This IMAX animal adventure documentary looks like a winner from the trailer, beginning with that big orangutan in the water who looks so human. Just Morgan Freeman’s wonderfully rich voice alone captivates. But what a fun, uplifting subject — helping orphaned animals rejoin their original environments. Hire me to help out on this one!
“Born to be Wild 3D” takes the viewer on an inspirational journey that documents the compassionate rescue of endangered orangutans and elephants. The trailer lets us catch glimpses of how these captivating creatures are raised and eventually reintroduced to their original environments.
Sure to be a visual feast of lush, verdant Indonesian jungles and grand savannahs of Kenya, it seems absolutely redundant to produce this film in 3D as well.
Reports from IMAX indicate that the rescue work is conducted by universally respected animal workers from the Orangutan Foundation in Borneo and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. World-renowned primatologist, Dr. Birute Galdikas, is a key participant in a Borneo rainforest segment. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, known for her work with elephants, leads up the Kenyan rescue mission, where elephants are rehabilitated and returned to their habitat.
Yet it was still a coup to get Academy Award-Winner Freeman to do the narration. From the trailer, you can hear the velvet tones of his deep voice parallel the depth and beauty of the scenery and sensitivity of the caregivers.
However, this kind of exposure is also good for Freeman, 73. His participation was officially signed about two months after the announcement of his divorce, after 26 years of marriage, and the exposure of his alleged 10-year affair with his step-granddaughter, 27. While Freeman and his wife helped raise the step-granddaughter, it appears Freeman may now be planning on marrying her and fathering their child.
Need I re-write the film title…
No matter what the circumstances, this fun film looks like a winner for everyone. Fun, visually mesmerizing and inspirational, hopefully the rescue and reintroduction of these animals meets PETA approval and works out in the long run.
Freeman’s words in the trailer: “Second chances like you’ve never seen before.”
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Studio: Warner Bros Pictures
Release: April 8, 2011
Director: David Lickley
Writer: Drew Fellman
Cast: Morgan Freeman
Genre: Adventure, Documentary
Web site: www.imax.com/borntobewild
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Gah the adorableness is overwhelming! Cute animals + Morgan Freeman = win.
Not a clip from the movie, but a cool clip about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (that serves more than orphaned elephants): http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=61351#61338