Lions rule the animal kingdom in the recent DVD release, PRIDE (BBC Video, $14.98), boasting character effects and animation by Jim Hensons Creature Shop. Headlined by a high-profile voice cast that includes Kate Winslet (TITANIC), Rupert Graves (THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE), Helen Mirren (GOSFORD PARK), Sean Bean (THE LORD OF THE RINGS), Robbie Coltrane (HARRY POTTER) and Jim Broadbent (THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE), the film uses cutting-edge CGI with character effects and animation by Jim Henson's Creature Shop to add facial expressions and mouth movements to footage of live animals, allowing them to talk to each other and tell the story themselves.
Additionally, PRIDE features groundbreaking Boulder-cam technology that captured some of the most unique and up close images of wild lions ever seen. A specially designed camera on wheels was camouflaged as a boulder, allowing it move freely throughout the pride. A moving story about the conflicts between two prides of lions, PRIDE is a live-action family film set against the visually stunning backdrop of East Africa and the Serengeti where real animals are the stars.
Bonus features include The Making of PRIDE and the Wildlife Special: LIONS SPY IN THE DEN.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
