Theatrical but Effective
Early—well, at least by L.A. standards—on the morning of April 21, a host of entertainment media representatives waited outside the doors of the Walt Disney Studios’ (WDS) Main Theatre, until just 10 or 15 minutes before the appointed “special event” time, before being allowed to enter the theatre. The back half of the auditorium, located at the heart of the classic art deco lot, was roped off. The full color digital “Walt Disney Studios” logo was up on the screen with a podium to its left. Both the screen and the podium were surrounded with lush but tasteful tropical foliage. Leafy cucolorises cast forest patterns on the walls and ceiling.
The WDS Main Theatre before going green.
Image copyright© Disney. All rights reserved.
At precisely 11:00 a.m., the lights dimmed, the logo faded out, and after a split second of blackness a new image took its place. It seemed like the WDS logo in silhouette. But as it faded in, it was apparent it was no longer a castle, but an icy snow-covered mountain swimming in an arctic sea over which the logo for Disneynature appeared.
Moments later, Bob Iger and Dick Cook announced the inauguration of a new Walt Disney Studio’s film label: “Disneynature.” Building on the heritage of Walt Disney's True Life Adventures, Cook said he looked forward to a slate of films that would range from dramatic to comedic. Iger carefully used the term “event films” and emphasized it as a company-wide “initiative,” including parks, publishing, merchandising, and more.
“At Disneynature, we will work with the world's greatest documentary filmmakers to show audiences the beauty and drama of nature,” said Jean-Francois Camilleri, French accent and all. Camilleri will be heading up the new production unit from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (France). “In addition to providing compelling entertainment that audiences of all ages and backgrounds can enjoy, we also hope to raise awareness of the many ways that everyone and anyone can do their part to help our planet.”
Later that day, o-meon entertainment industry advisor—who contributes to the site under the name Dixon Ticonderoga—said it was his understanding that Camilleri “was apparently involved with March of the Penguins, which Disney turned down, to its utter regret.”
During the presentation, Disney announced a total of seven films.
Award-winning British producer/director Alastair Fothergill, whose credits include the Emmy and Peabody award-winning Planet Earth series (BBC and The Discovery Channel) and The Blue Planet, will helm three of the new Disneynature projects: Earth, Chimpanzee, and Big Cats.
Earth, which will be produced by BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media (a Berlin Atlantic Company) and co-directed by Mark Linfield, will take moviegoers on an extraordinary tour of our home planet as it's never been seen before. Renowned actor James Earl Jones will narrate the film.
Fothergill added, “This is especially exciting because, thanks to the wide-ranging appeal of Disney, we can expect Earth to be seen by the broadest possible audience. Disney has been an inspiration to wildlife documentarians for generations, and it’s a genuine thrill to advance this extraordinary legacy under this new label.”
Throughout the presentation, the phrase “the latest new technologies” was frequently repeated. But only Cineflex, which is apparently an aircraft-mounted camera stabilizer, and “new” 1000-frame-per-second, high-speed cameras were specifically referred to. Fothergill especially mentioned the former. Prior to press deadline, an o-meon entertainment industry—who contributes to the site under the name A.B DeLine—was able to determine that Helinet Aviation owns this technology.
Among the other speakers to announce Disneynature films were Matthew Aeberhard, who will be making Crimson Wing, and Charlie Hamilton James, who will make Orangutans: One Minute to Midnight.
Additionally, Louis Schwartzberg—as an American, the only member of the new production team Disney didn't have to fly in, since he lives just blocks from the studio—addressed the assembled group. Schwartzberg will make Naked Beauty: A Love Story That Feeds The Earth, which will draw upon his 30 years of continuous time-lapse photography.
Not present were Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud, who will be doing Oceans.
Little was said and almost no details were given about CEO Bob Iger's assertion that this would be a company-wide initiative. It’s also unclear in what format(s) (HD, IMAX, etc.) these films will be theatrically released. I also wonder what U.S. exhibitors will make of them.
In a statement released to the press right after Monday’s event, Nikolaus Weil, from Greenlight Media, said, “We're thrilled to be working with Jean-Francois and his team at Disneynature, along with the entire Disney organization, in bringing this groundbreaking nature documentary to the big screen.” Martyn Freeman of BBCW added, “Earth captures some of the rarest and most beautiful imagery of the planet ever photographed by a team of the world's top cinematographers. Audiences will get to see their planet in an exciting new way, and experiencing it in a theater will add to the enormous importance and impact of the subject matter.”
The presentation having ended, we were all treated to lunch.
