The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos
Encyclopedia
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos is a 2008 British-French-American nature documentary
from the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group's nature film label Disneynature
. It was premiered in France on 26 October 2008 and was released in the UK in September 2009.
s 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 stork
s (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, the film 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.
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 come out in the USA to DTV on October 19.
reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 13 reviews.
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
from the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group's nature film label Disneynature
Disneynature
Disneynature is an independent film label of The Walt Disney Company, founded on April 21, 2008 as a division of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group...
. It was premiered in France on 26 October 2008 and was released in the UK in September 2009.
Synopsis
The film documents the lives of lesser flamingoLesser Flamingo
The Lesser Flamingo is a species in the flamingo family of birds that resides in Africa and in southern Asia...
s on the isolated shores of Lake Natron
Lake Natron
Lake Natron is a salt lake located in northern Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border, in the eastern branch of Africa's Great Rift Valley. The lake is fed by the Ewaso Ng'iro River but also by mineral-rich hot springs and is quite shallow, less than three meters deep, and varies in width depending...
in northern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, 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 stork
Marabou Stork
The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips...
s (who are compared to Disney Villains) who kill many unborn and newly born chicks and a villainous spotted hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
who takes no pity on the elderly flamingos.
As the film progresses, the film 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 WorldwideBBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
and Greenlight Media film Earth
Earth (2007 film)
Earth is a 2007 nature documentary film which depicts the diversity of wild habitats and creatures across the planet. The film begins in the Arctic in January of one year and moves south, finishing in Antarctica in the December of the same year...
on Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
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
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France. Starting on 25 September 2009, The Crimson Wing was released for a limited run in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
exclusively through Cineworld
Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a cinema chain operating in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Jersey. The chain consists of 78 cinemas; 76 of which are located in the UK and one each in Ireland and Jersey. It is the second-largest cinema operator in the UK with 801 screens, and the owner of...
cinemas.
In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
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 come out in the USA to DTV on October 19.
Reception
As of 25 September 2009, Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 13 reviews.