The Vanishing Prairie

The Vanishing Prairie was a 1954 True-Life Adventures documentary film by Walt Disney Productions, which won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature in 1954. It was released on video in 1985 and then 1993.
An edited, 60-minute version can be found on VHS.
Digital releases feature the 1967 Buena Vista logo at the start.
==Production==
The Vanishing Prairie began production in 1951 as a short subject focused on Bighorn Sheep simply titled Bighorn Sheep. Over the next year, other short subjects closely related to that particular environment such as Cat Family and Prairie Story would go into production before it was eventually decided to combine these projects and other themes into a single feature film that became The Vanishing Prairie.https://d23.com/revisiting-walt-disneys-true-life-adventures-the-vanishing-prairie/
The Vanishing Prairie was shot partially within Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota, and the Arboretum of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, as well as shots of Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff in Nebraska briefly appearing early in the film. The Arboretum in particular was utilized for the prairie fire sequence, with footage of the controlled burn being spliced with the bison herd.https://isthmus.com/screens/vanishing-prairie-uw-arboretum-oscar/ The footage of a bison mother giving birth would cause the film to be briefly banned by various censors boards in Chicago and New York.
The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George and was rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in Westward Ho, the Wagons!, a western film about pioneers on the Oregon Trail.
The film's copyright was renewed on March 11, 1982.Online Copyright Catalog search (form autofilled, pressing "begin search" brings up the entry)
==Gallery of Animals==
Tumblr_mild5d8MIa1qhcrb0o1_1280.jpg|Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) 
1954-prairie-3.jpg|American Bison (Bison bison) 
1954-prairie-4.jpg|Coyote (Canis latrans)
==Gallery==
1954-prairie-2.jpg
Tumblr nfnwtmY84S1sa3t1go2 500.jpg
Vanishing prairie australian poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Australia on July 10, 1955
Vanishing prairie belgian poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Belgium (1950s)
Vanishing prairie finnish poster.jpg|Poster for the release in Finland on February 10, 1956
Vanishing prairie french poster.jpg|Poster from the release in France on September 2, 1955
Vanishing prairie german poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Germany on July 11, 1955
Vanishing prairie japanese poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Japan on March 7, 1956
Vanishing prairie japanese rerelease poster.jpg|Poster from the re-release in Japan on April 9, 1977
Vanishing prairie witch mountain jp poster.jpg|Another 1977 Japan re-release poster, on a double bill with Escape to Witch Mountain
La pradera del pasado.jpg|Lobby card from the release in Mexico (1950s)
La pradera cine España.jpg|Poster from the release in Spain on March 28, 1957
Vanishing prairie swedish poster.jpg|Poster from the release in Sweden on November 7, 1955
File:P lipinski ginaca preria.jpg|Poster from the release in Poland in 1961
==References==
Category:Documentaries
Category:1954 films
Category:Live-action films
Category:True-Life Adventures
Category:Academy Award winning films
Category:Unrated films