Dinosaurs Alive is a global adventure of science and discovery – featuring the earliest dinosaurs of the Triassic Period to the monsters of the Cretaceous “reincarnated” life-sized for the giant IMAX ® screen. Audiences will journey with some of the world’s preeminent paleontologists as they uncover evidence that the descendants of dinosaurs still walk (or fly) among us. From the exotic, trackless expanses and sand dunes of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert to the dramatic sandstone buttes of New Mexico, the film will follow American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) paleontologists as they explore some of the greatest dinosaur finds in history. Through the magic of scientifically accurate computer-generated animation, these newly discovered creatures, and some familiar favorites, will come alive … in a big way!
Beginning in the 1920s, AMNH scientist and adventurer Roy Chapman Andrews, who is believed to be the inspiration for the Indiana Jones character, led five expeditions to the Gobi Desert. Andrews and his team found hundreds of dinosaur remains, many new to science, including the first Velociraptor, the first dinosaur nests with eggs, and fossils of early mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs in the Late Cretaceous Period. Andrews also happened to take along a Hollywood cameraman with him to film the expedition’s discovery. This rare and beautifully preserved footage, juxtaposed against the large-format footage of today’s expeditions, provides audiences with a unique perspective into field paleontology over time.
Following in the footsteps of Andrews, AMNH paleontologists, Mike Novacek and Mark Norell, have been making annual expeditions to the Gobi every summer since 1990. Some of the greatest dinosaur fossils ever found have come from the Gobi. Collapsing sand dunes quickly and completely covered whole communities of animals, preserving them until the skeletons are exposed today by erosion. One of the most dramatic sequences in the film features a Velociraptor and a Protoceratops locked in mortal combat as a sand dune sweeps over them and kills them. The famous fossil of these fighting dinosaurs shows that they died in a deadly embrace, claws and jaws still grasping at each other. Great dinosaur moments like these, actual fossilized stories, are brought back to life through state-of-the-art CGI.
Dinosaurs Alive will also introduce audiences to the breakthrough discoveries taking place under the towering red sandstone buttes and rock chimneys in northern New Mexico. Since the 1940s, AMNH scientists have uncovered excellent specimens at the mysterious Ghost Ranch, where erosion has cut down through the many levels of sediment to expose fossils of the earliest dinosaurs from the Triassic Period, some 230 million years ago. At that time reptiles still ruled the earth and dinosaurs were actually modest in size—no larger than a cat, dog, or human. Dinosaurs exploded in diversity and size during the later Jurassic Period. Scientists have recently discovered a “monster” buried near Ghost Ranch. It was a long-necked sauropod called Seismosaurus—meaning ‘thunder lizard’—that was a massive 121 feet long. In the film, audiences will witness this behemoth thundering about on screen, in stark contrast to the more diminutive Triassic dinosaurs.
Finally, in an exciting development captured by our cameras, Novacek and Norell, travel to the site and inspect an extraordinary discovery made by AMNH graduate students — one of the oldest dinosaurs ever found in North America. The film will show how the fossil was discovered, protected in a plaster jacket, carefully removed from the rock, and studied at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Dinosaurs Alive shows how new scientific insights are sometimes built from previous discoveries, and each new generation of paleontologists continues the legacy of people like Roy Chapman Andrews.
If it weren’t for a series of cataclysmic events; a comet impact being first on the list, our planet could still be the domain of dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs fascinate us so much, that many people wish they were among us. Fortunately, Dinosaurs 3D will be the closest thing to actually being in the presence of these extraordinary creatures. Deeply rooted in science, the film carries the audience back in time to witness these amazing beasts come to life.
Meet the largest living animals to have ever walked the Earth: the titanesque plant-eating Argentinosaur, and its nemesis, the Giganotosaur, a bipedal carnivore, that could easily challenge the famous T-Rex!
