Discover the wonders of Galapagos 3D

HOUSTON, January 5, 2008 - Almost a billion people around the world have traveled to places that they may never have seen except through the magical lens of IMAX®. Experience drama, emotion and adventure in Galapagos 3D, at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Wortham IMAX® Theatre beginning Jan. 7. Plunge 3,000 feet underwater into lava tubes, soar over the peaks of 5,000-foot volcanoes and come face-to-face with an abundance of marine life, including sea lions; giant tortoises; marine iguanas; and the world’s largest shark.

Follow Smithsonian Institution marine biologist Dr. Carole Baldwin on her first undersea, on-land expedition to the Galapagos Islands, a group of 19 islands and 42 islets located on the equator, 600 miles west of the Ecuadorian mainland. Featuring stark landscapes that show clear evidence of the violent physical forces that originally created the islands fewer than three million years ago, these same forces continue to change the islands even today.

Galápagos like never before

“Most marine biologists never get the chance to go deep-sea-diving. Since less than one percent of the ocean’s floor has been explored, this expedition was a dream come true,” said Baldwin. “We made some of the most eye-opening discoveries between 200 and 1,000 feet, a level rich in sea life, but too deep for conventional scuba gear and often neglected by deep-sea explorers. Below 1,200 feet, it’s perpetually dark, and that’s where you begin to find the curious bioluminescent animals. The amount of activity at 3,000 feet is incredible.”

Filming underwater in 3D format presented some technical challenges for the film crew. The biggest test was figuring out how to handle and operate the camera, which weighs 1700 pounds, and to maneuver the camera in a natural history configuration.

Galapagos 3D/2

“With the enormity of the camera itself, coupled with the large casing that was needed to withstand water seepage and the pressure at lower depths, it would take 10 people to get the camera into the water, and between two to five of us to get it to the bottom,” said Al Gidding, co-director, producer and underwater cinematographer. “Trying to do moving shots and drift with the current, trying to get to the sharks and other animals when you need four or five people just to help you get the camera to the shooting position.”"

Narrated by actor Kenneth Branagh and presented by the Smithsonian Institution and IMAX Ltd., Galapagos 3D is the next best thing to being there.

Classic IMAX®Film—Limited Engagement

Returning to the Houston Museum of Natural Science Wortham IMAX® Theatre for a limited time only is Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa, a David Breashears film, produced by Kilimanjaro Inc., in collaboration with the Houston Museum of Natural Science; the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Museum of Science, Boston; and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.

This classic film is an adventure of the human spirit that follows five trekkers and a local Chagga guide to the top of Kilimanjaro, the largest freestanding mountain in the world. Along their journey of courage and endurance, this diverse group of trekkers encounters strange landscapes and endures harsh conditions as they travel through five climate zones ranging from the lower rainforest reaches of Kilimanjaro to the summit’s arctic glaciers, all the while learning about the formation of the African continent and the Great Rift Valley.

See more, hear more, feel more in IMAX®. Tickets for Galapagos 3D and Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa in the Wortham IMAX® Theater are $10 for adults; $8 for children (3-11), seniors (62+) and students with a valid college ID; and $6.50 for groups of 20 or more. For tickets, visit www.hmns.org or call 713-639-4629.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science—one of the nation’s most heavily attended museums—is a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls, and the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium and George Observatory and as host to world-class and ever-changing touring exhibitions, the Museum has something to delight every age group. With such diverse and extraordinary offerings, a trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, located at One Hermann Circle Drive in the heart of the Museum District, is always an adventure.