Evergreen IMAX® Theater Launches Lewis & Clark 2D

Oregon theater launches historical film on Oregon’s Birthday – Feb. 14

MCMINNVILLE, OR. - Thurs., Feb. 14, 2008— The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum IMAX Theater is unveiling the story of a legendary expedition Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West. This film begins its showing on Oregon’s Birthday – Feb. 14. The film will play at the Evergreen IMAX Theater until May 2008.

Follow in the footsteps of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their historic exploration of America with Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West. With sweeping panoramas of the rugged American West and stunning aerial photography, one of the greatest adventures in American history comes to life.

The film follows the grueling 8,000-mile expedition past buffalo-filled prairies, through thick forests and raging river rapids, over towering peaks and plunging precipices. Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West opens with the expedition’s launch up the great Missouri River with modern-day watermen portraying the Corps of Discovery, giving the film a gritty authenticity. The film captures the wonder of spectacularly pristine wilderness as the expedition crosses the Great Plains and the treacherous Rocky Mountains and perches atop the Continental Divide, discovering that a Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans did not exist. Viewers can watch as Lewis and Clark document plant specimens and animals unknown to science, meet with Native American tribes and paddle down the mighty Columbia River to their ultimate destination—the Pacific Ocean.

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West required the cast and crew of 120 people to work in some of the most remote locations that still exist in the western United States. People accustomed to working in these environments were also recruited for their special skills. For instance, whitewater rafting guides from the Jackson, Wyoming, area were cast as members of the expedition because of the number of boat and canoe scenes in the film.

The filmmakers also attempted to make modern-day America look as much like it did when Lewis and Clark first encountered it as possible. But in a nation increasingly dotted with human habitation, finding sites that were untouched by civilization and representative of Lewis and Clark’s journey was one of the greatest challenges the filmmakers faced. Another challenge for filmmakers was taking a journey that took years to complete and condensing it down to a 42-minute IMAX film. “We looked at it as the hit parade,” said Jeff Miller, one of the film’s producers. “What were the significant high points on the trail? We tried to convey the human struggle, how the leaders were helped by the Native Americans—most significantly Sacagawea’s contribution—show their success and say good-bye.”

Research also played an important role in keeping Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West as authentic as possible. The film relied on the expertise of noted historians Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and Gary Moulton, a professor of history at the University of Nebraska and editor of an unabridged version of Lewis and Clark’s journals. In addition, filmmakers consulted the Missouri Historical Society, the National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial and many Native American tribes to ensure the film’s factual accuracy. Details related to clothes and equipment—even the type of paper the journals were written on, the kinds of pens used and myriad other minutiae—were all meticulously researched and double checked.

Lewis & Clark: Great Journey West is made possible through funding by Eddie Bauer, Inc., and the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. The film is produced by National Geographic Television and Film, distributed by Destination Cinema, Inc., and is endorsed by the National Council of the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial.

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of the famous Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose, opened the Evergreen IMAX Theater in March of this year, housing one of the largest IMAX movie screens in the Pacific Northwest. Images appear six stories high on a screen rising 53 feet tall and 70 feet wide. The Evergreen Theater takes the spectacular IMAX® movie experience a step further with state-of-the-art 3D technology. High-tech glasses immerse viewers in a film environment real enough to reach out and touch.

For more information, show times and prices, please refer to www.sprucegoose.org or call 503-434-4180.

About IMAX Corporation
Founded in 1967, IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies. IMAX's businesses include the world's best cinematic presentations together with IMAX®, IMAX® 3D and the development of the highest quality digital production and presentation. IMAX has developed revolutionary technology called IMAX® DMR™ (Digital Re-mastering) that makes it possible for virtually any 35mm film to be transformed into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®. The IMAX brand is recognized throughout the world for extraordinary and immersive family experiences. As of June 2002, there were more than 225 IMAX theatres operating in 30 countries. More than 700 million people have seen an IMAX presentation since the medium premiered in 1970. IMAX Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on both the Toronto and NASDAQ stock exchanges. IMAX®, The IMAX Experience® and IMAX® DMR™ are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information on the Company can be found at www.imax.com.

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is best known as the home of the world’s largest wooden airplane, the” Spruce Goose”, SR-71 “Blackbird”, the Titan II SLV Missile and the Grumman F6F-3 “Hellcat”. In addition, there are more than 80 historic aircraft and exhibits on display, along with artwork, traveling displays, the Spruce Goose Café, the Rotors, Wings & Things store and Oregon’s largest 3D IMAX Theater. A world-class Space Museum is scheduled to open June 2008. The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, daily except when it is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Easter. The IMAX Theater hours vary and can be found on the website. The Museum campus is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Regular visitor admission is required. Call (503) 434-4180 for more information, and visit www.sprucegoose.org.

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