Fly with the Butterflies at the Museum of Civilization’s IMAX® Theatre!

October 3, 2012, Gatineau, Quebec— Join us for the Canadian premiere of Flight of the Butterflies 3D! This triumphant journey of perseverance spans thousands of miles and several generations, tracking real monarch butterflies to their mysterious Mexican winter haven, where we will discover a truly spectacular sight: hundreds of millions of real live butterflies.

Based on a remarkable true story, Flight of the Butterflies 3D is the awe-inspiring story of two unlikely heroes that share a common strength. It follows the epic journey of the iconic monarch butterfly in one of the most incredible migrations on Earth and the determined Canadian scientist, Dr. Fred Urquhart, who spent 40 years trying to discover the mysteries surrounding its journey and secret winter hideaway.

What began with a small boy daydreaming about where butterflies went each winter became a lifelong pursuit by Urquhart, who ingeniously enlisted the help of legions of volunteers, known as “citizen scientists,” to help with tagging and tracking the butterflies. The decades-long quest yielded the ultimate discovery of the monarch butterflies’ overwintering sites in the sanctuaries of Mexico.

Through spectacular Giant Screen / IMAX technology, audiences are transported into the tiny world of one intrepid creature—Dana (Dana Plexippus)—and her offspring as they migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and back south again to the captivating, hidden butterfly sanctuaries set 10,000 feet high in the mountains of the States of Michoacán and Mexico. As the film illustrates, it takes two to three generations of butterflies to migrate north from Mexico through the U.S. to Canada and one “super generation” to complete the migration back south to Mexico.

In the immersive 3D Giant Screen environment, movie-goers will experience this journey up close and see the evolution from egg to caterpillar to pupa to butterfly captured for the first time. This Canadian production received major funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Flight of the Butterflies 3D will be featured on the region’s largest screen at the Canadian Museum of Civilization starting October 5.  

For film schedules, please visit our website at www.historymuseum.ca/imax or call 819-776-7010.

Tickets are now on sale at the Museum Box Office.
Individual prices: $11 adults; $9 seniors and students (with valid ID);$7 children 3 to 12; $35 families, plus applicable taxes.
Members of the IMAX^® Club enjoy unlimited access for one year: $35 to $45.

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Information—Media

Stéphanie Verner
Media Relations Officer
Telephone: 819-776-7169 
stephanie.verner@historymuseum.ca

Patricia Lynch
Manager, Media Relations, Partnerships and Special Events
Telephone: 819-776-7167
patricia.lynch@historymuseum.ca