DISNEYNATURE’S BREATHTAKING FEATURE
“WINGS OF LIFE” LANDS ON BLU-RAY® COMBO PACK,
DIGITAL AND ON DEMAND APRIL 16, 2013,
IN TIME FOR EARTH DAY
Flowers are the universal symbol of friendship and love. I love flowers but honestly, I didn’t think too much beyond their beauty, scent and color until I watched Disneynature’s Wings of Life. This is the story of flowers narrated by Merryl Streep. Flowers play an intricate role in life and rely on pollination partnerships. Plants are rooted and rely on reproduction strategies with insects and birds. Bees and insects as well as bats and birds are pollinators in the rainforest, desserts and farm lands regenerating life. They never rest.
I was amazed at how flowers use their beauty and scents to entice insects and animals. For example bees and orchids have a symbiotic relationship. Orchids wouldn’t exist without orchid bees. Orchids rely on bees to help their reproduction. Bees are lured in by the flower’s scented oils and the bees sink into sticky fluids into the drum of the orchard. There is only one way out of the flower. The orchid grabs hold of the bee as the bee tries to climb out. What the flower is doing is glueing it’s seeds to the bees back. Eventually the orchid releases the bee as it carries the seeds away to a female orchid. Bees are love messengers for orchids! Nature is amazing! Honeybees are also vital to farms as they pollenate many of the foods we eat. Strawberries, nuts, blueberries, and broccoli to name a few. The honeybee population has plummeted due to pollution and pesticides. I have a new found respect for these unappreciated worker bees. They are the only insect that takes care of their young. Honeybees work as a team and have a really cool method of communication.
It’s unfortunate how most of us (including myself) take the world around us for granted. Nature is working it’s magic and we are all interconnected. Might we cease to exist without the plants and animals portrayed in this film? What does all of this mean for us and future generations? We have a responsibility to take care of this world and the creators of the film gives us tips on how to help out flowers and their winged partners:
- Turn our backyards into a productive habit
- Plant flowers in our backyard or rooftops (see The Living Roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco)
- Teach our children how to care of plants
- Plant alongside of roadways as this is open space for all of us
- Go natural and do not use pesticides
- Join a neighbored cooperative
My 5.5 yo daughter and I watched Wings of Life together. Be prepared for many questions as my daughter did. This film suits all ages but I think older children might have an easier time processing the information. Plus, the beginning of the movie moved a little slow for my daughter. She enjoyed the caterpillar metamorphosis and made references to her school’s butterfly growing kit and the book Hungry Hungry Caterpillar. Expect amazing close ups of insects and flowers. Some might be squeamish at the site of tartunalas or bats but this film is educational and everyone should see it. It shares nature’s beauty, a dose of reality and ways to help solve the problem.
Nice video to share on Earth Day! – Tee
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
From Disneynature, the studio that brought you Earth, Oceans, African Cats and Chimpanzee, comes Wings of Life — a stunning adventure full of intrigue, drama and mesmerizing beauty. Narrated by Meryl Streep, this intimate and unprecedented look at butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, bats and flowers is a celebration of life, as a third of the world’s food supply depends on these incredible — and increasingly threatened — creatures.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, Wings of Life utilizes riveting high-speed, time lapse and macro filmmaking to showcase in spectacular detail these unsung heroes of our planet.
Specifications:
- Street Date: April 16, 2013
- Suggested Retail Price: Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) = $39.99 U.S. and $46.99 Canada
- Feature Run Time: Approx. 80 minutes
- Rating: G (U.S. and Canada)
Stay connected with the latest “Wings of Life” information:
- “Like” the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Disneynature
- Follow on Twitter www.Twitter.com/
- Website: www.Disneynature.com
* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Tee received Wings of Life from Disney free of charge to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service. The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
