Beaver Valley

1950 0h 32m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 21

DocumentaryFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film depicts a young male beaver who must defend his new family against hungry predators, mischievous river otters, and the ever-impending threat of winter.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Winston Hibler
Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Algar
Writers: Ted Sears, Lawrence Edward Watkin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 32-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "True-Life Adventures Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Algar, shot by Alfred Milotte. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Norman R. Palmer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0042592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Algar directs. Alfred Milotte behind the camera. Norman R. Palmer cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 32-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
276 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "True-Life Adventures Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by James Algar, shot by Alfred Milotte. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Norman R. Palmer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7IMDB entry: tt0042592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "beaver", "wildlife", "nature documentary", "animal behaviour".

The technical file

Cinematography: Alfred Milotte
Editing: Norman R. Palmer
Runtime: 32 min · 0h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Beaver Valley (1950)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Two-reel

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

True-Life Adventures Collection

In 1940 Walt Disney got the idea for the first ever nature documentary True Life Adventures during animal studies for his upcoming film Bambi. Instead of imitating the natural through animation, he could just use what was already there. When the sun rises and light enters through the eyelids the body is triggered to begin its wake-up cycle, including the release of cortisol. By the time the light is at full brightness, sleepers wake up on their own. An alarm is not needed anymore.

Also by

James Algar

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 6/10
"The beaver is a solid citizen who builds a solid house"! This is one of these simplistically delivered, jolly, Disney documentaries depicting just how the beavers survive, feed, build their lodges and co-exist with all the other beasties in the animal kingdom. There is some nice photography of deer, moose, trout, racoons and their pray - crayfish as well as the beavers - all set to a rather jaunty soundtrack and underpinned by a cheery narrative from Winston Nibler and his vigilance committee! It's entertaining, though hardly overly scientific and worth watching just for the language - "varmints" and "critters"... Good fun.

Production companies