Team building.  If you’ve ever worked in an office, you have probably experienced some sort of team-building exercise.  If you have ever played team sports or were in the military, you certainly know all about it.  Now throw a twist on it.  Take 11 intelligent, but barely seasoned sailors and give them one of the best racing yachts money can buy.  Mix that all together and make it a 10-day competition on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean.  Batten down the hatches and hoist the kite!  We’re about to set sail on the Morning Light. 

Film 

Roy Disney, a man of sailing himself, co-created a concept to take some of the best young sailing talent around the globe, and have them vie for a spot in the TransPac (short for Trans-Pacific).  The TransPac is a 10-day long competition that begins in Los Angeles and concludes in Hawaii at a location known as Diamond Head.  In all, that’s an estimated 2,500 miles that the fleet of aquatic speedsters have to cover in the week and a half window. 

At roughly 90 minutes of airtime, Morning Light gets straight to the point in explaining the scenario.  Of the opening group, 15 finalists are selected.  From that, 11 will commandeer the vessel with the other 4 serving as alternates.  The team goes through a rigorous training regime months before the race, courtesy of the some of the finest coaches and mentors in the sport. 

Once the race begins, the team finds itself neck and neck with a group of very experienced sailors of the Samba Pa Ti (named after the famous Carlos Santana tune).  The film does bring you in but falls just short of keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.  I can’t say there’s a big let-down, certainly not.  But you will find yourself searching for more upon the conclusion of this documentary.  If you are not a sailor, you will feel a bit shorthanded when the credits roll.  Some of the nautical terminology was over my head and while some was explained, the film didn’t do enough to provide greater insight on other things.  If it’s a case of sink or swim, this film does sway towards the latter, yet it’s more like a doggy paddle for your entertainment value. 

Video 

There was one particular scene in the later stages of Morning Light that I had to go back and watch more than once.  The yacht is cruising along at night with a moonlit-drenched seascape gracing the screen while thousands of stars speckle the night sky.  It is the definition of perfect.  In both Blu-ray clarity and nature’s grandeur, it is a scene I have captured in my mind and played over and over again.  In contrast, there are those scenes used with night vision that make the sailors’ eyes look like possessed souls.  Okay, so I can’t fault the video quality there.  Infra-red doesn’t equal high def.

What I can point a finger at is a few of the scenes that contained distracting amounts of grain, pulling my eyes away from the action on the screen.  Thankfully, these do not make up a majority of the film’s clarity.  Nevertheless, it was disappointing to see these.  In addition, there were several landscape shots that were beautiful but flat, if that makes any sense.  For instance, the Morning Light gingerly glides across Hawaiian waters while a very large sun descends below the horizon.  This scene had so much potential to wow the eyes but never quite got there.  It was like a can of flat soda.  Sure it’s the same soda you always drink; same ingredients, same glass, but it just lacked that fizz and resulting kick.  Overall though, I think you’ll like the pristine beauty this disc has to offer.

Audio 

Where the video sometimes lacked, the audio kicks it into high gear.  The salty waves lap against the bow of the nimble yacht through your rear channels while dialogue is driven through the front.  My only disappointment was when the music played through some of the scenes, it pretty much took over the scene.  The bass was thumping plenty and if it were a concert Blu-ray, it would definitely score a 5 out of 5, but when there is still action taking place on screen, it ended up drowning out the commands of the Morning Light skipper as well as the crashing waves.  Perhaps this effect was the intent of the film makers but even so, the experience was not a perfect marriage as things just seemed to audibly collide, but only for a matter of mere seconds.  In some other cases, all you could hear was dialogue while the water was silent (even though waves were still splashing against the side of the boat). 

Special Features 

The extras featured on this disc are great supporting material for the main feature.  A deeper background can be found on how those behind the scenes whittled the list of applicants down to 15 or how the competitors gained an understanding of primitive sailing.  Although there are only 2 extras, I am happy to report that both are in high definition.

• Stories From the Sea – Hosted by Jason Earles – During this featurette, we get a look at some more of the preparation time the Morning Light team went through as well as their history lessons on pre-instrument navigating.  As for who Jason Earles is, well, he’s an entertainer of Hannah Montana fame.  Don’t worry, there’s no hokey-ness involved in his delivery as he does a pretty good job in guiding viewers through this extra (28:32).
• ESPN Special – Morning Light: Making the Cut – While originally airing on ESPN, this piece takes a deeper look at the selection process of potential applicants for the sailing team as well as the elimination process.  It’s actually quite entertaining and eye-opening as you’ll begin to see how some of these cadets basically eliminated themselves through attitude, lack of cohesion with the group, etc. (41:56).

Final Thoughts 

Now, I’m going to be honest; I enjoy the water and I love the beach, but after experiencing undertow in the Atlantic a few years ago, I’m pretty well set as a landlubber these days.  As far as sailing experience goes, I’m fine from the comfort of home with this disc while I’ll leave the real deal to the pros.  Regarding the disc, my first recommendation is a little more in the extras department would have been a nice touch.  Overall though, it is a worthy viewing the whole family can enjoy as the qualities of safety, teamwork and tenacity are driven home by the Morning Light crew and their mentors.  Unfortunately, I can only recommend this is a rental to the non-nautical populace out there.  You’ll get the point of the film in one viewing.  For those who enjoy life on the water, especially all of you sailboat aficionados out there, this is a must-buy.  Whether this disc ends up in your hands through a rental or a purchase, you will find an enjoyable experience brought to us by the creative folks at Disney.