" Shot over the course of five trips to the Antarctic and South Atlantic and culled from 160 tapes of high-definition footage, the feature-length documentary Antarctica Dreaming offers a detailed look at both the region and the creatures able to eke out a life in such an inhospitable climate. Accompanied by stunning photography, the detailed but concise narration explores the origins of the fifth largest continent and how its unspoiled landscape and miles-long glaciers were shaped over the course of millions of years, the influence the region has on the weather patterns of the world at large, and the frozen majesty of its colossal icebergs. Of course, no look at the Antarctic would be complete without a peek at everyone's favorite waddling, flightless bird, and much of Antarctica Dreaming is spent with the four very different types of penguins scattered throughout the region as well as albatrosses, skua gulls, and several groups of seals.
I appreciated Antarctica Dreaming's approach to segmenting this material. An unimaginative and quickly tiresome documentary would have delved into all four types of penguin that call the Antarctic home in rapid succession, but instead, Antarctica Dreaming discusses one group and then moves onto a different topic, gingerly distributing the penguin footage throughout its 82 minute runtime. Likewise for the several different species of seals as well as the region's physical and meteorological significance. It's a mindset that prevents any one topic from becoming stale, and the structure's clean enough that transitions never feel awkward or jarring.
Antarctica Dreaming strikes a nice balance that should make it appealing to the entire family. Ben Feldstein's narration is warm and lively enough, if a bit overenunciated, and the delivery is neither dry and overly technical nor does it pander to a younger crowd...
...It should be of particular interest to families who've recently given Happy Feet a spin; literally every single one of the animals featured in that animated film is discussed in detail in Antarctica Dreaming."
>> Read the full review at DVDTalk.com
"Hungry for another reference disc to pop in your new HD-DVD player and drive your friends goofy with envy? And would you want to learn a thing or two about penguins? HD Scape has your answer with Antarctica Dreaming, an 80 minute documentary, detailing the geography and wildlife of the great white mass of ice and snow at the bottom of the planet, all shot in glorious high-definition.
The program is broken up into 13 sections, and jumps between the animals that can be found on the frozen wasteland and the frozen wasteland itself. You'll learn about Gentoo, King, Adelie and Chinstrap Penguins, Elephant, True and Fur Seals, indigenous seabirds as well as glaciers, icebergs and Antarctic weather. It's a comprehensive walking tour of the continent (though I admit I am no Antarctic expert, but it sure seemed like they covered everything) and while you soak up the images you have your choice of two audio tracks: music-only and narration. The music-only track is of the meditative, ambient ilk, suitable to nap to; the narration turns the disc into a National Geographic special, and really, that was my preference. I like to learn!
Regardless of which you choose, the soundscape, rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital, is not what will leap out the most about this release. It's all about the video quality, and the images your eyes will be treated to are breathtaking...
... Even if it hadn't been available in high-definition, Antarctica Dreaming is a fine example of a nature documentary. The footage is truly outstanding, and the cross-section of wildlife and landscape ornamentation is expansive. The gorgeous HD transfer adds an incredibly amount, however, and earns a spot in your selection of reference discs."
