Once upon a time, Lemurs ruled Madagascar. They settled there after floating from Africa millions of years ago. These precious primates flourished on the deserted island up until mans arrival 2,000 years ago. That’s when life changed for these prosimians. This is how the IMAX documentary Island of Lemurs: Madagascar begins. Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman gracefully narrates the story of lemurs arrival to Madagascar. He then leads us into the evolution of Lemurs who were once the size of gorillas. Unfortunately, they were killed off. Others have been killed off too and now lemurs are endangered due to the effects of the modern world.
There are 103 different breeds of lemurs and the movie Island of Lemurs features ten kinds. Dr. Patricia Wright, who is one of America’s leading primatologists, has studied lemurs for the past 35 years and seeks to save these unusual creatures. She’s the scientific consultant to this film and she explains her love for the animals and the challenges they face.
My daughter and I watched the film together. We loved it. We laughed, danced in our seats and “oohed” and “ahhed” through much of the movie! I feel that it’s important that she learns about wildlife and other parts of the earth. It’s never too early to expose or give children the skills they need to take care of our earth and to respect every creature that lives here.
Island of Lemurs: Madagascar is a wonderful film to see what with your family. You will adore the wide-eyes of the lemurs and smile as some dance across the terrain. Plus, you will even get a glimpse of their offspring. The narration was engaging and the cinematography was spectacular. Race across the trees with the lemurs and get an up-close look at their beautiful faces. The 3D is so superb that my daughter reached out for the Lemurs on a few occasions!
This family-friendly movie provided a fun, educational experience. We learned a tremendous amount of information on lemurs. My family values what we learned and wished the movie was longer. The whole event evoked numerous questions from our daughter about lemurs and where they live. We’ve done some of our own research at home and I was fortunate to interview Dr. Wright and ask about life on Madagascar as well as my daughter’s question- “Why are the Lemur’s eyes so round?” (read Lemur Talk here)
This film was released by Warner Brothers Entertainment. It is rated G and runs 39 minutes. If you are in Los Angeles, I recommend seeing Island of Lemurs: Madagascar at the IMAX theater at the California Science Center. Explore the center together and then view this spectacular movie.
* We attended a screening of this film to facilitate this review. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.
