Sea Lions: A California Adventure

Narrated by actor Sean Astin (with a Spanish language track option available), this program combines vibrant nature footage, animation, and interviews with various researchers and experts to explore the lives of California sea lions. In this profile of the acrobatic mammals, which dwell on the coastline between Mexico and Canada, viewers will learn basic facts and vital statistics (pups weigh about 15 pounds, while male “bulls” can grow up to eight feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds!), see researchers testing intelligence (using letters, numbers, and treats) and studying communication habits (specifically at a Santa Barbara Island rookery in the Channel Islands), and explore how the mammals adapt to various ecological and environmental conditions (including erosion, pollution, predators, and competing with man for food). Also featuring a segment filmed at a nonprofit rehab center (for injured or sick animals), scenes of a bittersweet release of two fostered sea lions back into the wild, and clips showing San Francisco's Pier 39 (famous for a pod of lions' hilarious game of “King of the Mountain”), this handsome-looking, informative production includes DVD extras such as a “kid-friendly” version of the film (four minutes shorter, with a few of the more intense sequences omitted), an hour-plus behind-the-scenes documentary, and an audio commentary track. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)