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The wonders of the sea in 3D
About 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water, and most of that is made up by the ocean
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bout 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered with water, and most of that is made up by the ocean. The sandy water, rolling waves, or frosty ice of the ocean hides an amazing variety of underwater worlds that are home to countless species of plants and animals.
As a tribute to the ocean and all its wonders and mysteries, the exciting new underwater film OceanWorld 3D takes moviegoers on an awesome journey that captures the beauty and diversity of the oceans - the source of all life on our planet.
OceanWorld 3D is the first feature-length nature documentary ever filmed and released in 3D, using the 3D large format underwater digital, boasting naturally beautiful views you can also smell and touch, thanks to the filmmakers' use of natural lighting.
The 85-minute movie was created by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the celebrated underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, directed by Jean-Jacques Mantello, and co-produced by Disneynature and 3D Entertainment chairman Francois Mantello, who has produced such 3D movies as Sharks 3D, Ocean Wonderland 3D, Dolphins and Whales 3D: Tribes of the Ocean.
WWF-Indonesia recently invited the public to watch the movie in commemoration of National Flora and Fauna Day on Nov. 5.
The movie begins with a female sea turtle who is about to embark on a journey of thousands of kilometers across the ocean in a bid to find a good place to lay her eggs.
As viewers we accompany her, getting a close-up look at her fascinating voyage to such places as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Californian kelp forests, Argentina's Peninsula Valdez and Mexico's Roca Partida Island, which is home to thousands of sharks.
As the turtle heads east, she encounters some of the most spectacular and unforgettable scenes of life beneath the waves ever captured: the manta ray's enchanting ballet, the lion fish's relentless hunt, a group of young dolphins playing algae-soccer; the astonishing beauty of the Spanish dancer sea slug and leafy sea dragon. She also sees sardines swimming busily around in large groups to confuse their enemies.
But also, she must protect herself from a number of predators, such as silver-tipped sharks, big tiger sharks, of hammerhead sharks and white-tipped sharks, which are most notable for their long, white-tipped, rounded fins.
Sharks are often referred to as the cleaners of the sea as they feed on the dead. The turtle sees how silver-tipped sharks try to find prey, eating moray eels. She feels relief when two dolphins escape from a group of hungry sharks.
Sea snakes are dangerous for sea creatures like turtles, because their venom is more powerful than that of the cobra, paralyzing the victim.
The movie also features some of the largest cetaceans (aquatic mammals) on the planet.
Take sperm whales, the deepest diving mammals, which live in the open sea and hunt for giant squid, or humpback whales that consume thousands of kilograms of fish and shrimp everyday.
You can also see the world's largest fish, the whale shark, which is up to 2.65 meters long, and weighs more than 21.5 tons. Despite its size, it also feeds on plankton.
Most of the species that appeared in the movie are categorized as vulnerable, endangered or even critically endangered.
OceanWorld 3D is reminiscent of Pixar's animated movie Finding Nemo, a comedic yet eventful journey of a clown fish in the Great Barrier Reef named Marlin, who searches for his little son Nemo, joining a club with sharks, dodging jellyfish and hooking a ride with turtles, along the way.
The film also reminds us to appreciate the richness of the ocean, as well as to preserve its biodiversity.
The Nov. 5 WWF event was part of the organization's global climate campaign Vote Earth, which aims to secure an effective deal at the Copenhagen Climate Summit in December.
"We hope that this movie also inspires Indonesians to start thinking wisely before deciding to eat seafood. Because some of the seafood products are considered to be vulnerable and even endangered species," said Fitrian Ardiansyah, WWF program director for climate and energy.
Some local seafood products that are categorized as vulnerable or endangered species are lobster, grouper, tuna fish, skipjack tuna and sea turtles.
For centuries people have regarded the ocean as an inexhaustible supply of food, a useful transport route and even a dumping ground.
But human activity, particularly during the past few decades, has pushed the oceans to their limit.
A number of human activities threaten the health of the open ocean. According to WWF, these include overfishing, inadequate protection of marine habitat and species, shipping, tourism and coastal development, dumping waste that causes pollution (untreated sewage, garbage, fertilizers, pesticides, industrial chemicals) and fish farming.
Other factors are climate change phenomena such as coral bleaching, rising sea levels and changing species distributions.
So it's time for us to lend a hand to save the ocean before it gets worse and its species become relegated to the history books.
OceanWorld 3D is currently screening at Blitzmegaplex
