1958-12-17
N/A
29 min
Grand Canyon is a 1958 American short documentary film directed by James Algar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is a pictorial interpretation of Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite. Grand Canyon is one of Walt Disney's more unconventional and experimental works, as it has musical accompaniment, but no dialogue or narration. The short won an Oscar at the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 for Best Short Subject (Live Action).
Whilst this is bit too long, it's still quite an interesting documentary showing the massive expanse that is the Grand Canyon. From the air, it appears unending with the Colorado river carving it's way through the stone carrying the water that provides for an astonishing array of creatures and plant life. I can only guess at the energy required by the sidewinder as it struggles to slither it's way up the sand dune - though it does get a bit of a free ride down the other side. The photography is presented as a visual accompaniment to Forde Grofé's "Grand Canyon Suite" which is all fairly standard orchestral fayre until the weather closes in and the "Cloudburst" section breathes some thundery and snowy life into the proceedings as the animals seek shelter where they can and what looks like time-lapse photography gives us the impression the clouds are actually dancing. If you've ever seen this phenomena in real life then you'll know it's all about the sunrise - and that's captured beautifully here as are the images of the rainbows, the summer blooms and the proud eagles as they re-assert themselves over the chilliness of a winter you might not think would ever visit these desert climes.
