White Wilderness
White Wilderness is a nature documentary produced by Disney in 1958 noted for its splendid visuals as well as its propogation of the myth of lemming suicide.
The film was directed by James Algar and narrated by Winston Hibler. It was filmed on location in Alberta, Canada over the course of three weeks.
The film's depiction of lemmings leaping to their death into the Arctic Ocean became the subject of an urban legend that the director induced the mass suicide during the making the film. In fact, it is an established scientific fact that lemmings do not engage in any such behavior. Moreover, lemmings are not native to the area in which the film was made, and the animals depicted in the film was purchased and imported to the area. The supposed suicidal leap was staged by placing the lemmings on a revolving turntable.
External links
Snopes.com on Lemmings rumor
Referenced By
Academy Award for Documentary Feature | Academy Awards/Documentary Feature | Lemming
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