“Spectacular…” – Matt Zoller Seitz, The New York Times
“It’s ‘Finding Nemo’ with a ‘Wow’ factor of 100.” – Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
“A visually stunning affair…” – Mike Scott, New Orleans Times-Picayune
WASHINGTON (June 22, 2009)—For the first time, National Geographic will deliver the thrills and chills of some of the Dinosaur Age’s most fearsome marine reptiles to home viewers as “Sea Monsters 3-D: A Prehistoric Adventure” and its stunning 3-D effects go from the giant screen to DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
The film brings to life the extraordinary prehistoric creatures of the deep. The DVD edition, packaged in a lenticular cover and supplemented with four pairs of 3-D glasses and an interactive timeline, is available for $19.97 SRP. The Blu-ray edition is available for $28.99 SRP. Both can be found in stores where DVDs are sold, online at shopNGvideos.com or by calling (800) 627-5162.
“Sea Monsters 3-D: A Prehistoric Adventure,” 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 often overlooked world of the “other dinosaurs,” those reptiles that lived beneath the water. Funded in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the film delivers a vision of some of Earth’s grandest ocean creatures.
“Sea Monsters 3-D: A Prehistoric Adventure” weaves together spectacular photorealistic animation with stand-out finds from paleontological digs around the world — treasures that shed light on the film’s incredible cast of characters.
The film follows a family of Dolichorhynchops, 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.
“Sea Monsters 3-D: 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.
An audience and critics’ favorite, the film has won the Visual Effects Society’s award for Special Venue Project and a Golden Reel award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors Association for Best Sound Editing — Special Venue.
The film can currently be seen on the giant screen and in digital theaters in 3-D at 70 theaters worldwide, including recently added engagements at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute; the Science Spectrum in Lubbock, Texas; the Proctors Theater in Schenectady, N.Y.; and the Louisville Science Center in Louisville, Ky. Also available are “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” companion books for adults and young readers in standard, 3-D and pop-up formats; a video game licensed by Destination Software Incorporated, available in Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ formats; and a line of licensed plush toys, puzzles and apparel available at www.nationalgeographic.com/store.
National Geographic Entertainment (NGE) was established in 2007, combining into a single operating group National Geographic’s Cinema Ventures, Feature Films, Kids Entertainment, Home Entertainment and Music & Radio business units. NGE is part of National Geographic Global Media (NGGM), also formed in 2007, bringing together all of National Geographic’s editorial platforms to streamline collaboration and further support the Society’s mission. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” National Geographic works to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 300 million people worldwide each month through magazines, books, digital media, television, radio, music and film. It funds more than 250 scientific research, exploration and conservation projects each year and supports an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.
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“Sea Monsters 3-D: A Prehistoric Adventure”
Street Date:Aug. 11, 2009
Order Due Date:July 7, 2009
Suggested Retail Price:$19.97 (DVD)/$28.99 (Blu-ray)
Feature Run Time:Approx. 40 Minutes
Contacts:
Elizabeth Nickless
National Geographic
202-775-6163
enickles@ngs.org