IMAX: Born to Be Wild 3D Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
'Born to Be Wild' observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioral interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres, one following baby orangutans and other, baby elephant calves.
Since its inception in 2008, Disneynature has developed a bit of a reputation for luring in young children with cute-n-cuddly theatrical trailers only to pounce on the poor kiddies with the cold, hard realities of life in the wild. While Oceans struck a perfect balance between awe-inspiring photography and all-ages entertainment, Earth occasionally waded into deep, dark waters and African Cats, with its lost cheetah cubs and dying lioness, sent little ones scurrying for the exit in tears. Don't get me wrong, Earth and African Cats are excellent nature documentaries designed with families in mind, but it would have been nice if Disney's marketing had conveyed the tone of the final films more accurately, if for no other reason than to save four and five-year-olds a nightmare or two. Born to Be Wild, though, is exactly what a Disneynature documentary should be... it's just not a Disneynature production. Delightful, heartwarming, inspiring, funny and, yes, educational, director David Lickley and writer Drew Fellman's IMAX doc is a remarkably shot, beautifully composed rarity; one any parent should be eager to scoop up, no matter what ages their kids might be.
Born to Be Wild travels from Borneo to Kenya, documenting the efforts of two wildlife refuges: Camp Leakey, an orphaned orangutan rehabilitation center deep in the rainforests of the Indonesian island of Borneo, and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Kenyan organization dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants. In Borneo, renowned primatologist Dr. Biruté Mary Galdikas offers Lickley and Fellman full access to her foundation and their orangutan wards, all while discussing her life's work, her team's studies, the challenges her camp faces on a daily basis, and the dangers threatening orangutan populations around the world. In Kenya, author and conservationist Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick (the first person to ever successfully raise an infant elephant) introduce the filmmakers to her trust's efforts in Tsavo, where fragile baby elephants are cared for and nurtured around the clock, given the love and attention they need to survive, and eventually reintroduced into the wild.
Shot using high definition 3D digital cameras and narrated by Morgan Freeman, the documentary breaks free of IMAX convention with a film that could have, should have been expanded to 90+ minutes and granted a nationwide theatrical release. It's just that good. Yes, it tells a more subjective, more human story than nature documentary sticklers tend to prefer, and yes, it sometimes favors moving personal accounts over hard scientific fact. But Born to Be Wild isn't necessarily concerned with why orangutans and elephants behave the way they do (although the "why" is certainly given some attention). The film focuses instead on the mystery and nature of the orangutans and elephants, the manner in which the conservationists and animals react to one another, and the bonds and relationships that form between the orphans and their caretakers.
My son, now seven, laughed, smiled, pointed, and applauded his way through 40-minutes of impish orangutans, playful elephant calves, and exceedingly personable conversationalists, and I have to admit I did the same. Come to think of it, I felt like a kid the whole time it was playing; it disarmed me and enchanted me that completely. His immediate reaction when the credits rolled? "Can we watch the special features?!" (Which we did.) Followed by, "can we watch it again?!" (Which we did.) And then finally, "can we watch it with mom when she gets home tonight?!" To which I countered, "no, let's save it for tomorrow evening, when we're babysitting the Casto kids." To which he nearly burst from excitement. For those not privy to the minutiae of my private life (hopefully not too many of you, no offense), the Castos are dear friends with six, count 'em, six children, ranging from two-and-a-half to nine-years old. Not only is the film appropriate for the entire family, I have no doubt each and every one of them will love it. What's more, Born to Be Wild is so engaging, so infectious and so endearing, I have a feeling it's going to be seeing the inside of my Blu-ray player a lot this year.
