Eco-Disney Movies Coming to a Theater Near You

Don’t look now, but the wonderful people at Disney, who have taught millions of children that dangerous wild animals are cuddly cute little creatures, are out to teach them about mother earth. 

Disney says it will launch unit to make environmental documentaries

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — The Walt Disney Co. says it will launch a new film production unit called Disneynature to produce documentary films about the environment.

CEO Robert Iger said Monday the unit marks a return to the Disney tradition of making nature films.

The first of seven planned films will be “Earth,” set for release on April 22, 2009, which is Earth Day.

The movie focuses on a yearlong journey of three mothers — a polar bear, elephant and humpback whale with their offspring.

Maybe I’m reacting a little strongly to this.  However, the current acceptance of the extreme environmental movement in our pop culture has me extra-cautious and maybe even a little paranoid.

I can already imagine three responses to this news.  The first comes from the progressive left and followers of the extreme environmental movement who would say, “Good for Disney!”

The second would come from conservatives like me who are skeptical of anything that involves promoting the environment.  Our response would be, “Well, that figures.”

The third response is becoming more and more common, so I’m going to speak to you.  It would be the response from some conservatives, moderates, and many people of faith.  The response would be something like this, “What’s wrong with promoting the environment?  Isn’t it important to protect God’s creation and our planet?”  Indeed, you are correct, but I fear that you may be too naive.

I’m skeptical of the environmental movement because it goes above and beyond conservation.  The focus of such efforts like Disney will be placed on lifting up the earth on to a platform of reverence above humanity and without any mention of a Creator.  I bet you a hundred bucks that Disney won’t dare mention or even elude to the notion of a Creator in these environmental movies.  I’ll go further and bet you a hundred bucks more that these movies will give off a certain distaste for mankind as a sort of plague which infests the earth and causes damage to it.   Now these messages probably won’t be boldly proclaimed like they are in a movie like Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, but I have no doubt they will subtly portray a similar message.

The funny thing is, I’m not the kind of person who wants to have big corporations completely unchecked when it comes to polluting.  I’m also not the kind of guy who seriously wants people to tear up the earth just for the heck of it.  I don’t like littering, I don’t like graffiti, I don’t like it when people have a patent disregard for the beauty of God’s creation.

Despite all of that, I’m also not one to blindly follow the radical environmental movement which is linked to the devaluing of human life and the worship of creation rather than the Creator.  I guess I’m just a cautious skeptic, but I think more conservatives and especially people of faith need to be so.

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16 KJV