Teacher’s Choice: IMAX Documentaries

A BEAUTIFUL PLANET

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2016

Synopsis: A Beautiful Planet is a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before.

Made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet—and the effects humanity has had on it over time—captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). From space, Earth blazes at night with the electric intensity of human expansion—a direct visualization of our changing world. But it is within our power to protect the planet. As we continue to explore and gain knowledge of our galaxy, we also develop a deeper connection to the place we all call home.

From IMAX Entertainment and Toni Myers—the acclaimed filmmaker behind celebrated IMAX® documentaries Blue Planet, Hubble, and Space Station —A Beautiful Planet presents an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth and a hopeful look into the future of humanity.

ARCTIC: OUR Frozen Planet

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2023

At the very top of the globe, lies a spectacular, frozen realm. But don’t be fooled by appearances…this place is not frozen in time. It’s a dynamic ecosystem and for thousands of years, its Indigenous people and wildlife have found ways to survive and live in harmony with these extremes.

Embark on a yearlong adventure across the seasons and three continents. Be immersed in the astounding world of narwhals, belugas and polar bears as they navigate ice floes. Hear the thunderous sound of stampeding caribou and muskox trying to escape hungry wolves. Be amazed by hooded seals that blow up red balloons and ice-covered bumblebees that emerge glorious from their winter lairs.

As the planet’s climate is experiencing rapid changes, so is the Arctic. But the changes here are happening faster and more dramatically than anywhere else. Can it keep pace?

Asteroid Hunters

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2020

Synopsis: Narrated by Daisy Ridley, Asteroid Hunters ventures into deep space for a fascinating look at asteroids, their cosmic origins and the potential threat they pose to our world.

This unique documentary introduces asteroid scientists—the best line of defence between Earth and an asteroid’s destructive path—and reveals the cutting-edge tools and techniques they use to detect and track asteroids, and the technology that may one day protect our planet.

Witness the latest in planetary defense and find out how science, ingenuity and determination combine to explore the world’s most preventable natural disaster.

BACK FROM THE BRINK

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2019

Synopsis: Experience on the giant screen the remarkable true story of three animal species rescued from brink of extinction. Meet the scientists, park rangers, and students working to save endangered animals around the world. Discover how California’s enchanting Channel Island Fox is rescued from an invasion of Golden Eagles, the fastest recovery of a species in the history of animal conservation.

Join the former hunters of one of the world’s most endangered primates, the Golden Monkey, who now protect them in the fabled mountains of China’s Yunnan Province. Witness the wondrous migration of the Christmas Island Red Crab, and marvel at their recovery from a Crazy Yellow Ant infestation in one of the most successful bio-control experiments ever undertaken. Join this remarkable and heartfelt adventure to save endangered species around the world.

BACkyard Wilderness (short)

Run Time: 25 minutes

Release Year: 2018

Synopsis: Backyard Wilderness will surprise and entertain viewers with the unexpected wonders of nature that are right under our noses – in our own backyards. Spanning a seasonal year around a suburban home, the film displays a stunning array of unique wildlife images and behavior – all captured by cameras mounted inside dens and nests, and moving along the forest floor and pond bottom, to reveal its inhabitants in rare and breathtaking intimacy.

We follow Katie, a young girl, and her modern family living next to the woods who are blind to the real-life spectacle around them, absorbed by an array of electronic devices in their busy lives. Katie gradually discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door and we experience the joy she finds in her interactions with this new world. The film reminds us that Wi-Fi is not the only connection that matters and that sometimes in ordinary places, you can uncover extraordinary things that could transform you forever – you just need to step outside.

Blue Whales

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2023

Synopsis: Blue Whales: Return of the Giants takes viewers on a journey of a lifetime to explore the world of the magnificent blue whale, a species rebounding from the brink of extinction. Following two scientific expeditions—one to find a missing population of blues off the exotic Seychelles Islands, the other to chronicle whale families in Mexico’s stunning Gulf of California—the film is an inspirational story that transforms our understanding of the largest animal ever to have lived.

Deep Sky

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2023

Synopsis: Deep Sky brings the awe-inspiring images captured by NASA’s Webb Telescope to IMAX—a journey to the beginning of time and space, to never-before-seen cosmic landscapes, recently discovered exoplanets, and planets around other stars.

Follow the global mission to build and launch JWST into orbit in an attempt to answer questions that have haunted us since the beginning of time: Where did we come from? How did the universe begin? Are we alone?

Flight of the butterflies

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2012

Synopsis:

The monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent to a place it has never known.

Follow the monarchs’ perilous journey and join hundreds of millions of real butterflies in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico, with breathtaking cinematography from an award winning team including Oscar® winner Peter Parks. Be captivated by the true and compelling story of an intrepid scientist’s 40-year search to find the monarchs’ secret hideaway.