Like its 2D counterpart, the 3D release of Born to Be Wild dazzles as much as it delights, and not just because of David Douglas and his team's stunning photography. While not every shot has been captured in native 3D, the depth and dimensionality of the 1080p/MVC-encoded image is quite remarkable. Orangutans swing into the foreground and mug for the camera, baby elephant trunks snake toward the screen, trees retreat into the folds of a seemingly endless jungle, grass plains extend to the horizon, and the animals are showcased with a reach-out-and-touch-em realism that makes the experience that much more absorbing and, when it comes right down to it, entertaining for young viewers. The resulting 3D experience is a playful one, forgoing subtlety on occasion to indulge in a few pop-out pranks that will leave children grinning from ear to ear. And it all happens without any troubling aliasing or ghosting. Even displays that are prone to crosstalk won't have much of an issue with Born to Be Wild 3D. In fact, three instances of shimmering are the only anomalies that caught my eye this time around, negligible as they were.
Both the 2D and 3D presentations preserve every unruly orangutan hair, craggy elephant wrinkle, wiry Savannah twig, and windswept rainforest leaf that leaps, plods, floats and flitters across the screen. Lush jungle greens, dusty oranges and earthy browns, lifelike skintones, and savory black levels bring the image to life, complete with consistent contrast (hot as it inherently may be) and striking clarity. Distracting noise and significant compression issues (macroblocking, banding and the like) are nowhere to be found either, and only the slightest hint of infrequent crush caught my attention (before being summarily dismissed). All the while, edge definition remains crisp and refined, textures and fine details are impeccably resolved, and nary a scene goes by that doesn't have a bounty of visual wonders to offer the wide-eyed kids and equally wide-eyed adults in the room. Born to Be Wild 3D is one of the better 3D nature documentaries on the market and, so long as its rather high price point isn't a deal breaker, one that proves to be well worth the investment.
Born to Be Wild's absorbing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track presses in and envelops the listener, creating a spectacularly immersive soundfield that brings the rainforests of Borneo and the plains of Kenya to startling home theater life. Rear speaker activity is as engaging and playful as the orphaned orangutans and baby elephants on screen, serving up aggressive jungle ambience, impressive cross-channel pans, remarkably convincing directional effects, or some other sonic treat with every scene. Mark Mothersbaugh's music, meanwhile, wraps itself around the soundstage like a warm blanket, surging and relenting without ever threatening the mix's near-perfect prioritization. The LFE channel makes its presence known too, romping about with weighty elephant stomps, hearty earth-shakes, and plenty of lively, low-end oomph. Through it all, voices are clean and clear (whether indoors or out), air hiss and wind noise are kept to a reasonable minimum, and Morgan Freeman's narration is strong and steady.
My only complaint? Every now and then, the rear speakers are a bit too eager to join in the fun. In one scene, an orangutan wrecks one of the supply rooms at Camp Leakey. As the animal crinkles some plastic wrap, the sound comes from every direction, as if we're suddenly surrounded by orangutans rustling through a kitchen instead of one orangutan sitting directly ahead of us. Thankfully, such shortcomings are few and far between and rarely detract from the experience. Born to Be Wild's lossless track is as satisfying as its video presentation. Fans of all ages will be thrilled.
Warner's relatively slim but fairly informative supplemental package is comprised of six short, two-to-three-minute webisodes, all of which are presented in HD: "Borneo," "Kenya," "Camp Leakey," "Coming Home to Tsavo," "Wild Filmmaking" and "Caregivers."
Born to Be Wild isn't going to reduce hard-hearted academics to tears. It favors heart over science, personal stories over detached study, and family-friendly playfulness over tough-it-out-kiddo lethality. Even so, parents and kids of all ages will be entranced and home-brewed conservationists will cheer. Warner's 3D Blu-ray release is excellent too, with an outstanding video transfer, a fun, involving and technically sound 3D experience, and an immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. That said, the 3D release's price point will prove to be an issue for those who want more than 41-minutes of 3D bang for their high definition buck. If price isn't a problem, though, add this to your family's Friday Night Flick queue post haste. If you can't get past the price, add Born to Be Wild 3D to your Wish List until it goes on sale. Just don't skip this one altogether. It's much, much better than your average IMAX fare, as well as one of the better 3D nature documentaries on the market.
In April, Warner Home Entertainment will bring Born to Be Wild to Blu-ray. Originally shown in IMAX 3D, this nature documentary details the struggles that orphaned animals face in the wild. Born to Be Wild is expected to street on April 17th.
