Scheduled to be released on Earth Day (April 22, 2009), Disney’s Earth film has been getting a lot of press for trying to raise awareness about the magnificence and fragility of the planet. The polished beauty of the Earth film and its heart-warming stories of three animal families is undeniable, but just how green is the first film in the new Disney Nature division of the Disney Empire?
In a recent Q&A session with Disney Earth directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, both men spoke candidly about the challenges and rewards of making the stunning Earth film, and about the film’s lack of carbon emissions’ accountability.
The film, made over seven years, in numerous countries around the world with much of the footage captured by helicopter, was unquestionably carbon emission intensive to make. Unfortunately, the carbon footprint of the film has never been calculated.
Co-director Alastair Fothergill explains, “To be very honest, when we started, we started seven years ago…it wasn’t an issue that was as to the forefront as it is now.” He added, “But there is no doubt that a film shot all the way around the world and using helicopters to film a lot of the behaviour…cannot avoid burning carbon.”
Does the strength of the earth-loving message negate the steep carbon footprint?
The filmmakers feel that it does. “…the environmental message and the awareness that we hope this film will create is worth, to some extent, the inevitable carbon that’s burnt up in filming a movie all the way around the world and using helicopters,” explains Fothergill.
Disney has agreed to plant a tree for every person that purchases a ticket in the first week of the film’s opening. The trees will be planted in the highly threatened North Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil.
“And if the movie is as successful as we hope it will be, that it’ll be a very significant planting of trees,” explains co-director Mark Linfield.
The two directors also made efforts to travel as lightly as possible with a very small crew. “Compared with your average Hollywood crew, we travel very, very light, and simple things such as paper wastage and being very careful that we leave things exactly as we went,” explains Fothergill of their eco-efforts.
He adds, “…what we hope, is that this movie, in raising awareness and celebrating the beauty of the planet justifies, to some extent at least, our slightly heavy carbon footprint in making the movie.”
Disney's Earth opens April 22, 2009.
Visit: http://disney.go.com/disneynature/earth/
Secondly, until there is REAL, open-minded, bilateral discussion about the actuality, true causes and remedies of global warming the mission will be lost. The idealogs are becoming their own worst enemy.
The public is now becoming aware that the Al Gore missionaries are shoving their agenda down their throats and stifling anyone with contrary evidence or opinion. You can't successfully promote a message in that manner, the public will turn against you and your mission. You need real science without the "cherry picking" not just rebels who can’t intelligently discuss their cause.
written by Andrew , January 02, 2010
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written by Kate , September 02, 2009