Island Of Lemurs: Madagascar

If you're dedicated to home entertainment and have gone through all the trouble of buying a 3D television and Blu-ray player and you have the appropriate glasses, then IMAX's "Island of Lemurs: Madagascar" is certainly a movie you'll want in your collection.

Even if you aren't set up for 3D, the images in this movie are a sight to behold. Vast aerial photography, intimate, detailed close-ups and mystical slow-motion shots take you on a Safari in your own living room.

Certain lemurs have never survived in captivity, so it's very likely that this may be your only opportunity to see these "wandering spirits" as they sing, dance and leap through the tropical forests of Madagascar.

Dr. Patricia C. Wright originally went to Madagascar to solve a mystery. No one had seen the Greater Bamboo Lemur in 50 years. It was lost, and -- scientists feared -- extinct. When she finally found them, she knew she needed to take action, and she dedicated her life to natural preserves, "wild places," in which they could freely roam.

Lemurs are the most ancient primate on earth, and the only place they can be found is this island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Southeast Africa. The biggest threat to the many species of lemurs that inhabit this place is man-made fires. Madagascar has not been occupied by humans for very long, but the people who live there now raise cattle, and those cattle need a place to graze. Acres of rain forests are being burned every year to create this space.

As far as education tools go, "Lemurs" sets a great example in that all the scientists in the film are women and their main goal is conservation.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this relatively short but enthralling IMAX spectacular also has a host of special features to further your knowledge of the unusual world of lemurs. In many of these writer and producer Drew Fellman takes us behind the scene, so we also see how this extraordinary movie was made.

"Island of Lemurs: Madagascar"
Blu-ray 3D (regular Blu-ray compatible) + DVD Combo Pack
Rated G / 41 min.
www.imax.com/