeguarding.