With this next film, I had to pay attention differently than I have been with earlier films. This True-Life Adventure film was the first full-length film of the True Life Adventure series and presented a unique challenge for me as there was no fictional script to follow nor a set timeline as in Victory through Air Power. Like Victory through Air Power, there was a more educational focus and in The Living Desert, animals, not humans or technology, were the stars. For this project, I’m focusing on the story itself, including dialogue, character development, any subplots, how a story presents itself, the speed at which it moves, if it slows down unnecessarily, etc.
Update: In February 2022, I started a video version of the DFP on Tiktok. You can find the video below. Thoughts expressed in the video may be different than what are expressed in the blog post, due to the time difference in posting.
A Brief Summary
Transforming what would originally be seen as desolate and empty into an arid wonderland, full of life and death, The Living Desert takes a closer look at the animals and plants that make up this vibrant landscape. Includes a serpentine solo, infant kangaroo rats, and a flash flood.
What works
- In Fantasia, the host, Deems Taylor, stated that there would be three types of stories told in the movie: 1) tells a definite story, 2) has no plot but paints a series of definite pictures, and 3) music that exists simply for its own sake. The Living Desert sits right in between those first two options. There is a definite over-arching storyline, but within the film are different scenes and moments that tell a much better picture than a traditional tale ever would have.
- The narrator is the unseen main character. While visually, the desert animals command the attention of the camera, the narrator is the one who puts words to what appears on the screen. He adds humor and depth to what the animals are doing, turning what would otherwise be a turn-of-the-mill animal show into one with tension, suspense, romance, heroics, and tragedy.
- There’s no set timeline within the film. We see the desert during the day, during the night, during a rainstorm and after the rain ends. But there’s no specificity to how long the time period is that we are viewing. It gives this open feeling, that we’re not just watching a set-in-stone series of events, but rather snapshots, glimpses into what life would be like, what it, in fact, is like.
- While the opening is a bit slow, it is to create a firm foundation from which the rest of the film takes place. The narrator explains how deserts are created and then mentions several different deserts within the United States, such as Death Valley, Monument Valley, and the Painted Desert.
- The music selected for this film seems to have chosen with as much care as those in Fantasia. While the narration gives human personalities to the animals, it’s the music that really helps make the action shine. There’s a scene where a tortoise begins to court a female tortoise, only to have to battle against a rival to continue his courtship. When the female is introduced, there’s this light pastoral type music, only to be followed by louder, brass-heavy music as the rivals’ battle commences.
- Rather than staying too technical or academic, the narration for the film personifies the animals, matching humanistic traits and activities to what the animals are doing, allowing for an easier understanding of what is going on.
- Best examples:
- The female tarantula, humbly called Mrs. Tarantula, is “forever cleaning her parlor for guests that might drop by for dinner…her dinner, of course.”
- The courtship of tortoises and the arrival of the rival, with a “knightly” battle between them on behalf of their “lady fair”.
- The boyfriend beetle who steps up to take care of his girl when another beetle tries to step in.
- Best examples:
Honorable Mentions
- Let me just mention that I am 95% sure that there are more bats shown in this film than there were birds in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. All I can say is thank goodness there’s a computer screen between me and those flying things.
- The camera work for the Scorpion Stingeri (kind of like a scorpion square dance) was one of my favorite parts! Very entertaining to watch the “dance” performed.
- Star Performers:
- Mugsy, the big toad brother, who comes in to help with a bug that’s, well, bugging little brother.
- Mrs. Rat, who saved her two infants from a King Snake, quite a terrifying moment when one of the babies came close to getting munched.
- Skinny, a ground squirrel, who is both brave and reckless and reminds me so very much of Timon during The Lion King 1 1/2.
Side Questions
- Both of these questions are totally un-story related but I’m still curious:
- How did they do the camera work in the tunnels and holes of the different species, specifically the nest of the Kangaroo Rat?
- How long did filming last to capture the stories and sequences found in the film? Specifically the flash flood and the night scenes.
What I learned from watching this film
- What I loved the most was that I was learning without the heavy feeling of being taught. The film’s information wasn’t forced, rather it was subtle, allowing what was being shown and said to create a story that shared the information far better than just laying it out flat. I was transported to this desert landscape, feeling ever much a part of what was going on. I mean, how great is that?
- Giving names to many of the animals in the film did wonders for me as a viewer. While I still would have paid attention (probably), having a name to remember them by helped me stay connected to what was going on. In fact, even having just watched the film, I remember better the scenes of the animals with specific names, like Skinny and Mrs. Kangaroo Rat. It’s a connecting thread, a memory tool, that creates an almost common ground between the viewer and the film’s subjects.
If you’ve seen The Living Desert, what are some of your thoughts? Share in the comments below!
Rewind to the beginning of the Disney Film Project
Skip back to the previous film with The Sword and the Rose
Fast Forward to the next film with Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue
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