Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Great for kids and adults.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 22, 2012

Nature can be pretty dramatic.

Who needs school when little Jillian offers an education in sixty minutes and for under twenty bucks? Young students of Africa or those simply interested in that continent's wildlife, geography, and peoples will find much to love in the balanced and comfortable Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D, a kid-centric journey into the heart of the African continent, and the nation of Kenya to be exact. The film is hosted by a brother-sister middle school-aged duo with whom the target audience will relate. They provide an easily-digestible overview of the land and its human and animal inhabitants. It's nothing remarkable, nothing viewers of this sort of film haven't seen before, and in fact, those who have seen 3D Safari Africa indeed have seen this before; Jillian simply repurposes much of that film's footage and rewrites the narrative for a younger audience. And even if the young explorers apparently never actually set foot in Africa -- they appear only superimposed over a few African backdrops and stand in a soundstage tent -- the film will give younger audiences a taste of Safari and a base level knowledge of what the world is like half a world away.

All that's missing is a ball of yarn and some Meow Mix.

Young Jillian (Taylar Hender) is traveling with her mom, dad, and younger brother Jack (Garrett Ryan) to the African nation of Kenya for a little sightseeing, middle school style. It's the middle of the school year, and Jillian and her family have managed to convince her principal that a week away from the classroom for an African adventure is an absence worth granting. There's just one condition: Jillian must document her trip via home video and share with her classmates what she learns while studying some of the world's most famous wildlife all up-close and personal-like. She has no cell phone reception, her bookworm know-it-all brother is always in her hair, and mom and dad are eager to maintain their tight schedule, but Jillian's determined to have a great trip and make it one she -- and her audience -- will never forget.

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D plays like a warm and cutesy Adventure video for kids with an evident academic function. The film aims to educate and entertain simultaneously, which it does, though of course retention will depend largely on how active the young ones watch and practice what they learn. Nobody will come out of the video speaking Swahili or transformed into a walking encyclopedia of African wildlife, but a slightly expanded vocabulary and a working basic knowledge of the animals will make this video invaluable for the classroom (assuming the classroom has a 3D television and enough glasses for all pupils), a small group, or home schooled youngsters. Through the course of the film, students will learn about the basics of hot air ballon technology and travel, the differences between Africa's herbivores and carnivores, the "Great Migration" of the Wildebeest, Kenyan culture, lions (the Swahili word for "lion" is "simba"), the uniqueness of zebra stripes, the stomach acid of the vulture and the creature's unique ability to fend off prey, the importance of rain and water to the area, the differences between monkeys and apes, rhinoceros nomenclature, and plenty more. There's a little something for everyone here; it's focused on zoology, but there's enough science, culture, and geography to make this a well-rounded basic educational piece.

Although this film in its final state is far better, more polished, more complete than anything a middle schooler -- save a real video prodigy with incredible access and equipment -- could put together, the rather makeshift, somewhat forced narrative doesn't really hurt the film. The few fleeting moments of fun and games and brother-sister rivalry in the tent add a little charm, albeit largely unnecessary charm, to the proceedings. The kids are likable enough and do a fine job acting out their skits ("mom" and "dad," voice acting from the other side of the camera, however, sound as if they're just reading their lines), but they aren't the highlight or the reason to watch, simply serving instead as pint-sized hosts suitable for pint-sized audiences. Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D plays it safe, usually, simply showing animals at life in their habitat, though there are a few scenes of half-eaten animal carcasses that might frighten the youngest children. But as far as these "this is how the world works" videos go, this one's relatively tame. There's the obligatory "save the Earth" plea tossed into the narrative, but there's otherwise nothing polarizing or political about the film. It does a very nice job of the who's and what's and when's and where's and why's of African wildlife, and the sprinklings of science, geography, and culture are merely added bonuses along the way and in between scenes of cute cats, giant giraffes, and whacky wildebeests.

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D features good 3D video but a rather flat and lifeless general picture quality. The image appears somewhat hazy and flat. Details often appear washed out and lifeless, evident from the beginning when audiences first meet Jack and Jillian in their tent. Faces appear pasty, and only basic definition is visible on clothes and the odds and ends around the makeshift sleeping quarters. Shots out in the field follow suit; there are a few downright blurry shots, some flat and unappealing, and some that are marvelously detailed. The image sometimes straightens up and yields some amazing HD footage of animals, presenting amazing textures on rough crocodile skin or great clarity evident on giraffe bodies. It's too bad it's not more consistent, because the good parts look great and the lesser shots are quite disappointing. Colors are rather flat, but then again much of the show is made of earthen, ordinary hues. When the screen is packed with pink flamingos, however, that pink color really pops. There's no real banding or noise of which to speak; the transfer's general attributes hold up adequately with moments of greatness. The 3D elements, however one-up the rest.

Indeed, Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D delivers what is a generally excellent 3D presentation. There's a very strong, very real sense of depth to most of the movie. Some shots that stretch for some distance prove very lifelike, while even more general depth -- a few blades of grass in front of a posing crocodile -- are stunningly realistic. The image works both far and wide, and viewers will enjoy a very natural, very immersive sense of real-life space within this transfer's confines. Graphical elements, generally text, appear to float off the front of the screen. The animated airplane that show's Jillian's route from the United State to Kenya seems to fly around well outside of the physical limits of the display. Playback on the review Panasonic 50" plasma 3D set resulted in only minimal crosstalk but wonderfully natural and evident depth. This isn't quite a reference 3D image -- the detailing is far too hit-or-miss -- but the 3D attributes are quite good and make this movie worth watching.

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D arrives on Blu-ray with a satisfactory Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Level 33's audio presentation accentuates dialogue and music. Ambient and general sound effects never really go anywhere; splashing water, general land-based African atmospherics, and the odd sound effect more or less melt into the background, never playing with a front-and-center posture. Music is rather lively, however, playing primarily across the front and with adequate spacing, sufficient clarity, and decent body. Bass gets rather heavy during the Cape Buffalo sequence in chapter five, representing the deepest and most intense sonic moment in the film. Music is generally airy and light and catchy, however, suiting the material and the two young hosts well. Jillian and Jack's dialogue plays smoothly and accurately from the center channel, enjoying good vocal balance and clarity. This track definitely plays second fiddle to the video, but it's fine for what it is. Level 33 has also included an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track.

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D contains a trailer and a short 3D film on elephants.

• Jillian's Travels 3D Trailer (1080p 3D, 1:23).
• Elephants 3D Bonus Piece (1080p 3D, 6:02): A short film focusing on Elephants, but this film is not narrated by Jillian.
• More From Level 33 Entertianment: A still in-menu ad for two Level 33 Properties, including the similar 3D Safari Africa.

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D disappointingly repurposes much of the same material from a previous Blu-ray 3D Africa release, but the narrative is sufficiently different and it's made for a younger demographic. Viewers who have already purchased 3D Safari Africa might not want to spend any extra money for what is basically the same thing content-wise, but those looking for an educational 3D video for their children shouldn't hesitate to pick this one up. It's well made and informative, and the kid actors do a fine job, even if they never really appear in Africa. Level 33's Blu-ray release of Jillian's Travels: Africa 3D features solid video, decent audio, and a couple of extras. Recommended.