JACK HANNA'S ANIMAL ADVENTURES (TV SERIES) - DVD review

Somehow, I had not heard of Jack Hanna before he brought his show to Illinois last year. I'd missed seeing "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures," which has been made available to 96 percent of households through syndication for 14 seasons, and I'd also missed seeing "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild," a series he began in 2007. I never saw him on "Good Morning America," David Letterman, or Larry King, though he was a frequent guest. So the first time that I actually got to see him in action was in this gargantuan set from Questar, "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures: Adventures in Africa," which offers 11 hours of African adventures on six discs.

Hanna and his show fall somewhere between Marlin Perkins' "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," a pioneer wildlife series that was all about education, and the late Steve Irwin's "Crocodile Hunter," which combined education with entertainment. You learn a lot each episode, but Hanna is a tourist as well as an animal wizard, and almost all his adventures have him hooking up with field biologists, guides, camp and tour operators, and local experts. His tourist-style reaction is part of the act, and, I suspect, one way that audiences are able to identify with him.

The cinematography, too, is somewhere between "Wild Kingdom," with its reliance on long shots and unobtrusive middle shots, and "Crocodile Hunter," whose extreme angles and in-your-face close-ups matched the personality of the host. There's no shortage of interesting up-angle shots, and the takes are shorter, with quicker and more frequent cuts than the staid "Wild Kingdom." But while some nature shows go for the full treatment--where you learn and see everything about a species, including some graphic footage that may have younger members of the family covering their eyes--"Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" has as its "base camp" a exterior set at Tampa's Busch Gardens, a well-known theme park. Not surprisingly, there are no graphic kill shots here, no BBC-style (and potentially traumatic) footage of predators and victims. These half-hour "adventures" are kinder and gentler.

For some of the episodes, Hanna is joined by his eldest daughter, Kathaleen, and included in most episodes are "Animal Wise" segments featuring Julie Scardina from Busch Gardens and Sea World. So if you're a parent and you're looking for a wildlife show that won't unsettle your child, "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" may be the perfect choice.

In an episode about hippos, for example, we learn that hippos cause more deaths in Africa than any other animal, but there's nothing ever threatening that's shown. Even when Hanna camps near hippos, there's no trauma here. And even though we're told that a hippo's powerful jaws can literally bite a crocodile in half, there's no footage to prove it (as there certainly would be in some nature shows). So you get the "wow" information without the "oh my god" visuals.

As for Hanna, he's a likable enough host. Dressed in the requisite khaki shirt and shorts, he has just enough personality to make it easy to spend time with him. He doesn't try too hard to emote or show excitement, and that's a good thing, because Julie does. And while he has a slight lisp that you can't help but notice, the more episodes you watch, the more that lisp tends to disappear.

Here's what this set contains:

Disc 1

"Jack's Camp." This Season 7 episode pairs Jack and daughter Kathaleen as they check out animal babies in the wild and children in the village. The setting is Botswana's Kalahari Desert, and the animals include hyenas and zebras.

"Vumbura Camp." In Botswana still, Jack and Kathleen go on safari together in search of wildlife, which includes lions.

"Chitabe Camp." Another Season 7 episode has Jack and Kathaleen on the trail of leopards, and then on night safari observing bush babies, elephants, and lions.

"Elephants of the Amboseli." This Season 3 episode finds Jack visiting Cynthia Moss, an elephant researcher in Kenya.

"Back to the Wild." This time Jack visits Chipangali, a wildlife orphanage in Zimbabwe which rescues and rehabilitates animals so they can be released again in the wild.

"Race for Survival." Jack goes to Namibia to visit Laurie Marker, an American who's fighting to save the endangered cheetah.

Disc 2

"On Safari with Jack." Another Season 3 episode follows Hanna to East Africa, where he encounters cheetahs, gazelles, ostriches, lions, topis, elephants, and hippos, among other things.

"Sabi Sabi." Kathaleen joins her dad again as they go through ranger training at the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve and learn how to track elephants in this Season 7 episode.

"Okavango Horse Safari." Another Season 7 episode has Jack and Kathaleen riding horses on safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta, where they find both playful and threatening animals.

"Sable Ranch." Again from Season 7, this episode finds Jack checking out the endangered species program at Sable Ranch in South Africa, herding sable and roan antelope by helicopter, and seeking a white rhino.

"Mala Mala." A Season 11 episode finds Jack in South Africa again, this time on the Mala Mala Game Reserve where he follows large herds of elephants, listens to leopards at night, and locates Cape buffalo in the Sand River.

