Dinosaurs Roar to Life at the Museum of Natural Science
The world's first HoloTheater, located in Houston, shows a production about dinosaurs.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) challenges the concept of a typical exhibition with Dinosaur Discoveries: A Holographic Adventure. The 30-minute movie takes viewers on a journey alongside archaeologists and natural scientists as they delve into the history of dinosaurs.
Upon entering the HoloTheater, audiences are transported to a time when these now-extinct creatures roamed the Earth. Holographic renditions of these Cretaceous period beings appear in the heart of the theater, eliminating the need for the typical 3D glasses. The result is a three-dimensional experience, allowing viewers to feel as though they are sharing the same space with these prehistoric giants.
Beyond the visual spectacle, the cinematic event is also an educational journey, packed with insights into the anatomy, behavior, and evolutionary history of these creatures. Viewers will gain a deeper understanding of dinosaurs’ adaptations, habitats, and the role they played in shaping the planet’s prehistoric ecosystems.
To introduce this first-ever HoloTheater, the museum joined forces with BASE Xperiential, an immersive entertainment company known for its use of holograms featuring legendary artists like Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and Whitney Houston. Ryan Latham, managing director of HoloTheater, explains that the idea for this theater experience stemmed from a desire to apply the same technology to a new medium.
“Those were digital shows with live studio recordings with the artists and special effects paired with live performers, bands, and dancers,” Latham says. “We were endeavoring to use this technology that’s out on the marketplace for projection and mixed media to create immersive exhibition experiences, specifically looking at doing something on dinosaurs.”
While the core mechanics of the technology remain the same, Latham acknowledges that transitioning to a new medium presented its own set of challenges. The HoloTheater operates in a much larger space and incorporates different layers of content, which, according to Latham, are crucial in crafting “a multi-dimensional but also very congruent experience that flows well for the audience, but delivers a unique and different audience experience.”
Choosing Houston as the location for the world’s first HoloTheater was strategic, Latham says, and they landed on HMNS, one of the most visited museums in the nation and an institution renowned for its excellence in science education and its diverse audience.
“The company has a long history in Houston,” Latham says. “They’ve got a phenomenal paleo department at the museum as well.”
The movie focuses on what is known about the life of dinosaurs and how they are related to some modern creatures.
To complete the movie, BASE Xperiential worked with a team of scientific consultants and advisors, as well as HMNS’s paleontology department to ensure the details included in the movie were accurate.
“We’re always looking for the next thing, particularly with communicating science to the public,” explains David Perry, associate curator of paleontology at HMNS. “Dinosaurs are wonderful ambassadors for science with kids. So, if it gets kids interested in science, that’s a good thing.”
The paleontology department’s contribution included visiting expansive bone beds, reviewing animation, and offering historical insights to make it a truly collaborative effort between science and technology. They also collaborated on some on-the-ground work at the Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry, one of the largest bone beds in North America.
Perry also emphasizes his appreciation of the movie’s focus: the process of dinosaur science, including scientific methods, observations, and discoveries, as well as the trajectory of paleontology itself, from early anatomical studies to modern advancements in understanding, including the discovery of feathers and the close connection between dinosaurs and birds.
This fusion of education, technology, and entertainment in Dinosaur Discoveries: A Holographic Adventure paves the way for future possibilities. As the HoloTheater captivates audiences in Houston, the hope is to keep offering audiences worldwide the chance to embark on unique journeys through time and space, and the wonders of our planet.