Global Soundscapes: Mission to Record the Earth

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2018

Synopsis: Global Soundscapes takes you on an ear-opening journey into the science of sound and the emerging field of soundscape ecology.

Embark on a mission to investigate the dramatic soundscapes of Costa Rica’s rainforests, Hawaii’s coral reefs, and Mongolia’s vast grasslands.

HUBBLE

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2010

Synopsis: Experience never-before-seen flights through the farthest reaches of the universe, and accompany spacewalking astronauts on some of the most difficult and important endeavors in NASA’s history. In May 2009, the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched a mission to make vital repairs and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope, the world’s first space-based observatory, 350 miles above the Earth. On board was an IMAX camera, operated by the shuttle astronauts. It captured stunning sequences of the five intricate spacewalks required to make those repairs.

Hubble combines this breathtaking IMAX footage with images taken by the telescope during the nearly 20 years it has been our window into space. Through advanced computer visualization, Hubble’s detailed data becomes a series of scientifically realistic flights that unfold on screen like a guided tour of the universe, through time and space.

INTO AMERICA’S WILD

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2020

Synopsis: Into America’s Wild is a non-stop ride via kayak, bike, train, hot air balloon, zipline, and more into some of the most beautiful but little-known landscapes of North America. From the wilds of Alaska and the lush coastline of Oregon to the ancient canyons of the Southwest and the rolling hills of the Appalachian Trail, Into America’s Wild is wall-to-wall with natural treasures and the joy that comes from spending time in nature.

Setting out on this journey are three trailblazers—Native American astronaut John Herrington, Alaskan bush pilot and youth advocate Ariel Tweto, and record-breaking long-distance hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis—who share a passion for connecting people to experiences in the wild. As they wind their way through the scenic byways, ancient homelands, secret gems, and hidden trails of America, viewers will discover the special human connection we all share with the natural world.

Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2023

Synopsis:

Drawing on decades of work by the world’s most famous living ethologist and environmentalist, Jane Goodall-Reasons for Hope, is an uplifting journey around the globe to highlight good news stories that will inspire people to make a difference in the world around them.

Featured stories such as the Northern Bald Ibis’ migration over the Alps, the re-introduction of the American Bison by the Blackfeet Nation, the worldwide recognized Sudbury Regreening Story and inspiring youth-led initiatives involved in Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots align with historic footage of Jane’s beginnings as a chimpanzee researcher.

Oceans: Our Blue Planet

Run Time: 40 minutes

Release Year: 2018

Synopsis: From BBC Earth and OceanX Media, Oceans: Our Blue Planet takes us on a global odyssey to discover the largest and least explored habitat on earth. New ocean science and technology has allowed us to go further into the unknown than we ever thought possible. From the coastal shallows to deeper, more mysterious worlds, we reveal the untold stories of the oceans’ most astonishing creatures.

Sea Lions: Life By A Whisker

Run Time: 44 minutes

Release Year: 2020

Synopsis: Between a jagged cliff face and a roaring ocean, lives a colony of Australian Sea Lions. In an environment equally as harsh as it is beautiful, be immersed in a classic coming of age tale guided by one of Australia’s most unique, intelligent, and playful animals. Take an intimate journey inside the colony where a life of great intimacy, tenderness, and clumsiness, must often give way to a life of great sacrifice and bravery. Dive into the world of a rare Australian Sea Lion pup – and meet the people that are trying to save her species.

T. rex – Opening October 19

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2024

Synopsis: For over a 100 years, dinosaurs have inspired and thrilled audiences, commanding blockbuster status in museums and at the box office. But among them towers a king — a tyrant lizard king. With leaps in CGI wizardry and revolutions in tyrannosaur paleontology over the past 25 years, the time has come to revisit rex in the world’s prestigious museum cinemas.

WINGS OVER WATER

Run Time: 45 minutes

Release Year: 2022

Synopsis: As the glaciers retreated at the end of the last ice age, they left an astounding gift of connected rivers, lakes and wetlands across the heartland of North America. Today, these largely unknown water highways remain an oasis for sustaining wildlife. From the herds of bison that still roam the Great Plains to the vital honeybees that pollinate our crops and especially for the millions of magnificent birds that migrate along these “flyways.”

Wings Over Water tells the story of the epic journeys of three amazing bird families – the Sandhill Crane, the Yellow Warbler and the Mallard Duck – with extraordinary footage of their fascinating behaviors.

Audiences will be captivated by the triumphs and challenges of these remarkable creatures that defy all odds and soar across mountains, deserts, cities and forests as they head home to raise their young.