From the dazzling coral reefs of the Bahamas to the wind-swept seas of Patagonia, Dolphins takes audiences under the water’s surface for a romp with inquisitive Atlantic spotted dolphins, acrobatic dusky dolphins, and the familiar bottlenose dolphin of Flipper fame. From rarely seen fish-herding behavior to a close-up look at complex communication activities, Dolphins will give audiences a fascinating new perspective on the lives of dolphins and their remarkable intelligence.
John Stratton is a young American fighter pilot who flies the F-15 Eagle, arguably the most potent and successful fighter plane ever built. His grandfather was a decorated World War II flying ace, and he intended to follow in his footsteps.
At Red Flag, the international training exercise for air forces of allied countries, many of the world’s best pilots meet for the most challenging flying of their careers. Red Flag is the final training for pilots and their aircrews before being sent into actual combat. We follow our young pilot as he makes his way through this extraordinary event held in the desert of Nevada. He is amazed at how complex, challenging and dangerous the exercises are.
He begins to notice team members who were not a part of his childhood vision of heroism, the support team crucial to a successful mission, and to a safe return home. In the aerial combat exercises, there are other pilots who aren’t out just to prove themselves, they are helping him — watching his back. And he is doing the same for them. He begins to realize that being a hero is not quite as simple as he once might have thought.
What weighs half a gram and travels thousands of kilometers every year?
Every winter, the remote and mountainous volcanic forests of Mexico are home to one of nature’s greatest gatherings – hundreds of millions of migrating monarch butterflies weathering the winter. For centuries this miracle was hidden from all but a few. When it was revealed to the world it was hailed as one of the greatest discoveries in nature. It also unveiled the longest insect migration on Earth.
We follow the captivating story of Dana (Danaus Plexippus) and her descendants as they make the perilous return journey from Mexico to Canada. How do these tiny and iconic creatures travel so far and know where to go each year to a place they have never been? This epic natural history saga is interwoven with the fascinating detective story and a determined scientist’s almost 40 year search to find their amazing overwintering sites.
High above the majestic central California coast rises an enchanted castle, a special place created from the dreams of one man, William Randolph Hearst. His vision was inspired by his many trips to Europe’s finest castles. From this unique blend of European influence rose an architectural masterpiece which Hearst furnished with priceless art treasures from around the world. Hearst Castle: Building the Dream will captivate audiences with Europe’s spectacular architectural wonders, the foundation for the dream that became Hearst Castle.
Hidden Pacific is a pioneering film that profiles some of the Pacific Ocean’s most beautiful islands and marine national monuments — breathtaking places that will leave audiences with a deep-felt appreciation for the beauty of nature untouched by civilization. The storied histories of Palmyra, Midway and other atolls – from the WWII Pacific Theater to their present environmental recovery and ecological research initiatives – provide the platform from which the film explores a diversity of science and human stories. Hidden Pacific is produced by Tandem Stills + Motion, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and affiliated organizations.
Narrated by two-time Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor, Humpback Whales is an extraordinary journey into the mysterious world of one of nature’s most awe-inspiring marine mammals. Set in the spectacular waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and the remote islands of Tonga, this ocean adventure offers audiences an up-close look at how these whales communicate, sing, feed, play, and take care of their young. Captured for the first time with IMAX® 3D cameras, and found in every ocean on earth, humpbacks were nearly driven to extinction 50 years ago, but today are making a slow but remarkable recovery. Join a team of researchers as they unlock the secrets of the humpback and find out why humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all whales, why they sing their haunting songs, and why these intelligent 55-foot, 50-ton animals migrate up to 10,000 miles round-trip every year.
NASA’s next era will be its greatest yet. That is the clear “roadmap” painted by Journey To Space. The film absolutely annihilates the perception that the space program died with the end of the Space Shuttle Program by showcasing the exciting plans NASA and the space community are working on, and the challenges they must overcome to carry out audacious missions such as landing astronauts on Mars and capturing asteroids.
By using extensive interviews with astronauts Chris Ferguson (Commander of the final shuttle mission) and Serena Aunon (a new astronaut chosen for future flights), Journey To Space gives a sweeping overview of past space accomplishments, current activities and future plans.
