True-Life Adventures series is a collection of fourteen full length and short subject documentary films produced by Walt Disney Productions roughly between the years 1948 and 1960. The series won eight Academy Awards for the studio including three Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature awards for The Living Desert, The Vanishing Prairie and White Wilderness, and five Best Two Reel Live Action Short awards for Seal Island, In Beaver Valley, Nature's Half Acre, Water Birds, and Bear Country. It inspired a daily panel comic strip that was distributed from 1955 to 1971 and drawn by George Wheeler. Several of the films were adapted in comic book format as one shots in the Dell Comics Four Color series. The films were among the earliest production experience for Roy E. Disney. Also this film series was the launching pad for Disney's new distributor, Buena Vista International. TV episodes are from Disney's anthology TV series.
In 2007, Disney established a new nature film label called Disneynature.
Films
Walt Disney and True-Life Adventures - Walt Disney presents the groundbreaking adventure series that explored the worlds of nature and the animal kingdom. Check out more Disney movies at http://di.sn/m8 SUBSCRIBE to get notified...
Educational shorts
The following short were edited out of the other shorts/films/episodes for educational purpose - either a fragment was exported out of a longer film or two or more sequences were edited together from more than two or more different films to form "new" film. Thus they are not included on the Legacy DVDs.
Films made up of stock footage two or more Disney nature films and thus not listed with respective original film above:
- The Weasel Family (1968)
- The Wild Dog Family - The Coyote (1968)
- The Wild Cat Family - The Cougar (1968)
- The Deer Family (1968)
- Of Horses and Men (1968) with animated inserts.
- The Bear Family (1970).
- The Beasts of Burden Family (1970)
- Teeth are for Chewing (1971) with animated inserts.
- A Day in Nature's Community (1975)
Documentary film
On October 8, 1975, Disney theatrically released The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures, a full-length motion picture documentary derived from 13 of the acclaimed True-Life Adventures series written and directed by James Algar, executive produced by Ron Miller and narrated by Winston Hibler.
Home market
VHS releases
Australian & New Zealand releases
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 1): The Living Desert (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 2): The Vanishing Prairie (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 3): Jungle Cat (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 4): Secrets of Life (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 5): The African Lion (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 6): White Wilderness (September 22, 1995)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 7): Seal Island (March 15, 1996)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 8): Bear Country (March 15, 1996)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 9): Water Birds (March 15, 1996)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 10): The Olympic Elk (March 15, 1996)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 11): Beaver Valley (March 15, 1996)
- Disney's True-Life Adventures (Volume 12): Nature's Half Acre (March 15, 1996)
DVD release
All of the True-Life Adventures have been released on DVD over four discs as part of the Walt Disney Legacy Collection which launched December 5, 2006.
Volume 1: Wonders of the World
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. White Wilderness
- 3. Water Birds
- 4. Beaver Valley
- 5. Prowlers of the Everglades
DISC TWO
- 1. "Mysteries of the Deep"
- 2. "Wonders of the Water Worlds"
- 3. "The Crisler Story"
Bonus Features
- 4. "Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Birds"
- 5. "Tribute to James Algar"
- 6. "Filmmakers' Journal"
- 7. "Collectors' Corner"
- 8. "Original Theatrical Trailers"
Volume 2: Lands of Exploration
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. The Living Desert
- 3. The Vanishing Prairie
- 4. Seal Island
DISC TWO
- 1. "Islands of the Sea"
- 2. "Nature's Strangest Creatures"
- 3. "Prairie"
- 4. Behind the True Life Cameras
Bonus Features
- 5. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Desert Insects
- 6. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Snakes
- 7. Filmmakers' Journal
- 8. Collectors' Corner
- 9. Trailers & Promo
Volume 3: Creatures of the Wild
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. The African Lion
- 3. Jungle Cat
- 4. Bear Country
DISC TWO
- 1. The Olympic Elk
- 2. "Cameras in Africa"
- 3. "The Yellowstone Story"
Bonus Features
- 4. Tribute to the Milottes
- 5. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Elephants
- 6. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Cheetah Medical Exam
- 7. Filmmakers' Journal
- 8. Collectors' Corner
- 9. Trailers & Promo
Volume 4: Nature's Mysteries
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. Secrets of Life
- 3. Perri
DISC TWO
- 1. Nature's Half Acre
- 2. "Searching for Nature's Mysteries"
- 3. "Adventure in Wildwood Heart'
Bonus Features
- 4. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Butterflies
- 5. Tribute to Winston Hibler
- 6. Filmmakers' Journal
- 7. Collectors' Corner
- 8. Original Theatrical Trailers
See also
- List of Disney live-action shorts
- List of Walt Disney Pictures films
- Disneynature
Documentaries
- Circle-Vision 360°
- People & Places
References
- [1] Volume 1 DVD Stats
- [2] Volume 2 DVD Stats
- [3] Volume 3 DVD Stats
- [4] Volume 4 DVD Stats
- [5]
