The Vanishing Prairie (1954)

Director:

James Algar

Writers:

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

Stars:

Winston Hibler

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Winston Hibler	...	Narrator

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

nature | true life adventure

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Taglines:

Walt Disney's Stirring NEW True-Life Adventure Feature

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Genres:

Documentary | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1955 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

A True-Life Adventure: The Vanishing Prairie

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1971, Buena Vista reissued this film theatrically on a double bill with The Living Desert.

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Connections

Follows Seal Island (1948)

User Reviews

Dated but entertaining nature documentary in the Disney style.

It is best to treat this dated but pleasant documentary as entertainment. Paul Smith's music is incredibly evocative, especially at the birth of a bison and during the fury of a flash flood.

The tone of the narration is often downbeat, referring to qualities of this unique environment soon to be lost forever. To keep from being sucked down into this negativity, keep in mind that recent interest in preserving the prairie environment is being matched with federal assistance, and hopefully the "Vanishing Prairie" won't vanish after all.

The photography is by all accounts excellent. Disney enlisted the help of world-class nature photographers who endured hardships, disappointments, and seemingly-eternal stakeouts behind a camera lens to get just the right shot. When you see it on the screen it all looks too easy. Folks, it's not easy at all! And remember that these films were pioneering firsts that pre-dated Animal Planet, the Crocodile Hunter, and even Wild Kingdom. It started here, and it started with style.