Journey To Space puts into historical context the magnificent contributions made by the Space Shuttle program and its intrepid space pioneers. It uses the most spectacular space footage – including unique views of Earth and operations in space – such as deploying and repairing the Hubble Space Telescope. It then goes on to show how the Shuttle launched and assembled the International Space Station (ISS). Together, these programs have taught us how to live, build and conduct science in space. The ISS will continue operating in space until 2024, and the film shows how it is building a foundation for the next giant leaps into space.
The film concludes with a fascinating, realistic scenario of how astronauts will actually get to Mars, live there for long duration, and then return home after a two-and-a-half-year mission. This includes the new icons of the next chapter of space exploration:
– Orion is NASA’s first spacecraft designed to carry humans on long-duration deep space exploration missions throughout the solar system.
– Olympus, an inflatable transportation habitat, is an early concept 45- or 50-feet diameter module that would provide astronauts the work area and living space necessary for long-duration missions. Smaller versions have already flown in space, and a full-scale version is shown undergoing ground testing.
– The Space Launch System (SLS), a new giant rocket, will carry spacecraft, Mars landers and ascent vehicles to place astronauts on the surface of Mars. SLS will generate over nine million pounds of thrust and will launch hardware into orbit equivalent to the weight of 22 elephants.
Journey To Space will both inspire a new generation of young people to dream of new horizons in space, and engender a new appreciation for the accomplishments of the Space Shuttle Program among an older generation who came to take it for granted.
Journey To Space is co-produced and co-distributed by K2 Films, Inc. and Giant Screen Films and will be released in IMAX(R), Giant Screen and other specialty theaters in 2D and 3D.
In the hundred-year-plus history of aviation, truly radical new aircraft designs come along only once in a generation. Since the introduction of the wide bodies of the late 1960s and early 1970s (followed by the Boeing 777 in 1994), there have been no truly “game changing” new passenger airliner designs until now, with the development of the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Through the eyes of chief test pilot Mike Carriker, a legendary contemporary pilot who is flight rated in more than 100 airplanes, we will see how a century of aviation trial and error, and some of the seminal airplanes of the 20th century influenced the design of the Dreamliner. The audience will be thrilled with the flight of these legendary airplanes in some of the most breathtaking sequences ever seen on giant (IMAX®) theater screens. Theater-goers will be there for all the important milestones at the dawn of a new era in commercial aviation. They will see the first public flight of the massive, but super efficient Airbus A380 at the 2007 Paris Air Show and the first flight of the smaller, even more efficient 787, the first-ever carbon fiber airliner that made its maiden flight in 2009.
Legends of Flight will also give audiences an insider’s view of how a modern aircraft is built, and make them privy to the manufacturing challenges and incredible financial risks companies assume when they embark on radical new designs. In the end, this unique cinematic experience shows how the 787 might affect the next 100 years of aeronautical design.
Mountains tower above the plains and dominate the skyline. Critical to life – they fill our rivers, sway the weather, and provide sanctuary to incredibly diverse wildlife. They are as beautiful as they are dangerous – and for a brave few, they are the source of incredible adventure.
Follow Olympian Torah Bright as she journeys through the world’s longest chain of mountain ranges extending from Antarctica all the way to Alaska. Along the journey, Torah will ride with backcountry legend Jeremy Jones and freeskiing superstar Sammy Carlson. Together, they will encounter penguins, polar bears, and other wildlife, and meet with scientists and environmentalists to uncover a deeper understanding of our mountain ecosystems.
From glaciated valleys to icy tundras, we’ll venture through the mountain’s most awe-inspiring vistas. We’ll discover the crucial role mountains play in our every day lives and for the world, while witnessing the most spectacular snowboard action ever brought to the giant screen!
