Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 22, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Following the tradition established by Walt Disney during his lifetime, Disneynature will offer spectacular entertainment whose subject is the world we live in. The Walt Disney Company will support the new label worldwide in many business areas, for example through publications, licensing, theme parks and educational programmes. Jean-Francois Camilleri, long-standing Managing Director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures France, will lead the new division. Its headquarters will be in France, from where Camilleri and his team will be responsible for developing and acquiring high-quality film projects.
One of the first films to reach US cinemas under the new label will be the BBC Worldwide / Greenlight Media production “Earth” by Alastair Fothergrill, which has already attracted more than 3 million cinema viewers in Germany since February under the title “Unsere Erde – Der Film”, distributed by Universum Film. In the USA, the film will open on “Earth Day”, April 22, 2009. “Earth” will also be released under the Disneynature label in Latin America.
Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of the Walt Disney Company: “We love combining our heritage with innovation, and Disneynature is a perfect example of that. We are placing the legacy of Walt Disney’s “True Life Adventures” film series in the hands of modern filmmakers working with the latest technologies. Disneynature is a concept we want to expand worldwide across the entire company over the coming years. And we hope the films will contribute to a better understanding and greater appreciation of the beauty and fragility of our Earth.”
Dick Cook added: “Our goal for Disneynature is to offer event films that appeal to everyone fascinated by the splendour of nature and great filmmaking. Thanks to today’s modern creative tools, filmmakers are able to tell nature’s limitless stories. These stories are as compelling as any fiction and can only be properly appreciated on the big screen. For Disneynature, the sky is the limit.”
“Nature writes the most wonderful stories. Disneynature wants to tell these stories with passion and enthusiasm to the largest possible audience worldwide,” said Camilleri. “By working with the best nature documentary directors, we can show nature as it has never been seen before. We help our viewers discover the incredible beauty of our world, but also understand the challenges facing future generations”.
The following Disneynature projects, among others, are in development or production:
•THE CRIMSON WING: Mystery of the Flamingos – Directed by Matthew Aeberhard and Leander Ward and produced by Paul Webster (Kudos Pictures), the film takes its viewers to Lake Natron in northern Tanzania to observe the mysterious lives of flamingos. Worldwide release will begin in December 2008.
•ORANG-UTANS: One Minute to Midnight – Directed by Charlie Hamilton James and produced by Frédéric Fougea, this film tells the true story of a six-year-old male orangutan and his little sister, who must undertake an incredible journey to find a home and a family. (Worldwide release planned for 2010)
•BIG CATS – Here, viewers meet three mothers – a lioness, a leopard and a cheetah – and explore their world on the African plains. Directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergrill and produced by Alix Tidmarsh, BIG CATS shows how these magnificent animals survive through their strength and cunning while protecting their young and teaching them about life in the wild. (Worldwide release planned for 2011)
•NAKED BEAUTY: A Love Story that Feeds the Earth – The film looks at nature in close-up… very close, as it observes the realm of flowers and their pollinators. Acclaimed filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg introduces us to a bat, a hummingbird, a butterfly and a bumblebee, showing their complex interrelationships and how life on our Earth depends on the success of these small but determined creatures. NAKED BEAUTY is produced by Blacklight Films and Alix Tidmarsh. Worldwide release is planned for 2011.
•CHIMPANZEE — Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield direct this intimate look into the world of chimpanzees; Christophe Boesch, head of the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation, acts as consultant, and Alix Tidmarsh produces. CHIMPANZEE is being filmed over a period of three years in the rainforests of Ivory Coast and Uganda and will help us better understand this exceptionally intelligent species. (Worldwide release planned for 2012)
