Disney Ripoff

Apparently the only pirates in the world aren't located in Somalia. There are also some working at Disney.

Coinciding with Earth Day, Disney is releasing a "new" documentary called Earth. It's being billed as some sort of monumental achievement in filmmaking. There's just one problem: Despite what they've been saying, Disney didn't film the thing.

Disney's Earth is nothing but a re-edited version of a production the BBC spent five painstaking years putting together. It aired in the U.S. last year on the Discovery Channel. The Disney ads I've seen so far conveniently fail to mention that minor detail.

Also, while Disney's version is narrated by James Earl Jones, the original was voiced by Richard Attenborough. That's the version that was released on HD DVD and Blu-Ray, while Sigourney Weaver narrated the regular DVD version (the Attenborough version may now be out on regular DVD as well). Besides, these things always sound more authoritative with a British accent.

So do yourself a favor. Skip the abbreviated Disney ripoff and get your hands on the original full length DVD set--preferably in hi def if you have the equipment. The unadulterated version is a four disc set and runs something like ten hours, but it's well worth watching.