It’s a natural history epic. It’s a compelling detective story. It’s a scientific adventure at its best. It took Dr. Fred Urquhart almost 40 years to discover the Monarch butterflies’ secret hideaway and prove the most incredible migration on Earth. Following the year-long annual migration cycle of the butterflies, the award-winning production team filmed hundreds of millions of Monarchs in their remote overwintering sanctuaries in Mexico in 2011 and 2012, and also along their migratory routes from Canada, across the U.S. and into Mexico. The technology of 15/70 IMAX 3D film immerses you in this astounding migration experience as two generations of the Monarch butterflies migrate north, and then a “Super Generation” miraculously finds its way from Canada to a few isolated mountaintops in Mexico!
about the movie
FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES 3D
Traditional IMAX Documentary Film
Narrated By Megan Follows & Gordon Pinsent
Not Rated
Running Time: Approx. 45 minutes Shows Daily.
An awe-inspiring tale of extraordinary insect endurance and human perseverance!
Flight of the Butterflies 3D is an interconnected scientific adventure story that spans not only thousands of miles, but generations. It’s about the remarkable Monarch butterfly migration, the most incredible migration on Earth, and the determined scientist who spent 40 years trying to discover exactly where the butterflies mysteriously disappeared when they flew south for winter.
Dr. Fred Urquhart is the man obsessed with Monarchs. The obsession started in his youth, when he began to wonder where the butterflies spent the winter months. His passion became his profession as he went on to become a zoologist/biologist, teacher and university professor. Along with his wife Norah, he founded the Insect Migration Association, enlisting thousands of volunteers across North America to tag hundreds of thousands of butterflies to track their migration route. This association ultimately helped Dr. Urquhart discover, in 1975, that millions of butterflies migrated to the remote Transvolcanic Belt of central Mexico.
Danaus plexippus or Dana for short, is the Monarch we follow on her perilous journey from Mexico to Canada, along with her daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter. The outstanding fourth, or “Super Generation” of butterflies travels more than 2,000 km south, all the way from the northern United States and southern Canada to Mexico, overwinters and makes one final short trip to the southern United States to lay eggs. Then, the cycle begins again. It is one incredible journey you won’t want to miss!
Click here to access the official web site for Flight of the Butterflies 3D.
Click here to download the official educator guides for Flight of the Butterflies 3D.
curriculum connections
To view the curriculum connections for Flight of the Butterflies 3D, click here.
pricing
SENIORS age 62 & up, $9
ADULTS age 13-61, $10
YOUTH age 5-12, $8.50
CHILDREN 4 & under, $8.50
MEMBERS 15% off all pricing above
A $2.50 service fee will be charged for all call center and internet advance purchases.
special information
Tickets are available online at www.thehenryford.org/imax, or by phone through The Henry Ford Call Center (open 7 days a week, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm) 313-982-6001. Tickets can be mailed when reservations are made 2 weeks or more in advance. Tickets purchased less than 2 weeks in advance will be held at IMAX Will Call.
Please park in the IMAX Theater lot on the west side of Henry Ford Museum. Parking is always FREE for IMAX-only guests.
(Please Note: Flight of the Butterflies 3D begins promptly at its published show times – there will be NO preview trailers and NO commercial advertisements shown prior to the movie. No late entries will be permitted.)
directions/maps
The Henry Ford is located in Dearborn, Michigan on the corner of Village Road and Oakwood Boulevard, just west of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and south of Michigan Avenue (US-12).
The Henry Ford
20900 Oakwood Blvd.
Dearborn, MI 48124-5029
From the East or West via I-94:
Take I-94 to the Oakwood Boulevard exit; go north on Oakwood. The Henry Ford is 2.5 miles from the exit on the corner of Village Road and Oakwood Boulevard.
From the South via I-75:
Exit to northbound Southfield Freeway (M-39); drive 4.1 miles to Oakwood Boulevard (Exit 4). Left on Oakwood and drive 1.8 miles.
From the North via Southfield Road (or I-96):
Take Southfield Freeway (M-39) south 4.5 miles past I-96 and exit at Michigan avenue (Exit 6). Continue on the Southfield service drive (veer left) for .5 mile. At the first stoplight, turn right onto Village Road (through the iron gates) and drive .75 mile.
Metro Detroit often has major construction projects. Please check the following sites for the latest on construction areas and road closures.
