The Film Sometimes, Blu-ray images are so stunning that they look better than real life. Disney's Earth is a major showcase disc for how amazing Blu-ray High Def really can look. Earth is also a technical marvel as a documentary, capturing nature at its wildest and most remote. I would almost say that Earth is a magical film; but its predecessor Planet Earth from the BBC does trump this bite-sized feature film version.

Earth seems to have been one part of an enormous, organized effort to capture the greatest nature footage ever. The BBC and Discovery Channel are just a few of the organizations that seemed to contribute to this effort. And I'm not really sure where Disney fit in to the mix. Almost 100% of the footage used in Disney's Earth was previously featured in BBC's Planet Earth. However, Planet Earth was presented in series format with about 12 hours of overall footage. Disney's Earth tells a smaller story (if telling the story of Earth can be considered "small").

Earth's narrative focuses on a tour around the globe's various ecosystems and highlighting some of the animal families' life cycles in those areas of the planet. That is the extent of the story, as narrated by the engaging James Earl Jones. The one strong advantage that Disney's Earth had over BBC's Planet Earth is the wild ride that Earth is able to take you on in only 90 minutes. I personally couldn't help but reflect on the incredible complexity of the Earth's ecosystems as we travel all the way around the globe and back in a relatively short amount of time. (Planet Earth took a more regional approach with whole episodes dedicated to particular environments.) I felt a sense of awe as I watched nature at its most raw and felt once again that the complexity of these systems simply must be set in motion and overseen by a Wisdom far beyond my own.

The Package I highly recommend the extra "Earth Diaries: The Making of Earth The Movie." The chronicles of how this footage was assembled, and the ultra-modern technology used to get never-before-seen images, are possibly more engaging than the actual film itself. And at the very least this feature does what any great extra content on a disc should do: It helps your appreciation of the film grow!

I also can't overstate how beautiful and powerful the images are here. Blu-ray captures creation in a way we've never really experienced before and the result is stunning. If you only have 90 minutes to invest, then Earth will suit you. If you find you are looking for more, then commit to watching the BBC's more complete Planet Earth series.