Water Birds

Release Date: July 14, 1952

Watch Date: June 4, 2023

“Experience the beauty and variety of these majestic birds once worshipped by primitive man. From the still waters of lagoons and marshes to the wild blue wilderness of the vast oceans, each bird is perfectly designed for its natural habitat. Witness the poetry in motion of the pelican, a master fisherman, diving for his next meal, and the comical antics of wester grebes as they tiptoe across the surface of the water to attract a mate. Also featuring a collection of classical music set to masterful photography of birds in flight.

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    I have nothing against birds. I don’t! Birds are great. We have about eight bird houses in our backyard, I grew up feeding hummingbirds, and while I do not currently feed the birds, that mostly because every year I get a warning there’s some bird flu going around and I shouldn’t do it. Birds get sick a lot.

    This documentary, and maybe it’s because we’ve got back several years, and we’re back to the beginning of Disney’s ‘True-Life Adventures’ – something I’m always excited for when I see the painted introduction and then spend the rest of the movie wishing I was watching something different – but this film just did not capture my attention. And as I stated previously, it had nothing to do with my feelings, for or against, birds.

    I didn’t learn anything new, really, other than the fact that baby birds all look like tiny uncooked turkeys, and are generally extremely ugly. I think all baby birds have faces only their mothers could love, which they clearly do – plenty of birds, possibly all, are extremely dedicated parents. You’d have to be, I think, if your main goal was to make sure your kid didn’t plummet to it’s death, something that’s probably difficult to do when flying is your main mode of transportation.

    I did learn that birds are extremely, highly, specialized in whatever area they’ve evolved into. Which is fascinating, and interesting and wonderful. And also, and Bob so kindly put it, makes them very easy to extinct. Take away their food source, or ruin their environment, and suddenly all those wonderful large feet or specialized beaks and whatever else they have going on is completely useless, and they can’t easily adapt to somewhere new. Poof, no more bird.

    Bob also, generally, likes birds. He’s actually a big animal person – and a huge softie, though the tough New Yorker side comes out when you tell him so and he gets all gruff and denies it – and if I’d let him turn our house become Noah’s Ark he’d be the happiest man alive. But he hates pelicans. This is not a fact I knew about my husband. He thinks they look gross. I have always liked pelicans. I will admit, however; that seeing a baby one flopping around and trying to crawl with giant noodle wings wasn’t the most appealing imagery, and then later one got it’s head literally stuck inside it’s parent’s throat and…look they’re a lot less elegant than I’d like to remember.

    Just as with every True-Life Adventure in the series, the main problem is how long they choose to linger on events. I understand that it’s meant to be a merging of classical music and nature, combining two beautiful things to make one work of art, but, there’s only so long that I am willing to watch blurry birds dive into the water, or run across it. I just can’t do it for what feels like an eternity even though it’s probably only a minute. But when they just tell stories and switch from species to species the pacing feels really good. It’s just when Disney decides to get artsy that I struggle.

    This is a thirty minute documentary, so it’s not a huge time investment, and Bob and I did laugh a bunch at some ugly baby birds – which may make us bad people, I’m not super sure on that. So, while I don’t think you really need to watch this film unless you’re a True-Life Adventure completionist, it probably won’t hurt you if you do.