WHISPERS

 BUENA VISTA has released an entertaining family film featuring some great talents as the voices of the live elephants we’re watching in “Whispers: An Elephant's Tale". While the message is pretty simple, no studio better describes the potential cruelty of humans to wildlife, as well as Disney has with “Bambi” and to a lesser extent here.  When poachers cause the separation of a baby elephant from his mommy, he must find and get help from another herd to find his way back. 

Voices are provided by Joanna Lumley, Anne Archer and others, and they’re all quite good.  The film moves along at a terrific pace and children and adults alike will find it entertaining.

While the box cover states this is a full frame version, it’s actually the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio, without 16:9 enhancement.  The image is generally impressive, but there’s excessive grain in spots, and it lacks the sharpness that its incredible locations demand.   Colors are solid.

The soundmix is presented in Dolby 2.0, and unfortunately there’s minimal surround or atmospheric effects.  The film’s score is excellent, but is also subdued by the soundmix limitations

 Two short films are included.