Sea Monsters – A Prehistoric Adventure

National Geographic’s new giant-screen film “Sea Monsters 3D: A Prehistoric Adventure”, the first release to premier simultaneously across all UK IMAX cinemas and selected specialty theatres on 20 October 2007, brings to life the extraordinary marine reptiles of the dinosaur age in spectacular photo-realistic 3D.

With an original score by long-time British musical collaborators Richard Evans, David Rhodes and Peter Gabriel, and narration from Tony award winning actor Liev Schreiber, the 40-minute adventure weaves together ultra-high-resolution 3D graphics with standout finds from palaeontological digs around the world. The result is an amazing cast of scientifically accurate sea creatures from the Cretaceous period, created in part by UK visual effects vendor CineVision, a major contributor to the film’s impressive 60 percent CGI.

From fossil digs to larger-than-life visions of predatory chases in shallow seas, the audience is taken on a journey by a family of Dolichorhynchops, informally know as “Dollies,” as they traverse ancient waters and 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 T-Rex of the ocean, the monstrous Tylosaurus, a predator without enemies.

“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 Cinema Ventures. “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. Eighty million years ago 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. Cold-blooded seagoing reptiles flourished, and as these oceanic giants died, their skeletons were left in locations that are now high and dry.

Merging National Geographic’s trademark authenticity, compelling imagery and powerful storytelling, “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” is a perfect combination of subject and medium: ancient leviathans of the deep brought to life in a magnificent 3D format.

“Sea Monsters; A Prehistoric Adventure” is funded in part through a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

For more information, visit Nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/.