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3D Blu-ray Review Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Todd Erwin

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Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D Blu-ray Review

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar is an entertaining, somewhat educational short produced for IMAX theatres. Photographed in native IMAX 3D, and narrated by Morgan Freeman, the film takes a brief overview of the many different species of lemurs in their natural habitat and the conservation efforts to help prevent many of them from becoming extinct.



Studio: Warner Brothers

Distributed By: N/A

Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC, 1080P/MVC

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Rating: G

Run Time: 0 Hr. 41 Min.

Package Includes: Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet

2-disc Blu-ray keepcase

Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer), DVD-5 (single layer)

Region: All

Release Date: 03/31/2015

MSRP: $35.99




The Production Rating: 4/5

It is very likely that lemurs would not be as popular among children if it weren’t for the series of Madagascar movies from DreamWorks Animation. The island is almost as mysterious as Easter Island and the Galapagos, all are home to species of animals that can only be found there natively. Island of Lemurs: Madagascar offers up the theory that a small group of lemurs, during prehistoric times, hitchhiked on a floating mass of driftwood from the mainland to Madagascar, in essence becoming the Adam and Eve of all lemurs. Morgan Freeman’s narration is very natural as he takes us on this journey, with assistance from primatologist Dr. Patricia Wright, the Jane Goodall of lemurs, who educates the people living on Madagascar about conservation, and helps to document and track the various species on the island.

The true highlight of the film, as is true of most IMAX documentaries, are the visuals of the various species of lemurs that inhabit the island: the familiar ring-tailed lemur, the indri (who love to sing to one another), the sifaka (who dance gracefully), the mouse lemur (the smallest known lemur species), and the nearly extinct great bamboo lemur, for whom Dr. Wright searches the island to find suitable mates for the nature preserve. The film never goes into too much depth, director/cinematographer David Douglas (Born To Be Wild) provides enough cuteness to keep the kids interested for its brief 40 minute running time.



Video Rating: 4.5/5  3D Rating: 4/5

As expected with most transfers of IMAX films to Blu-ray, the video (both 2D and 3D) is exceptional. Colors are consistent and appear to have a much higher fidelity than your typical movie transfer, yet are never oversaturated. Fine detail is exquisite, with each strand of fur visible, even during wider shots of the lemurs. Contrast is quite good, although there are a few situations where it appears to be running a bit hot. The Blu-ray contains both the 3D and 2D versions on the same disc. The 2D was compressed using the AVC codec, 3D with the MVC codec, both retaining the film’s intended Digital IMAX theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

The 3D version shares the same video quality as the 2D version, but with an emphasis on depth throughout most of the film, although the brief animated sequence early in the movie depicting how the prehistoric lemurs arrived on Madagascar is very 2-dimensional. There are only a few instances of pop-out, where it seems like a lemur is about to leap into your living room and on to your lap or limbs from trees protruding from your television screen. Ghosting and crosstalk were virtually non-existent on my Samsung 60F7100, especially after adjusting the 3D settings on the TV and using XpanD Universal RF 3D glasses rather than Samsung’s included battery-operated ones.



Audio Rating: 4.5/5

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is enjoyable, with Morgan Freeman’s narration and other dialogue directed to the center channel, allowing the score by Mark Mothersbaugh (The LEGO Movie) and atmospheric sounds to spread out across the fronts and surrounds. The surrounds get a nice workout, particularly during the sequence on the Indri lemurs, with their musical callings emanating from all areas of your listening space.



Special Features Rating: 3/5

The Special Features on the disc are nothing more than short promotional spots that likely appeared on the movie’s website.

Making of “The Island of Lemurs” (1080p, 4:49): Interviews with Dr. Patricia Wright, Morgan Freeman, director David Douglas, and other crew members discuss the making of the film, including some of the challenges they faced.

Behind the Scenes (1080p, 2:20): Shorter look at the making of the film.

The Story of Lemurs (1080p, 5:43): Patricia Wright, David Douglas, and producer David Fellman discuss the theory of how the lemurs got to Madagascar and evolved, among other topics.

Meet Patricia Wright (1080p, 3:38): The title pretty sums it up, as we learn a bit more about the primatologist.

A Baby Indri (1080p, 2:12): Producer David Fellman discusses working with the scientists on the film.

Five Things About Indri (1080p, 2:15): A fun trivia countdown for the kids.

The Cutest Lemur (1080p, 1:42): Fellman and Wright discuss the bamboo lemur.

Go-Kart Racers (1080p, 2:02): A behind the scenes look at how the sequence of the kids from Madagascar racing their go-karts down the hill was filmed.

UltraViolet HD Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy through Ultraviolet partners, and expires on March 31, 2018.

DVD Copy: The feature, in standard definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, trailers for Flintstones: Stone Age Smackdown and Hillsong: Let Hope Rise, plus the bonus features Making of “Island of Lemurs”, Behind the Scenes, and The Cutest Lemur.



Overall Rating: 4/5

Although not quite as informative as one would hope for a documentary on lemurs, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar provides a nice entertaining introduction for children interested in learning more about these amazing animals. Both the 2D and 3D versions look and sound great, and the bonus features compliment the feature nicely, even if they are nothing more than fluffy promo pieces.


Reviewed By: Todd Erwin


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