Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 8, 1997
• Run Time: 42 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: 6304475640
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,217 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Asian continent abounds in exotic animals from the large--giant pandas, elephants, and tigers--to the lower-profile-- macaques, sea snakes, and mudskippers. Balancing the real with the fantastical (dragons and unicorns), this 38-minute tape from National Geographic explores the rich tapestry of Asian wildlife. Narrator Spin--the animated planet Earth voiced by Dudley Moore--hops aboard a magic carpet and visits a variety of locations such as the South China Sea island of Tiga, where snakes gather to mate; Japan, where macaques (snow monkeys) lounge in hot springs during snowfall; and Borneo to fly through the trees with orangutans. While adults might get dizzy with the leaps and quick cuts, the spurts of information are designed to keep young minds attentive. And remember, the kids will watch these tapes repeatedly until they know each habit and habitat of these (really) wild animals. For preschool on up. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and educational, November 10, 2003

By 

Richard L. Nelson "chardlee" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic's Really Wild Animals: Adventures in Asia [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My two-year-old chose this from a shelf because it had a panda on it. I fully expected that she would be bored with a nature documentary, or disappointed that it wasn't really about pandas, but boy, was I surprised!

First, this isn't a documentary. It's a fast-paced, lively entertainment program that splices together lots of really good National Geographic footage with tongue-in-cheek narration and some pretty good music. It holds my daughter's interest even after repeated viewings, but it doesn't annoy the grownups. We actually enjoy watching it with her now and then.

Second, it manages to incorporate a meaningful amount of information without becoming a dry tutorial. Because of the quick pace, it doesn't get too deep into anything, but it covers the most important facts.

Third, and perhaps most important, they've managed to produce a show that doesn't include any inappropriate material. I fully expected my daughter (who is pretty sensitive to scary stuff) to be frightened by at least some aspects of the tape, but even the scenes with predators and sudden attacks are handled gently and without undue emphasis. The overall impression of the show is mild and pleasant.

And finally, although pandas are certainly not the focus of the show (maybe 10% of the entire time is spent on pandas), my daughter happily watches the whole thing, and refers to it as "the panda video."

So overall, I have to say I'm very pleasantly surprised. This turns out to be age-appropriate for even quite young toddlers. I have to add that I'm not sure all 2-year-olds would be as taken with it as my daughter was, but she has definitely enjoyed this and at least one other in this series (Deep Sea Dive). It provides a nice change of pace from The Wiggles and Winnie the Pooh.