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 keepcaseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer), DVD-5 (single layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 03/31/2015
MSRP: $35.99
The Production Rating: 4/5
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
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
Special Features Rating: 3/5
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
Reviewed By: Todd Erwin
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