Like many others out there, I was dumbfounded when I first witnessed Planet Earth.  It’s massive scope, amazing production quality and outstanding depth both captivated and entertained. 

While I have viewed Planet Earth several times, it’s just so bloody long it’s nearly impossible for some to sit through from beginning to end.  Top that with today’s shortened attention spans, and watching Planet Earth could become a chore... or even boring to younger audiences.

Well, that’s where Disney stepped in: Borrowing original BBC content from Planet Earth (as well as footage that didn’t make the final cut) and re-releasing it in theaters as “Earth”.  Not only is it trimmed down to a much more kid-friendly 90 minutes, but the Mouse House brought in James Earl Jones to provide the narration!  Being a huge fan of Mr. Jones’s catalog of work (not just the voice of Darth Vader, thank you!), I couldn’t wait to see what had been done to my beloved original Planet Earth.

Video
As expected, video quality is stunning.  Colors are rich and vibrant.  Blacks levels run deep, and detail is lifelike.  In a few cases, the image is SO lifelike that you almost expect to see animal’s breath condensation steaming the other side of the TV pane!  Some scenes display occasional graininess, but this is mostly isolated to low-light scenes.  While I remember a few scenes in Planet Earth having defects, they now appear to have been cleaned up (notably the Angel Falls portion).  In the end, video quality doesn’t seem quite as well manicured as the original, but it’s still an absolutely incredible image.

Audio
Earth sports a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, and delivers it nicely.  James Earl Jones’ terrific narration delivers a complimentary soft edge to the film.  He occasionally appears bemused with scenes as if he is watching them for the first time as well.  Most sound is delivered front and center, with rear channels only coming into play for ambiance and when enhancing the more tense moments of the film.  While this disc isn’t going to push your sound system, it will definitely fill your living room with sounds of the wild.

Special Features
Included is a DVD copy of the film for the kids to watch on their own or to loan out to one of those friends who still refuses to see the original Planet Earth.  On top of that, Disney has added a few nice bonuses to the mix:

My Say
Planet Earth set the bar incredibly high for nature documentaries.  By not only abbreviating the original's name, “Earth” takes some of the best from the original, sprinkles in new footage and narration, and repackages it Disney-like for the family-on-the-go.  While I found myself missing Richard Attenborough’s original narration (no offense to Mr. Jones), this disc is definitely a keeper.  Doubly so if you have children.  With the added value of the bonus DVD to loan out to those without a Blu-ray player, “Earth” is an easy recommend… and a great way to share at least a little bit of a truly classic documentary with a completely fulfilling abbreviated stand-alone storyline.