The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (French: Les Ailes pourpres : le mystère des flamants) is a 2008 British-French-American nature documentary from the Walt Disney Studios' nature film label Disneynature. It premiered in France on 26 October 2008 and was released in the UK in September 2009.

Plot
The film documents the lives of lesser flamingos on the isolated shores of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, revealing the breeding and parenting habits of the species. After mating, the flamingos breed chicks that grow up, always on the move trying to enjoy their lives. Along their journeys, they encounter vicious marabou storks (who are compared to Disney Villains) who kill many unborn and newly born chicks and a villainous spotted hyena who takes no pity on the elderly flamingos.

As the film progresses, it focuses on the life of one of the chicks that at birth is separated from her mother and the flamingo clan when the Storks attack. On her own, she successfully dodges the Storks and rejoins the clan of flamingos where she grows up. With no mother or father to look up to, the mid sized flamingo has to teach itself the key habits of the species. She successfully grows up to become a large, pink feathered flamingo and survives when the clan is attacked by the Hyena. Her story is focused on to show the strength and determination for life the flamingos have.

Release
At the launch of the Disneynature studio in April 2008 it was announced that the first new production from the new studio would be The Crimson Wing which would begin international release throughout 2009. Although the first film to be released by Disneynature was the US market release of the BBC Worldwide and Greenlight Media film Earth on Earth Day 2009, making The Crimson Wing the second film to be released by Disneynature.

The world premiere of The Crimson Wing took place on October 26, 2008 at the closing ceremony of the CinémaScience Festival in Bordeaux, France. Starting on 25 September 2009, The Crimson Wing was released for a limited run in the United Kingdom exclusively through Cineworld cinemas.

In Italy the movie was released in TV on SKY Cinema on April 3, 2010 with the title Il mistero dei fenicotteri rosa. The Crimson Wing is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 15 March 2010, and in France on 24 March 2010. It is scheduled to premiere on DTV in the USA on October 19.

Reception
As of 25 September 2009, Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 13 reviews.