Stunning and breathtaking cinematography captured in HD but also using hardware and techniques never used in underwater filmmaking before. Thus giving us the most upclose and personal view of underwater life than ever before. “Oceans” is impressive, fascinating and absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended!
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TITLE: Oceans
FILM RELEASE: 2009
DURATION: 84 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish.
COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
RATED: G (General Audiences)
Release Date: October 19, 2010
Directed by Jacques Perrin, Jacqeus Cluzaud
Written by Jacques Cluzaud, Laurent Debas, Stephane Durand, Laurent Gaude, Jacques Perrin, Francois Serrano, Christophe Cheysson
Executive Produced: Jake Eberts, Don Hahn, Kirk Wise
Produced by Nicolas Mauvernay, Jacques Perrin
Associate Producer: Manuel Monzon Fueo, Connie Nartonis Thompson
Music by Bruno Coulais
Cinematography by Luc Drion, Philippe Ros, Luciano Tovoli
Edited by Catherine Mauchain, Vincent Schmitt
Production Design by Jean Rabasse
Art Direction by Arnaud Le Roch
Starring:
Pierce Brosnan (Narrator)
Directed by Jacques Perrin (two-time Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary, Features for Winged Migration in 2003; Best Picture for Z in 1970) and Jacques Cluzaud (Winged Migration, Les Ailes de la Nature), the two filmmakers venture in, on and around our seas to discover photogenic oddities and endangered wonders. The two directors capture mesmerizing footage using the most technologically-advanced equipment that has allowed them to bring the images alive in high-definition. Disneynature OCEANS is narrated by Pierce Brosnan (The Ghost Writer, Percy Jackson and the Olympians), who has long been affiliated with environmental causes and campaigns.
By purchasing a Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack or DVD of Disneynature OCEANS through October 25, viewers can help conserve our world’s oceans and the species that depend on them for survival. In honor of each Blu-ray and DVD purchased during that period, Disneynature, through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, will help establish new marine protected areas in The Bahamas with The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest conservation organizations in the world. In The Bahamas, The Nature Conservancy and its local partners, including the Bahamian government, are establishing a new marine protected area along the west side of Andros Island. Currently, new marine-protected area boundaries are being defined that will expand from 300,000 acres to more than 1 million acres. These areas will contain miles of vital coral reefs that provide natural habitat, nurseries and feeding grounds for hundreds of marine species. For more details on Disney’s collaboration with The Nature
Conservancy, please visit: www.disney.com/oceans.
In 2001, Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud were known for their wonderful work in the film “Winged Migration”. Whereas the filmmakers focused on the geese in the air, the two filmmakers now focus on the ocean with their French nature documentary “Oceans” filmed in HD and distributed in theaters by DisneyNature.
The film which was budgeted at $66 million debuted in US theaters on Earth Day (April 22, 2010) and earned over $76 million in the worldwide box office.
The film would take four years to film and was filmed in over 50 different locations. The filmmakers took their time in making sure they could get the shots they wanted of ocean life but also to show how human activity has taken its toll on sea life especially with pollution extending from the rivers to the deep.
Featuring stunning cinematography and new hardware cinematic uses for capturing underwater sea life and creatures is fantastic and giving viewers a rare glimpse and close up of the animals underwater.
And now the wonderful documentary “Oceans” will be released alongside DisneyNature’s “The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos” on October 19th on Blu-ray and DVD.
VIDEO:
“Oceans” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio).   The fact that this film was shot in HD is amazing especially how the film looks on Blu-ray. But what I enjoyed about “Oceans” is just the incredible shots that the crew were able to capture. In the past, there was no way this footage would ever be captured, such as the animals around the coral reef because any slight movement or an appearance by a human would scare them and no animal would appear. But in this case, the filmmakers were able to use high technology to capture these miniature animals and also capture footage of various sea animals from all over the planet.
We can see the detail among the surface of the lizard underwater, the clarity of the ribbon fish, the jellyfish, the turtoises, even close ups with a manatee, a great white shark, a variety of whales and more. It’s in this film with such clarity but also the amazing scenery of how the cycle of feeding looks on camera. From the dolphins and birds feeding on the sardines and the birds dropping all at once towards the ocean, a great white shark or a killer whale feeding on seal lions or what happens when the baby turtles are seen swimming to the ocean to avoid being eaten by birds and how very few survive. It’s all captured in this film.
“Oceans” comes alive in HD. Detail of the various sea animals are featured with so much detail more than any oceanic documentary that I have seen. The amazing closeups that the filmmakers were able to capture was wonderful. “Oceans” is definitely a feast for the eyes if you appreciate watching nature-based films, especially oceanic cinematography.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Oceans” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. It’s not just the picture quality of this film that is amazing, there is good use of sound and it’s one thing for the filmmakers to capture closeups of the animals via new technology via the cameras used for this film but the sound that was captured was amazing. You can hear the dolphins communicating, the birds hitting the water to grab the fish, the turtles breathing. The sounds captured on this film were quite incredible and combined with the musical score by Bruno Coulais, the lossless audio is awesome.
