Going into the jungle of Shri Lanka, Disneynature captures the emotional, fun loving and complicated world of Monkey Kingdom. Now on Blu-ray and DVD the excellently written and narrated the film is a treat for families and nature lovers. If you are a follower of Disneynature then you know what you are in for, a complete visual live documentary of the subject matter and a fun romp around the habitat of primates. It’s a family event and a chance to view it with your youngsters for a learning experience they will never forget.
Three years in the making, the story follows a troop of Macaque Monkeys on the small island of Sri Lanka off the coast of India. Once named Ceylon, the landmass has a thriving rainforest and ancient Buddhist ruins where the troop lives in a caste system. The caste system has divisions from the Alpha male and The Sisterhood “Queens” at the top of the social order to those at the bottom where we find our main character Maya. Maya has her ways about her, she works hard to please those at the top, especially Raja the “king” of the monkey kingdom at Castle Rock. She’s considered a servant and a baby sitter, but she’s also a cunning female. In this story along with her newborn Kip she fights to beat the odds and attempts to take a spot at the top of the tree.
The film gets excellent video treatment with cinematography that’s incredibly impressive getting wide expansive shots of the environment and close-ups of the happenings to Maya and her son Kip. The story gets a brilliantly colorful shoot capturing the monkeys in their daily activities, disagreements and touching motherhood. There’s some comedy that gets featured along with a little danger thrown in for excitement. In all, the movie has a very subtle educational quality that even the youngest can understand.
BONUS FEATURES: Included on the Blu-ray only are the following special features.
“Takes from the Kingdom” a cool “making of” showing how they get the important shots in the movie.
“On the Set of Monkey Kingdom” here we get input from Wolfgang Dittus who has studied the Macaque Monkeys troop for many years and input by Jane Goodall who’s known for her expertise with chimpanzees in the wild.
“Disneynature Monkey Kingdom: The Conservation Story” gives an in depth look at what is going on with the maintenance and preservation of monkeys and why they chose Sri Lanka and the Macaque’s.
“It’s Our World” a music video performed by Jacquie Lee” the video aspect revisits some of the poignant scenes in the film.
Monkey Kingdom has been rated G by the MPAA and is acceptable for all audiences. As always I recommend that you view all films first before showing it to the very young. Other Disneynature films include; Earth 2007, The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos 2008, Oceans 2009, Wings of Life 2011, African Cats 2011, and Bears 2014.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good documentary that not only teaches but entertains. (A)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Tina Fey, Narrator
Director and writer: Mark Linfield
MPAA Rating: G
Genre: Documentary, Nature
Running Time: 1 hr. 21 min.
Original Theatrical Release Date: April 17, 2015
Video Release Date: September 15, 2015
Language: English (can be changed to
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray/DVD
Audio: Blu-ray- DTS-HDMA 5.1, DVD- Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: 1080p Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 2 Disc Combo Pack plus Disney Movies Anywhere code
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Note: For every Digital and Blu-ray Combo Pack sold during first-week sales, Disneynature will make a donation to Conservation International in your honor to help protect endangered species in their natural habitat, supporting conservation project across Indonesia, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
