Blu-ray Review: ‘Born to Be Wild,’ ‘Frozen Planet’ Offer Fascinating Glimpses Into Natural World

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CHICAGO – Blu-ray was made for nature documentaries like “Born to Be Wild” and “Frozen Planet,” both recently released on the HD format and on DVD. As “Chimpanzee” plays in theaters and “Frozen Planet” still holds places in some DVRs since its Discovery Channel airings, nature documentaries seem to be as big as they’ve ever been. Both of these are strong entries in the popular genre.

To be fair, they serve different purposes. “Born to Be Wild” is more for the little ones or the whole family with its G rating and sweet focus on the positive impact that we humans can have on the natural world. Where “Born to Be Wild” is a perfect entry for kids with short attention spans (the IMAX movie runs 41 minutes), “Frozen Planet” is for those looking for something a bit more dense and challenging (you could fit “Born” into its running time of nearly six hours almost nine times). Both use HD in that beautiful way that allows the technology to serve one of its most important functions — taking us on realistic journeys around the world that we couldn’t otherwise take. Nature fans should pick them both up.

Born to Be Wild was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27, 2012.
Born to Be Wild was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27, 2012.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

“Born to Be Wild”

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Synopsis:
Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman narrates the documentary adventure Born To Be Wild, an inspired story of love, dedication and the remarkable bond between humans and animals. Born To Be Wild transports you into the lush rainforests of Borneo with world-renowned primatologist Dr. Birute Mary Galdikas, and across the rugged Kenyan savannah with celebrated elephant authority Dr. Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, as they and their teams rescue, rehabilitate and return these incredible animals to the wild.

Special Features:
o Wonderfully Wild Webisodes: Borneo, Kenya, Camp Leakey, Coming Home to Tsavo, Wild Filmmaking, Caregivers

Frozen Planet was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27, 2012.
Frozen Planet was released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 27, 2012.
Photo credit: BBC Home Video

“Frozen Planet”

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Blu-ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

Synopsis:
From the Emmy-winning team behind Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, this is the original 7-part BBC Series, Frozen Planet, narrated by world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough.

The Arctic and Antarctic remain the greatest wildernesses on Earth. The scale and beauty of the scenery and the sheer power of the elements are unmatched anywhere else on our planet. Using the latest camera technology, Frozen Planet captures unimaginable imagery above and below the ice, including previously unfilmed animal behavior, and follows the extraordinary fluctuations that accompany the changes of seasons. Frozen Planet paints a portrait that will take your breath away, at a moment when these otherworldly regions of our planet may soon be changed forever.

Special Features:
o Science At The End Of The Earth - A Look at Scientific Exploration At The South Pole
o Freeze Frame - Seven “Making Of” Featurettes, One At The End Of Each Episode
o Production Video Diaries - A Set of 47 Revelatory Video Shorts
o Frozen Planet: The Epic Journey - The Greatest Moments Of Frozen Planet
o Music Only Viewing Option

“Born to Be Wild” and “Frozen Planet” were released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 17, 2012.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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