Narration by Pierce Brosnan was clear through the center channels, the ocean and animal ambiance coming from the front and surround channels was very well done as well.
Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Oceans” features the following special features in 1080p High definition (2:40:1) with English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles:
- Living Planet – An interactive feature on the main menu which features a globe in which you can select destinations with your remote. Click on the various areas in several continents to learn real-time information of what is going on at several wildlife areas and also learn details about the film. You get the current date, time and temperature on the bottom right corner as well.
- Filmmaker Annotations – While watching “Oceans”, you get a picture-and-picture video with the filmmakers, DisneyNature staff discussing aspects of filming in the ocean and things they saw. You also get text annotations on the bottom of the screen.
- Disney and Nature: Caring for the World We Share – (7:55) A featurette on how Disney takes part in protect nature and the planet. From the earlier years with Walt Disney and the original series “Disney’s True-Life Adventure” to today’s DisneyNature and Disney’s Worldwide Conversation Fund, Disney is involved with research and protecting the planet. For example, how Disney donates proceeds to planting trees per dollar in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil and protection of coral reefs.
- Make a Wave – (1:50) A Disney friends for change music video featuring Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato.
- deeper in the ocean – The following are videos from the Blu-ray’s “Living Menus” and “Filmmaker Annotations” but are kept separate on the accompanying DVD. This feature has five making-of mini-featurettes: The importance of the ocean (2:48) – discussion of how important the ocean is for human survival; the sardine run (2:39) – how the incredible scene of the birds swooping in for the sardines was filmed;activity in the coral reefs (:48) – the significance of the coral reefs and the activity on the reef; “jonas”: the torpedo camera (2:27) – Using a torpedo camera to film the animals and the challenges of using that camera; and swimming with great white sharks (1:48) – How the filmmakers shot the amazing scene with the great white shark.
EXTRAS:
“Oceans” comes with a DVD version of the feature film which is presented in 2:40:1, widescreen. Audio in English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound and subtitles in English, English SDH, French and Spanish. Also, included is a slipover cover case.
Impressive! I was very amazed by this film and I have watched a good number of ocean-based documentaries in my lifetime.
I think what really makes “Oceans” stand out is that it was shot in HD and there is just footage of ocean life that people may have not seen, let alone this personal and closeup. You can watch the film but watch it again with the filmmaker annotations to see how the film was captured and the amount of technology that was used to film these animals and also how they were so patient within the four years to capture a scene, and making sure each scene captured was nothing alike any other scene throughout the film.
Probably one of most impressive shots was the use of the torpedo camera because the fish were not running away from it and looked at the device as one of their own and thus, the camera was able to pick up amazing scenes underwater. The filmmakers did talk about how difficult it was to use this camera but just looking at the type of shots they were able to get, you can’t help but be impressed.
Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud did amazing work with their previous film “Winged Migration” but what they were able to accomplish with “Oceans” was breathtaking and almost unbelievable.  The cinematography is awesome but also the number of sea life, deep water creatures and to see them with such clarity is fantastic.
Of course, we also see how humanity has affected the oceans. A satellite screen shows how much pollution is being pumped from the rivers to the oceans and how it has led to various paths that can be picked up by satellite and also footage of the creatures underwater swimming around polluted waters. In one scene, we watch a seal that discovers a shopping cart underwater.
The film also shows how deep sea fishing has nearly made the blue fin tuna nearly extinct but within the process of capturing the fish, they have also captured other precious underwater creatures as well. I’m quite impressed to see how the filmmakers were actually able to film the animals struggling to get out of the nets and being trapped in the nets while trying to escape and then above, we see fishermen killing the animals (this is not shown but we see perspective underwater near the nets).
As for the Blu-ray release, so far the DisneyNature Blu-ray releases have been top-notch and the fact that they have gone HD with their filmmaking is important. So, far their last two previous films (“Earth” and “The Crimson Wing: The Mystery of the Flamingos”) have looked absolutely awesome on Blu-ray and “Oceans” looks even better. You get a good amount of special features and also an accompanying DVD as well.
The documentary and so far every DisneyNature release are safe to watch and although we do see the cycle of how whales and sharks prey on young sea lions or birds eating small turtles, this is part of the cycle of nature and the filmmakers made sure there was nothing too gruesome in the film. If anything, the film is quite useful in showcasing underwater sea life but also how human activity is affecting the oceans and also how pollution and poisons sent to the ocean can easily kill the underwater sea life and something must be done to stop it.
Overall, “Oceans” is a fantastic film from DisneyNature and if you are a fan of nature-based documentary/films, “Oceans” is one of the best underwater documentaries out there, if not the best that I have seen and heard thus far. Very impressive in HD and is highly recommended!