A lone climber, suspended hundreds of feet in the air, struggles to find the next finger hold, defining progress in inches. The dramatic visuals immerse us in a gripping contest of human determination versus the reality of gravity’s potent grip. Mountain Quest explores the precarious relationship of humanity’s quest to scale some of the world’s highest places, while also revealing the scientific and technological advances that have enabled us to conquer these peaks, exposing the heartbeat of the human soul.
A tapestry of jaw-dropping action, combined with rich STEM content … for example, physics of the real world – how climbing is a tug-of-war between friction and gravity, while skiing involves the same battle of forces in reverse. Educational insights about the engineering of climbing gear and skis, and the aeronautical effects of a wingsuit, are seamlessly integrated with dramatic visuals and action. The film is narrated by Willem Dafoe and was released in early 2018.
(AKA Egypt: Secrets of the Mummies)
Journey to the royal tombs of Egypt and explore the history of ancient Egyptian society as told through the mummies of the past. The film follows explorers and scientists as they piece together the archeological and genetic clues of Egyptian mummies, and provides audiences with a window into the fascinating and mysterious world of the pharaohs. To unwrap the secrets of the pharaohs is to perhaps glimpse the future of our own civilization.
Mysteries of China captures one of the great archaeological events in modern times telling the story of ancient China, the First Emperor, and the literal foundation of the China we know today. Starting with modern China and springing back as we seek the birth of this mighty nation, we talk of an ancient time when a fierce warrior brought together a warring nation, and how an accidental discovery changed everything we know about China’s past.
It happened in 1974 when farmers digging a well in Xi’an stumbled upon one of the greatest archaeological finds the world had ever discovered – the Terracotta Warriors and the Tomb of the First Emperor. The Terracotta Warriors offer a unique time capsule into the past revealing many things about the very founding of this great country which we use to tell a larger story of the growth of China into a true superpower.
From modern China to ancient China and back again, the film is a visual adventure using beautiful aerial photography and cutting-edge time-lapse techniques to reveal great majesty, tragedy, splendor, and growth in a nation that continues to excel quickly into the future.
Mysteries of the Great Lakes is a timely film. All across the Great Lakes basin, there is a renewed interest in the health of the Lakes, and an increased awareness of the importance of this fresh water resource to the social and economic vitality of North America. Dubbed ‘inland seas’ by early European explorers, the Great Lakes have some of the most spectacular wilderness scenery on earth, and a fifth of all the planet’s fresh water. Today, 25% of all Canadians and 10% of Americans live on the Great Lakes. In addition, one in every three Canadians and one in every seven Americans rely on the Great Lakes for their fresh water.
Through several interlocking stories including the story of maritime commerce and the ships that move cargo through the inland waterway, Mysteries of the Great Lakes will take you on a journey through the greatest lake system in the world, and showcase the amazing geography, ecology, science, and history of the region through the most powerful film medium in the world — IMAX.
Narrated by Academy Award® winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation’s awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Immersive IMAX® 3D cinematography takes viewers soaring over red rock canyons, hurtling up craggy mountain peaks and into other-worldly realms found within America’s most legendary outdoor playgrounds, including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, and Arches. Celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the national parks with world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb and explore their way across America’s majestic parks in an action-packed expedition that will inspire the adventurer in us all.
500 million years ago life left this blue womb and colonized the land, but we are still intricately linked to the ocean. Our climates, coastlines, ecosystems, and economies are tied to the perpetual movement of water between continents. The great ocean currents are the arteries and veins of Planet Earth! This is the story of one particularly fascinating flow – the East Australian Current, a massive oceanic river that stretches the length of Australia’s east coast.
Rescue plunges audiences into the hard, but inspiring work of saving lives in the face of a natural disaster. Behind the scenes, the film follows a Canadian naval commander, two pilots, and a volunteer rescue technician as they train for action. When an earthquake strikes Haiti, creating one of the biggest humanitarian disasters of the century, the audience is swept along, joining with the massive effort that brings military and civilian responders and hardware from around the world. Rescue is a journey of real-world disaster and emergency response captured (in 3D) with unprecedented scale and impact for the giant screen.