'Flight of the Butterflies' Arrives at the California Science Center in 3D IMAX

CC outside of "Flight of the Butterflies"

These days, it seems as if every film is being converted into 3D whether it needs to or not. However, Flight of the Butterflies, a live-action and CGI film that tracks the migration of monarch butterflies, is one 3D film that truly soars in the medium.

Now playing at the California Science Center's IMAX theater, Flight of the Butterflies is a beautiful, child-friendly film that spans three countries and three generations of butterflies. The story follows Toronto scientist Dr. Fred Urquhart and his wife, Norah, who spend 40 years trying to find out where the gorgeous butterflies go in the winter.

An early adopter of "crowdsourcing," Urquart figures out a way to attach tags to monarchs in Canada, and he asks people across the continent to contact him when they find the butterflies. He discovers that they are migrating south to Texas and beyond in the winter. But where do they actually end up? That's the mystery. (Just to note, actors portray the scientist and other characters.)

What they discover is truly remarkable -- I won't give everything away. The monarchs do find a very special place to spend the winter months, far away from where Urquhart and his helpers would have thought, in the mountains of Mexico. Not only that, but it takes three full life cycles for the butterflies to actually make it there.

It's pretty amazing.

Not only that, but the 3D was stunning. Children, including my own, were actually reaching out their hands in hopes of touching a flying monarch. The IMAX screen is so huge to make the audience feel as if they themselves are tiny creatures in an expansive Texas field. And the CGI is used creatively to recreate the inside of a chrysalis.

The film is a beautiful, engaging way to show the wonder of nature.



Flight of the Butterflies
Rated: G; 45 min.
California Science Center IMAX Theater
700 Exposition Park Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90037
Tickets: $8.25 (adult); $5 (child)