Press Release
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVES INTO THE LOST WORLD OF MARINE REPTILES WITH ‘SEA MONSTERS: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’ Premieres at Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre on Oct. 5, 2007
ATLANTA—National Geographic’s new giant-screen film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, premieres at Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre on October 5, 2007. The film brings to life the extraordinary marine reptiles of the dinosaur age on the world’s biggest screens. From the giraffe-necked Styxosaurus and 20-foot “bulldog” fish Xiphactinus to the T. rex of the ocean— the 40-foot super-predator Tylosaurus—these wondrous beasts defy imagination.
The film—narrated by Tony Award-winning actor Liev Schreiber with an original score by longtime musical collaborators Richard Evans, David Rhodes and Peter Gabriel—takes audiences on a remarkable journey into the relatively unexplored world of the “other dinosaurs,” those reptiles that lived beneath the water. Funded in part through a grant from the National Science Foundation, the film delivers the fascinating science behind what we know, and a vision of history’s grandest ocean creatures.
“This is the first giant-screen film about what lived in the water during the dinosaur age,” said producer Lisa Truitt, president of National Geographic Giant Screen Films and Special Projects. “It is perfect subject matter for such an immersive format, one that allows these giants to literally swim off the screen and directly into the audience.”
The Cretaceous world was very different from the Earth we know today. Eighty million years ago, places such as Kansas were at the bottom of a great inland sea that divided North America. A warmer climate meant more of the globe was submerged—Europe was just a smattering of islands, much of Asia was underwater and a shallow ocean engulfed nearly all of Australia. On this sodden sphere, cold-blooded seagoing reptiles flourished, and as these ocean giants died, their skeletons were left in locations that are now high and dry.
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure weaves together spectacular photorealistic animation with standout finds from paleontological digs around the world—treasures that shed light on the film’s incredible cast of characters.
The filmfollows a family of Dolichorhynchops, also known informally as “Dollies,” as they traverse ancient waters populated with saber-toothed fish, prehistoric sharks and giant squid. On their journey the Dollies encounter other extraordinary sea creatures: lizard-like reptiles called Platecarpus that swallowed their prey whole like snakes; Styxosaurus with necks nearly 20 feet long and paddle-like fins as large as an adult human; and at the top of the food chain, the monstrous Tylosaurus, a predator with no enemies.
“The great reptiles of the prehistoric seas are often over-shadowed by dinosaurs. Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure is a visually stunning look into their world,” said Gina Root, Fernbank Museum’s Environmental Education Specialist. “The beautiful animation and realistic images in the film give people an amazing glimpse of what life was like in the Cretaceous seas.”
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure is a remarkable visual journey that also educates audiences on the “How do we know that?” side of paleontology. Do scientists need full skeletons to learn about these creatures? Not always, as we learn from shark teeth found throughout the central United States—proof that these modern-day hunters were thriving during the age of dinosaurs, when Kansas was at the bottom of the sea. How do we know what these creatures ate, and what pursued them? The shapes of jaws and teeth provide dietary clues, and occasionally paleontologists are lucky enough to discover bones of one species inside the remains of another. In fact, one fossilized Xiphactinus, a 17-foot-long predatory fish, was found with an entire 6-foot fish inside—swallowed whole.
From fossil digs to larger-than-life visions of predatory chases in shallow seas, the film immerses audiences in a rarely explored environment during the dinosaur age. Merging ultra-high-resolution graphics with National Geographic’s trademark authenticity, compelling imagery and powerful storytelling, the film is a perfect combination of subject and medium: ancient leviathans of the deep brought to life in the world’s biggest film format.
Coinciding with the national film launch, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure shows daily at Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s IMAX® Theatre from October 5, 2007—March 21, 2008. Tickets are available by phone at 404.929.6400. IMAX® tickets are $11 for adults, $10 for students/seniors, $9 for children, and $6 for members. Fernbank is located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.fernbankmuseum.org.
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Distributed by National Geographic, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure will be supported by companion books for both adults and young readers in standard, 3-D and pop-up formats. A video game licensed by Destination Software Incorporated will be released to coincide with the worldwide premiere of the film and will be available on the Sony PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. These, plus an additional line of Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure licensed products, including plush toys, puzzles and apparel, will be available at www.nationalgeographic.com/store. Additional information on the film as well as an educational poster, lessons and activities for teachers and informal educators can be found at www.nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters.
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