The Living Desert (1953)

Documentary of the live of flora and fauna in a desert in the US.

Director:

James Algar

Writers:

James Algar (screenplay), Winston Hibler (screenplay),

Stars:

Winston Hibler

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Winston Hibler	...	Narrator

Storyline

A day in the life of creatures living in a desert in the southwestern US is shown. Toads, reptiles, wild pigs, insects, mice and birds are followed going about their daily routine and the struggle to find food and not become it themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

true life adventure | nature

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Genres:

Family | Documentary

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

A True-Life Adventure: The Living Desert

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When originally released to theaters in 1953, this 69-minute feature film was double billed with Walt Disney's 21-minute cartoon-short Ben and Me, as a 90-minute package deal.

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Connections

Featured in The Mouse Factory: The Great Outdoors (1972)

User Reviews

Avademy Award Winner

Great little piece of vintage Disney...

The Living Desert won the Academy Award in 1953 for Best Documentary - the archives section of the Go Disney website contains a bit of the history: "Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature. The film stands as a landmark of factual film-making."

I saw this film on The Wonderful World of Disney as a child and thought it was great. Having remembered the impression it made on me and despite the age of this film, I have used it and the accompanying book in my elementary school classroom. The kids seem to enjoy 'the old Disney' - poor color quality and all. Certainly there are excellent PBS or National Geographic documentaries on the subject, but Disney's The Living Desert has a certain charm.