Page 108 - CelebrationsSpring2020

deal with the natural topography: from the terraced rice paddies in the mountains of the Philippines to irrigating the arid desert lands of North Africa and the Middle East.
The film pointed out that the developments of the Industrial Revolution and the methodical worldwide population explosion since then have put a serious strain on the environment, which humankind is now responsible to put in check, if not reverse, in order to preserve resources for future generations.
In 1995, Symbiosis was replaced with The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable, using some footage from the previous movie, while using animation and familiar face in order to be far more accessible for younger Guests. Bearing a message similar to its predecessor, The Circle of Life finds Lion King pals Timon and Pumbaa excited to build a new resort in the middle of the savannah, the Hakuna Matata Lakeside Village. King Simba finds them putting dams in rivers in order to create a massive lake for the resort, and is deeply concerned at the damage this will do the Pridelands. He then relays to his old friends how humans have also made decisions that have had a detrimental effect on the environment. It takes quite a bit of convincing (and live- action footage), but eventually Simba helps Timon and Pumbaa (and hopefully the audience) see that nature and the environment must be treated carefully, or results can be disastrous. The Circle of Life closed in February 2018, clearing the way for the theater’s newest arrival, Awesome Planet.
Awesome Planet is narrated by Ty Burrell, known to most for his role of Phil Dunphy on the long-running series Modern Family. Burrell has been a familiar face – and voice – for Disney fans, as Big Jack in Doc McStuffins, Jean Pierre Napoleon in Muppets Most Wanted, and most recently as Bailey the beluga whale in Finding Dory. (He has another connection to the Disney empire, though admittedly an indirect one: in a 2003 episode of Law & Order, Burrell played the kidnapper-turned-adoptive-father of Sebastian Stan, who would go on to play both the Mad Hatter in Once Upon a Time and Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier in the Marvel franchise!)
Awesome Planet takes the real estate concept developed in Circle of Life and expands it to the entire planet – the most geologically – diverse piece of real estate any human eye has ever seen! From Earth’s origins as the supercontinent Pangaea to its myriad of “neighborhoods” (which, Burrell reminds us, are better known to the scientific community as
biomes), Earth has a climate and topography for everyone! Burrell is the de facto real estate agent, selling his clients – the audience – on this most auspicious piece of property. He explains that the old real estate adage of “location, location, location” has placed Earth in the ideal place for livable temperatures and liquid water to sustain life, a “bonus moon” to provide tides and a tilted axis to allow for
changing seasons.
Earth’s first selling point is its marvelous water supply,
providing both magnificent scenery for its human inhabitants, but also a home for its vibrant aquatic animals. And the puns give the Jungle Cruise a run for its money! “If you want to know about the schools, just ask the fish!” crows Burrell.
The oceans give way to the desert, including stunning views of Monument Valley in Arizona and Australia’s sacred Uluru, as well as both cities and wildlife that have managed to thrive in this challenging climate. The scene changes to the polar opposite (pun intended) biome, taking the audience to the “coolest neighborhoods...with built-in ice makers” in the so-called ends of the earth, “with cool central air, 24/7.” Awesome Planet shows the very best the North and South Poles have to offer: penguins and polar bears, vivid horizons, seemingly endless landscapes and one of the most glorious images in all of nature, the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights (called the aurora australis/Southern Lights in the Antarctic).
The final stop on the tour is the grasslands, “one of our most popular neighborhoods,” as well as the essential biome that helps to feed Earth’s population. The film takes the audience through the African savannah, the American prairie, and storybook mountain valleys before heading into lush forests and jungles. (Burrell even gives a nod to the film’s predecessor, pointing out that all of Earth’s neighborhoods are “connected in the circle of life.”)
The film then takes a darker turn, pointing out that climate change is affecting every biome, putting natural resources in danger and causing extreme weather patterns. (A segment on the intensity of wildfires is particularly poignant, as the film was released at the same time as devastating bush fires were ravaging Australia.)
As the previous two films have done, the movie stresses the need for conservation and the importance of maintaining the environment, in hopes of keeping this “awesome planet” worthy of its moniker for generations to come.
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Artwork © Disney