For members of Generation X like myself, nature documentaries are nothing new. Growing up, Sunday nights was home to two shows, The Wonderful World of Disney and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. The Wonderful World of Disney would show a variety of things, including movies and animated shorts, and they would occasionally show one of Disney's nature films. Wild Kingdom was the fore-runner to things like Animal Planet, as it focused on explorers often going to distant lands to pursue and study unique animals. The tradition of nature documentaries has continued to this day, and Disney recently got back into the game with nature films which get theatrical releases. Their latest offering is Oceans.

As one would expect, Oceans focuses on Earth's oceans and the various wonders they hold. The movie travels around the world, showing us animals which live in a variety of locations and temperatures. We see some familiar sea-dwellers, such as humpback whales, dolphins, and sharks. However, there are some more unique animals, like the cuttlefish, beluga whales, and sea-snakes. Along with unique creatures, the film is able to capture the animals doing amazing things, such as a mass undersea crab migration (if only Stantz and Spengler had been there), a mother walrus and her child, and a group of dolphins racing through the waves. The movie also contains footage showing the power of the ocean as it tosses ships about.

Oceans is a fairly easy movie to critique, as its triumphs and defeats aren't difficult to spot. First and foremost, the photography is amazing. While watching nature documentaries, I'll often wonder, "How did they get that shot without bothering the animal?" When you're watching something set, say in the desert, we can guess that they are using some sort of long-range lens. That's not the case with Oceans, as the various photographers got up close and personal with the animals. For example, look at the scene where the camera is underwater, keeping pace with dolphins as they glide quickly through the water. We are also treated to more intimate moments, such as various animals suddenly catching prey or the animals which live inside of other animals, helping to keep their host clean. The shots of whales and sharks leaping from the water are great, as are the footage demonstrating just how nimbly schools of fish can evade predators. The scene in which newly-hatched turtles attempt to reach the surf is disturbing, but again, one must hand it to the filmmakers that they've captured an amazing event.

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but we could have used some more words with Oceans and this is the film's downfall. Pierce Brosnan's narration is good, but it's often too vague, or at worse, non-existent. There are many scenes where a creature is on-screen that we want to know more about (or simply its name) or there's an event occurring which could use explanation, and we are met with silence. Clearly, the makers of Oceans wanted us to just sit back and take in the visuals, but when a movie is supposed to be educational (it was marketed to educators and my daughter went to see it on a class field trip), it should offer us more information. For example, there's a scene near the end where a group of whales are breaking the surface in unison and touching one-another. Is this a greeting? A mating ritual? Even if scientists don't know, some speculation would have been nice.

Oceans probably did us a favor by not explaining why one turtle was riding another on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains an AVC 1080p HD transfer which runs at an average of 30 Mbps. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, showing no notable grain and no defects from the source material. The picture has an undeniable crispness to it, which lends it a great deal of depth. The colors look fantastic, as the movie presents us with a rainbow of colors. The image is never overly dark or bright. The picture has a nice amount of detail, and we can see the scales on some fish. The Disc carries a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which runs at 48 kHz and an average of 4.2 Mbps. The track provides clear narration and sound effects. The track provides a somewhat unique experience, as the front and rear channels often work in unison to give the auditory illusion of being underwater. The sounds of waves provide intense subwoofer effects. In essence, the audio makes us feel as if we are there.

The Oceans Blu-ray Disc is pretty shorn of extras. "Disney & Nature: Caring for the World We Share" (8 minutes) looks at how Disney has a history of making nature documentaries and how Disney uses their resources to help with conservation programs around the world. The only other extra is the MUSIC VIDEO for the song "Make a Wave" by Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato.