Amazon.com
Madacy Entertainment's
Animals of the Wild set of five DVDs will knock any nature-show enthusiast right out of her or his chair. Filled with one stunningly photographed sequence after another, with all manner of feathered, scaled, hooved, and invertebrate critters booming, chirping, and squawking in stereo surround sound, this series proves it isn't your grandmother's nature show. This is the latest and greatest in hi-fi brought to bear upon the bloody Darwinian struggles of the African steppe, the Galapagos Islands, and everywhere in between.
Fans of animal attacks will enjoy Fangs and Claws, devoted to the culinary habits of such creatures as the Komodo dragon, the whale shark, and army ants. Cries in the Wild lets animals such as meerkats and buffalo speak for themselves, and includes a fascinating segment on night dwellers. In Amazing Habitats the little guys steal the show, with weaver birds and termites putting us primate architects to shame. The myriad ways animals disguise themselves is explored in Animals Undercover. The best disc in the series, A Walk on the Wild Side, is devoted to how animals make their way through the world. You'll never look at a dung beetle the same way again.
The interactive aspects of Animals in the Wild, including trivia and information on endangered species, seem added on as an afterthought, but they're nice to browse after the 53-minute programs are over. The best thing about the whole series is the stunning photography, which the most fanatic nature-show lovers can even watch frame by frame. --Ryan Boudinot
