For a family living overseas without access to National Geographic broadcasts, this DVD was a nice introduction to the variety and beauty of the the specials. And it left us and our kids hungry for me. The downside, is that there the selections are very brief and we think we will find the full length DVDs and videos much more satisfying.

With 30 years of some of the best documentaries around to choose material from, it scarcely matters that there is no new footage. The narration seamlessly bridges the gaps between the various shorts from National Geographic specials of the past. I wasn't sure what to expect, since it is essentially teasers of other films, but this is a great film in its own right.

We got the film for our little boys, and they've loved it from day one. My older son is learning a lot about the differing relationships of the natural world, and the broad expanse of this film is perfect for him. It never gets bogged down in the mundane, but it also panders to a long attention span. This is a big difference from the National Geographic videos intended specifically for kids. They tend to be the same basic idea...cut footage from older films, but cut so that there is no footage of animals eating each other, no mating, and it is interspersed with unneccesary music videos and cutesy animation. Even with Dudley Moore's narration, it can't compete. Skip the kid stuff and give your kids the real thing.

This video definitely holds up to repeat viewing. It offers a wealth of information on a wide variety of subjects and could easily have been an hour longer.

National Geographic really hit the mark with this video. Although it's a promotional tool, it stands on its own merits as an educational, entertaining, family video.

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