Island Of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D Leaps Into Chattanooga Feb. 13

A very special group of animals living on a remote island in the Indian Ocean may best be known as characters in animated films, but lemurs are very real. Audiences are sure to fall in love with these high-energy creatures when Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D comes to the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater beginning on Friday, Feb. 13.

This new IMAX 3D film is an engaging expedition and an inspiring account of the life and career of Dr. Patricia C. Wright. She has made the modern-day survival of the highly endangered, but adorable lemurs her life’s work. “The lemurs’ story is one of the great adventures of epic proportions,” said Drew Fellman, the film’s writer/producer. “A twist of fate brought them to this strange island where they forged a new life and whole parallel reality that was uniquely theirs. That really inspired us to make this movie.”

The dramatic vistas and rugged scenery of Madagascar fill the giant, six-story screen, placing audiences in the remote rainforests where lemurs joyously leap from tree to tree and bound across the spectacular landscape. Along the way, viewers feel as though they are face-to-face with several lemur species.

Cartoon-cute, the Ring-tailed Lemur is perhaps the most recognizable because it has been portrayed in films and is a fairly common species in zoos worldwide. Audiences will enjoy seeing the morning routine of Ring-tailed Lemurs. “One of the funniest sights in Madagascar is watching the ringtails sunbathe in the morning,” said Mr. Fellman. “After waking up, they climb to the tops of rocks and trees and open their arms wide to catch the sun.”

Leaping over huge chasms from one craggy rock formation to the next by day, ringtails curl up on the side of a cliff together at night, forming one massive lemur ball with the babies in the center.

However nothing quite captures the fun of lemurdom like the sight of dancing Sifakas.

Sifakas are large, slender lemurs that are mostly arboreal. They can leap great distances between trees that are covered in needle-sharp spines. They’re built for jumping, not walking, and when they travel on the ground; they skip and dance from side to side in what’s been described as a charming lateral ballet. “It’s hilarious, it’s acrobatic, just an extraordinary sight to see,” said Mr. Fellman. 

If the Sifakas are the dance troupe, the Indri, the largest of the lemurs, are the choral masters. “They have a primitive wail that echoes through the forest,” said Mr. Fellman. “The whole group will join in and sing to each other across long distances.”

Mouse Lemurs and Greater Bamboo Lemurs are two species being helped through the conservation efforts of Dr. Wright.

Greater Bamboo Lemurs are extremely rare with perhaps only 300 individuals left in the world.  Dr. Wright has been diligently monitoring their population and even moving a few individuals from one protected forest to another with the hope of bolstering their numbers.  The film crew captured a “love story” between two groups of these critically endangered Greater Bamboo Lemurs. “In a film full of firsts, this was my favorite moment,” said David Douglas, the film’s director and cinematographer. “Capturing that successful meeting and the release that followed, creating a new family and the possibility of replenishing the population.”

The Mouse Lemur is the smallest primate in the world but it still has the same genetic foundation of all primates, including humans.

Dr. Wright has been tracking 500 Mouse Lemurs for more than a decade with microchips. In this case, the researchers are trying to unlock secrets these nocturnal creatures harbor that may yield medical advances for humans. “Mouse Lemurs in captivity are one of the few animals that have been documented getting Alzheimer’s,” said Mr. Douglas. “By conducting a long-term study of wild populations, Dr. Wright and her colleagues hope to analyze the difference between captive and wild populations to search for clues for the disease’s cause.”

Stunning aerial and other views of Madagascar and never-before-filmed footage of lemurs in their natural habitat make Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D  a film that entertains, teaches and encourages the notion that humans are here to share the planet and to protect those who inhabit the Earth along with us.

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D, narrated by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman, is approximately 40 minutes in length and is rated G. It is presented locally by High Point Climbing and Fitness.

View the official Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmt2NmjbYLA

Go to: http://www.tnaqua.org/imax  for showtimes and to purchase tickets online.

Download the free Lemurs education guide: http://islandoflemurs.imax.com/downloads/educator_guide_complete.pdf