True-Life Adventures is a series of short subject documentary films produced by Walt Disney Productions roughly between 1948 and 1960. The series won numerous Academy Awards for the studio including five awards for Best Two Reel Live Action Short. It inspired a daily panel comic strip that was distributed from 1955 to 1971. Several of the films were adapted in comic book format as one shots in the Dell Comics Four Color series. The films were among the earliest production experience for Roy E. Disney. Also, this film series was the launching pad for Disney's new distributor, Buena Vista International. TV episodes are from Disney's anthology TV series.
In 2007, Disney established a new nature documentary film label called Disneynature.
Films
- Seal Island - December 21, 1948
- In Beaver Valley (a.k.a Beaver Valley) - July 19, 1950
- Nature's Half Acre - July 28, 1951
- The Olympic Elk - February 13, 1952
- Water Birds - June 26, 1952
- Bear Country - February 5, 1953
- Prowlers of the Everglades - July 23, 1953
- The Living Desert - November 10, 1953
- The Vanishing Prairie - August 17, 1954
- The African Lion - September 14, 1955
- Secrets of Life - November 6, 1956
- Perri - August 28, 1957
- White Wilderness - August 12, 1958
- Jungle Cat - August 10, 1960
Educational shorts
The following shorts were edited out the other shorts/films/episodes for educational purpose ether a fragment were experted out of longer film or two or more sequence were edited together from more than two or more different films to form "new" film. Thus they are not included on the Legacy DVDs. Films made up of stock footage two or more Disney nature films and thus not listed with respective original film above:
- The Weasel Family (1968)
- The Wild Dog Family: The Coyote (1968)
- The Wild Cat Family: The Cougar (1968)
- The Deer Family (1968)
- Of Horses and Men (1968)
- The Bear Family (1970)
- The Beasts of Burden Family (1970)
- Teeth are for Chewing (1971) with animated inserts.
- A Day in Nature's Community (1975)
New True Life Adventures
On February 14, 2000, Disney debuted a sequel television documentary series to the True Life Adventures for syndication and educational video distribution. There were four entries in this new series.
- Alaska: Dances of the Caribou - February 14, 2000
- Elephant Journey - May 8, 2000
- Sea of Sharks - July 24, 2000
- The Everglades: Home of the Living Dinosaurs - November 20, 2000
Controversies
The film series was exposed in 1982 by the CBC newsmagazine The Fifth Estate for Animal Cruelty and faking nature scenes. It is also credited as the source of the myth of lemming mass suicides.
DVD releases
All of the True-Life Adventures films have been released on DVD over four discs as part of the Walt Disney's Legacy Collection line which launched December 5, 2006. Other nature documentary shorts that weren't officially True Life Adventures were also included on these discs.
Volume 1: Wonders of the World
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. White Wilderness
- 3. Water Birds
- 4. Beaver Valley
- 5. Prowlers of the Everglades
DISC TWO
- 1. Mysteries of the Deep
- 2. "Wonders of the Water Worlds"
- 3. "The Crisler Story"
Bonus Features
- 4. "Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Birds"
- 5. Tribute to James Algar
- 6. Filmmakers' Journal
- 7. Collectors' Corner
- 8. Original Theatrical Trailers
Volume 2: Lands of Exploration
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. The Living Desert
- 3. The Vanishing Prairie
- 4. Seal Island
DISC TWO
- 1. Islands of the Sea
- 2. Nature's Strangest Creatures
- 3. "Prairie"
- 4. "Behind the True Life Cameras"
Bonus Features
- 5. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Desert Insects
- 6. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Snakes
- 7. Filmmakers' Journal
- 8. Collectors' Corner
- 9. Trailers & Promo
Volume 3: Creatures of the Wild
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. The African Lion
- 3. Jungle Cat
- 4. Bear Country
DISC TWO
- 1. Olympic Elk
- 2. "Cameras in Africa"
- 3. "The Yellowstone Story"
Bonus Features
- 4. Tribute to the Milottes
- 5. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Elephants
- 6. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Cheetah Medical Exam
- 7. Filmmakers' Journal
- 8. Collectors' Corner
- 9. Trailers & Promo
Volume 4: Nature's Mysteries
DISC ONE
- 1. Introduction by Roy Disney
- 2. Secrets of Life
- 3. Perri
DISC TWO
- 1. Nature's Half Acre
- 2. "Searching for Nature's Mysteries"
- 3. "Adventure in Wildwood Heart"
Bonus Features
- 4. Backstage with Roy Disney at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Butterflies
- 5. Tribute to Winston Hibler
- 6. Filmmakers' Journal
- 7. Collectors' Corner
- 8. Original Theatrical Trailers