Wonder of It All (film)

Last updated
Wonder of It All
Wonder of It All 1974 film.png
Wonder of It All theatrical poster
Directed byArthur R. Dubs
Written byJames T. Flocker
StarringLes Biegel (narrator)
Distributed by Pacific International Enterprises
Release date
  • January 1974 (1974-01)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.3 million [1]

Wonder of It All is a 1974 nature documentary film directed by Arthur R. Dubs and produced by Pacific International Enterprises.

Contents

Film description

The film takes the viewer around the world to show the animals of the world in their natural habitats showing them in their day-to-day activities. This includes not only with their own kind but interacting and coexisting with other species, although some of the scenes are obviously artificially contrived by the film makers.

There are two scenes featuring "playful ferrets" interacting with other animals, one with two cougar kittens, and one with two black bears, but the ferrets are large male domestic ferrets which are not native to the United States. The only native American ferret is the black-footed ferret, an endangered species which lives only around prairie dog towns on the plains, not in the mountains, where these scenes were staged. No doubt the cougar kittens and black bears were captive animals, borne out by the fact that two of them are showing health problems. One of the kittens has a head tilt, caused by a balance problem, and the bear's protruding tongue indicates teeth missing in that part of the mouth.

Later in the film the narrator says that emperor penguin chicks spend the first few weeks riding on the feet of their mothers, when it is actually the fathers who care for the chicks for the first few weeks after they hatch.

Directed by Arthur R. Dubs, with narration by Les Biegel, this family film required seven years of filming. [2]

Reception

The film grossed $1.05 million in its first three weeks of release in the Los Angeles area in January 1974. [3]

DVD details

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Terror of Mechagodzilla</i> 1975 film by Ishirō Honda

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho–Eizo, it is the 15th film in the Godzilla franchise, serving as a direct sequel to the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and the final film in the initial Showa Era of the franchise before Godzilla returned nine years later in The Return of Godzilla.

<i>Dances with Wolves</i> 1990 film by Kevin Costner

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic Western film starring, directed, and produced by Kevin Costner in his feature directorial debut. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 novel Dances with Wolves, by Michael Blake, that tells the story of Union Army Lieutenant John J. Dunbar (Costner), who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and who meets a group of Lakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferret</span> Domestic species of mammal

The ferret is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat, evidenced by their interfertility. Physically, ferrets resemble other mustelids because of their long, slender bodies. Including their tail, the average length of a ferret is about 50 cm (20 in); they weigh between 0.7 and 2.0 kg ; and their fur can be black, brown, white, or a mixture of those colours. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males being considerably larger than females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Zoo</span> Zoo in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi River.

<i>The Adventures of Milo and Otis</i> 1986 film by Masanori Hata

The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a 1986 Japanese adventure comedy-drama film about two animals, Milo and Otis. The original Japanese version, narrated by Shigeru Tsuyuki and with poetry recitation by Kyōko Koizumi, was released on July 12, 1986. Columbia Pictures removed 15 minutes from the original film and released a shorter English-language version, written by Mark Saltzman and narrated by Dudley Moore, on August 25, 1989.

<i>Bambi</i> 1942 American animated Disney drama film directed by David Hand

Bambi is a 1942 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is based on the 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten. The film was produced by Walt Disney and directed by David Hand and a team of sequence directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal roleplay</span> Animal roleplay or petplay (erotic roleplay related to BDSM)

Animal roleplay is a form of roleplay where at least one participant plays the part of a non-human animal. As with most forms of roleplay, its uses include play and psychodrama.

<i>Benji the Hunted</i> 1987 film by Joe Camp

Benji the Hunted is a 1987 American adventure drama film directed and written by Joe Camp and produced by Ben Vaughn. It is the fourth film in the Benji series. The film is about Benji trying to survive in the wilderness and looking after orphan cougar cubs after their mother is shot and killed by a hunter. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures. This was the last Benji movie to star Benjean, daughter of Higgins, in the title role.

<i>Roar</i> (film) 1981 American adventure comedy film by Noel Marshall

Roar is a 1981 American adventure comedy film written and directed by Noel Marshall, and produced by Marshall and Tippi Hedren. Roar's story follows Hank, a naturalist who lives on a nature preserve in Africa with lions, tigers, and other big cats. When his family visits him, they are instead confronted by the group of animals. The film stars Marshall as Hank, his real-life wife Tippi Hedren as his wife Madeleine, with Hedren's daughter Melanie Griffith and Marshall's sons John and Jerry Marshall in supporting roles.

<i>The Bear</i> (1988 film) 1988 French film

The Bear is a 1988 French adventure family film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud and released by TriStar Pictures. Adapted from the novel The Grizzly King (1916) by American author James Oliver Curwood, the screenplay was written by Gérard Brach. Set in British Columbia, Canada, the film tells the story of an orphaned grizzly bear cub who befriends a large adult male Kodiak bear as two trophy hunters pursue them through the wild.