"The Elusive Cheetah." Back to Season 3 for this episode in which Jack visits the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Center north of Johannesburg and has up-close-and-personal cheetah encounters.

Disc 3

"Little Seen Africa." This was my son's favorite episode because it focused on species seldom seen in nature shows, like the dik-dik antelope. In it, Jack learns about a program to restore the dwindling Mountain Bongo population. From Season 12.

"An African Encore." From Season 5 comes this episode in which Jack visits South Africa and hooks up with a group of travelers also on safari. He also hears from a bush pilot who tells of having to land with lions on the runway, and encounters fish eagles on the Okavango River.

"Saving Endangered Species." Back to Season 3 for a look at Sheldrick Wildlife Center in Nairobi, Kenya, where Jack meets orphaned baby elephants and learns about the toll of poaching.

"World of Birds." Another Season 3 episode finds Jack in Capetown to visit the third largest bird park in the world, many of which are rare and endangered.

"Zoo to the Max." In this Season 7 episode it's a trip to the Johannesburg Zoo to see Max, who won fame when he apprehended a fleeing robber who had jumped into his compound.

"Operation Rhino." Back to Season 3 as Jack visits Hluhuwe-Umfolozi Park in South Africa, where he learns about efforts to save the Black Rhino and encounters a charging elephant.

Disc 4

"Africa on the Edge." Jack and Kathaleen visit Botswana's Okavango wilderness and learn from Bushmen of the Kalahari how to get water in a desert.

"Game for Adventure." This Season 4 episode finds Jack in Botswana looking for one of the rarest animals--the wild dog.

"Hippos of Kings Pool." In Botswana for a Season 5 episode, Jack visits Kings Pool, a tent hotel run by a couple of former hoteliers whose first guests in Botswana were royalty. And they're as close to the dangerous hippos as can be.

"White Shark." In one of the few below-water episodes, Jack gets inside a shark cage off the tip of South Africa in this Season 7 episode. We also meet an Albion College prof who's doing research on nurse sharks.

"Chimpanzees of Chambura Gorge." This Season 3 episode finds Jack visiting a family of 40 chimpanzees who make their home in this area of Uganda, discovered by a Peace Corps worker.

"The Game Warden." Another Season 3 episode has Jack learning about poachers and the life of a warden.

Disc 5

"Safari through the Masai Mara." In this Season 3 episode, Jack visits the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya, where he sees hippos, zebras, rhinos, elephants, giraffe, and wildebeest in their natural habitat and has a close encounter with a cheetah.

"Uganda Gorillas" Pts. 1 & 2. In these two segments from Season 3, Jack goes to the Bwindi Impenetrable Rain Forest in Uganda and, guided by Congo, goes deep into the jungle looking for the mountain gorilla.

"Seeing Spots." This Season 4 episode has Jack studying the differences between the cheetah and leopard.

"Okavango Delta." Another Season 4 episode has Jack checking out the animals and people who thrive in this area, using traditional boats to explore the waterways.

Disc 6

"Phinda: Land of Adventure." Jack visits the Phinda Game Reserve in South Africa in search of cheetahs, leopards, and lions, and finds more than he bargained for when his jeep gets stuck in the mud and he's surrounded by lions.

"A Day in Queen Elizabeth National Park." Season 3 episode finds Jack in Uganda visiting one of the most spectacular parks in Africa. He has encounters with exotic wildlife.

"Phinda: Born Again Africa." Back to the Phinda Game Reserve for a hike into the heart of Zululand along the Injasuti Trail to ancient rock caves.

"Thundering Smoke." Jack visits Victoria Falls in this Season 5 episode and also wanders the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.

"Phinda: Dry as a Bone." Back in Zululand for this Season 11 episode, Jack sees the effects that drought has had on the area.

Video:
The series production values are pretty decent, and the film stock reveals only the slightest grain and indistinct edges while boasting some pretty bright and natural-looking colors. "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Audio:
The audio is an uncomplicated Dolby Digital 1.0, but for live audio in primitive conditions there's very little wind across the microphones or other distractions. And it's a fairly clean soundtrack, with no distortion or apparent flaws.

Extras:
After 11 hours of African adventures you want bonus features? It ain't gonna happen!

Bottom Line:
"Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" are pitched for the entire family, and they feature a pleasing combination of obvious animal expert (Hanna is director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo) and eco-tourist. Hanna isn't a know-it-all, but rather a know-a lot who is as willing to learn from other local experts as we are. And that makes for an easygoing lesson that has a nice balance of education and tourism suitable for the whole family.