Though they define life for so many of us, familial bonds aren’t an exclusively human notion.
Viewers can get to know some of the most fascinating members of Earth’s family tree and explore the bonds that connect all living things on our planet through an exciting new giant screen film coming soon to the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater. Animal Kingdom: A Tale of Six Families 3D will begin daily screenings on Friday, Aug. 9.
In Animal Kingdom 3D, audiences embark on a fun-filled adventure that sees them swooping across the sweltering African savannah, trekking through dense, snowy forests, and plunging into vast coral reefs. Along the way, they’ll explore animals’ wild relationships as they meet a colorful cast of soaring birds, hard-working insects, scale-armored fish, remarkable mammals, and cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians.
Created by the filmmakers of Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker 3D, Animal Kingdom is a light-hearted production that aims to inspire a wonder for the natural world in everyone, especially younger viewers.
“While watching this film, we want the viewer to step into Animal Kingdom and experience a sense of fun, warmth, wonder, and also a sense of hope for its future,” directors Paula Grusovin and Amelia McCarten say in the film’s production notes. “We wanted the viewer to understand and celebrate that each and every creature in the Animal Kingdom has a role to play – including us!”
On their joyful adventure across our planet, viewers will learn about oddball Dung Beetles, who spend their lives rolling the leavings of larger animals into balls for use as food. They will also be amused by the waddling antics of King Penguins and meet strong elephant matriarchs that lead their family herds across the African savanna.
Through it all, viewers will enjoy stunning (and adorable) up-close 3D footage that leaps out from the IMAX Theater’s 89-foot-wide screen. As the filmmakers dive with whales, viewers also will hear their majestic calls surrounding them, courtesy of the theater’s state-of-the-art, 12-channel audio system.
“It's our hope that our film, Animal Kingdom, can reignite a passion for the natural world and the creatures within it,” Grusovin and McCarten say. “[We want to] empower our little people to celebrate the fact that we are not separate from the animal kingdom. … We are part of it.”
Animal Kingdom is accompanied by an educator’s classroom guide for grades K through 5 that enhances learning opportunities for students through outdoor activities, scientific experiments, and creative activities.
For additional information about Animal Kingdom: A Tale of Six Families 3D, including a screening schedule and advance ticket purchases, visit tnaqua.org/imax/