<i>The Adventures of the Wilderness Family</i> 1975 film

The Adventures of the Wilderness Family is a 1975 American family adventure drama film directed by Stewart Raffill and starring Robert Logan, George Buck Flower and Susan Damante-Shaw. The film is about Skip Robinson and his family who decide to move from Los Angeles, California to a new home in the majestic Rocky Mountains, Skip builds a log cabin, and the children befriend wild animals. As the intrepid Robinsons make a simpler life for themselves off the grid, they discover that, in the wilderness, each day brings its own adventure.

Pacific International Enterprises (PIE) was an American film production company and film distributor, founded by Arthur R. Dubs as a producer of family films. Pacific International Enterprises was a privately held company that had been in business for over thirty years as "A Universal Force in Family Film Entertainment". Their films have been continually licensed and re-licensed for television by various channels such as HBO, Disney, TNT, CBS and in over 100 countries worldwide. Many of the company's movies were filmed on location with outdoor scenery shots such as the state of Oregon in Sacred Ground, the state of Utah in Windwalker and the state of Colorado for the three films of the Wilderness Family for example.

<i>Grizzly Rage</i> 2007 television film by David DeCoteau

Grizzly Rage is a 2007 Canadian television horror film produced by RHI Entertainment that premiered in Canada on the video-on-demand channel Movie Central On Demand on June 7, 2007. It aired in the United States on the Sci Fi Channel on September 16, 2007. Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the film is the 2nd title in the Maneater Series produced under an agreement with Syfy. Featuring a cast of four, the film focuses on a group of teenagers who struggle to survive in a restricted forest while an enraged grizzly bear hunts them relentlessly seeking retribution for killing its cub.

<i>South Pacific</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

South Pacific is a British nature documentary series from the BBC Natural History Unit, which began airing on BBC Two on 10 May 2009. The six-part series surveys the natural history of the islands of the South Pacific region, including many of the coral atolls and New Zealand. It was filmed entirely in high-definition. South Pacific was co-produced by the Discovery Channel and the series producer was Huw Cordey. It is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch. Filming took place over 18 months in a variety of remote locations around the Pacific including: Anuta, Banks Islands, French Frigate Shoals, Papua New Guinea, Palmyra, Kingman Reef, Tuvalu, Palau, Caroline Islands, Tuamotus and Tanna Island in Vanuatu.

<i>Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day</i> 2009 film by Mike Clattenburg

Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day is a 2009 Canadian mockumentary black comedy crime film directed by Mike Clattenburg, and based on the Canadian television series Trailer Park Boys. It is the second film in the Trailer Park Boys franchise, following Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006). Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day is a conclusion to "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys", the television special that ended the series after its seventh season. The film follows the characters of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles as they return to a life of crime after being released from prison.

<i>Bears and Man</i> 1978 film

Bears and Man is a 1978 Canadian educational film by Bill Schmalz. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Parks Canada. The film documents human-bear interactions in Canada's National Parks. It was narrated by Chief Dan George and Patricia Best, and was co-written and edited by Adbusters founder Kalle Lasn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of California</span> Flora and fauna of the US state of California

The fauna of the State of California may be the most diverse in the United States of America. Of the Lower 48 conterminous states, California has the greatest diversity in climate, terrain and geology in general. The state's six life zones are the lower Sonoran (desert); upper Sonoran ; transition ; and the Canadian, Hudsonian, and Arctic zones, comprising California's highest elevations. California’s diverse geography gives rise to dozens of different ecosystems, each of which has its own unique native plants and animals. California is a huge state, the 3rd largest in the U.S., and can range broadly in habitat type.

Masha and the Bear is a Russian preschool comedy computer-animated series created by Oleg Kuzovkov and produced by Animaccord Animation Studio, loosely based on the oral children's folk story of the same name. The show focuses on the adventures of a little girl named Masha and her caring friend, the bear (miška) that always keeps her safe from disasters.

<i>DC League of Super-Pets</i> 2022 animated superhero comedy film by Jared Stern

DC League of Super-Pets is a 2022 American animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics superhero team Legion of Super-Pets. Produced by Warner Animation Group, DC Entertainment, and Seven Bucks Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was directed by Jared Stern and co-directed by Sam J. Levine, from a screenplay by the writing team of Stern and John Whittington. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as the voice of Krypto, alongside a supporting ensemble voice cast that includes Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, and Keanu Reeves. The film tells the story of Superman's pet dog Krypto and shelter dog Ace who work with other animals to save captured superheroes from Lex Luthor and Lulu.

<i>Chicks with Sticks</i> 2004 Canadian hockey film

Chicks with Sticks is a 2004 Canadian independent hockey comedy-drama television movie. It was written by Don Truckey and directed by Kari Skogland, and stars Jessalyn Gilsig, Margot Kidder, Jason Priestley, Juliette Marquis, Michie Mee and Peter Outerbridge.

References

  1. Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 293. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. Internet Archive-Wayback Machine: PIE's "Wonder of It All" '
  3. "Now! We're back again and bigger! (advertisement)". Variety . January 23, 1974. p. 25. Retrieved November 2, 2023 via Archive.org.