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The Vanishing Prairie was a 1954 True-Life Adventures documentary film by Walt Disney Productions, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 1954.[1] It was released on video in 1985 and then 1993.

An edited, 60-minute version can be found on VHS.

Digital releases feature the 1967 Buena Vista logo at the start.

Production[]

The Vanishing Prairie began production in 1951 as a short subject focused on Bighorn Sheep simply titled Bighorn Sheep. Over the next year, other short subjects closely related to that particular environment such as Cat Family and Prairie Story would go into production before it was eventually decided to combine these projects and other themes into a single feature film that became The Vanishing Prairie.[2]

The Vanishing Prairie was shot partially within Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and the Arboretum of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, as well as shots of Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff in Nebraska briefly appearing early in the film. The Arboretum in particular was utilized for the prairie fire sequence, with footage of the controlled burn being spliced with the bison herd.[3] The footage of a bison mother giving birth would cause the film to be briefly banned by various censors boards in Chicago and New York.

The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George and was rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in Westward Ho, the Wagons!, a western film about pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

The film's copyright was renewed on March 11, 1982.[4]

Gallery of Animals[]

Gallery[]

References[]

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