I love love loved this film. Nothing quite makes your day like the spring of a carefree lemur. That said, the film certainly makes a strong point of pointing a finger at those other pesky primates (ahem, us) for burning down a great deal of Madagascar’s forests. And btw, that little Island is the only home they’ve got, so to simplify options for those who want to see lemurs in as realistic of a setting as possible, go to Madagascar, or watch this film in a real IMAX theatre. There are no lemurs in zoos – they don’t do captivity very well.

The film not only gives us adorable shots of springing lemurs of several varieties, it also offers up a wide view of Madagascar: its vistas, its textures, its people, its flavor. That would have been enough for me, but if you love story, you can follow along with Dr. Patricia Wright as she does her best to save a once-thought-extinct species of lemur. Filmmakers and indeed, Patricia, do a great job of bringing her to the big screen in an easy-going comfortable natural way.

Not all of the 3D (or focus) is rock solid, and some low-res images are integrated – but this big picture works! It has breadth, and an incredibly camera-friendly subject, and all the charm of the Lemurs of Madagascar. I could watch this over and over.

BTW, I screened this film at California Science Center. If you’re in Los Angeles, go see Lemurs there because your IMAX ticket stub gets you in to the structure housing the actual Space Shuttle Endeavor resting in the adjacent Museum. The shuttle is a marvel. These are some wonderful attractions that I heartily recommend!

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --