The inspiration behind TurtleTrek
No animal's life journey is more incredible than that of the sea turtle. From hatching on a beach and making the mad dash to open waters to the dangers and hazards they face as they mature and return to the very same beach to lay their own eggs, their tales of life underwater have in the past been impossible to show. And no theme park in the world is better equipped than SeaWorld to share that journey with millions of people.
In the same way SeaWorld brought attention to the plight of the manatee - the park's attraction, "Manatee Rescue," created interest that helped to save the species - at TurtleTrek, the park showcases the vulnerable sea turtle and asks everyday heroes across the globe to help make a difference in saving animals in the wild.
In the nearly 50 years since SeaWorld's rescue programs began, more than 20,000 injured, orphaned or ill animals have been rescued, cared for and in most instances, returned to the wild. That's more than one animal per day since 196X.
The dome that brings the film to life
For the first time, designers have married a start-of-the-art animated film and powerful projection system with a fully domed theater, allowing for a seamless, 3-D virtual environment, all around the guests, even over their heads.
A fine silver coating on the dome allows each screen to focus the projection light back toward the guests. Each fleck of silver is like a tiny mirror.
The 3-D/360-degree film that showcases the epic journey of one sea turtle
The animated film goes well beyond the concept of high-definition or even virtual reality. In fact, it could be considered "high-reality."
Each frame of the film has approximately 26 million individual pixels (more than 13 times what is considered "high-def")
The film is shown at 60 frames-per-second (twice as fast as the human mind can register movement).
Combined with the dome and the powerful projection system, the result is the one of the sharpest, most spectacular 3-D films ever created.
Each animal featured in the movie - from our hero sea turtle, to thousands of fish and down to the smallest anemone - began its life on an artist's drawing board. Every movement of every creature was then animated independently.
More than 12 species of sea animals are brought to life for the animated film. And each one was approved by SeaWorld educators and animal experts.
Chances are, you're looking at this fact sheet on a standard computer monitor that's 1,024 pixels wide by 768 pixels high - a total of slightly more than 780,000 pixels. The dome screens at TurtleTrek have more than 26,000,000 pixels.
You won't find this movie on Netflix. At nearly 950GB, it would take you nearly 3 months to download the six-minute movie at home. If anyone was ever to create a full-length film at this resolution and complexity, it would take nearly five years to download.
The dome itself creates a huge projection area. The dome is so large, it takes 34 projectors and 368,000 lumens of light to fill it with a 3-D, 360-degree movie.
TurtleTrek's movie is actually two. To create the astonishing 3-D, two films run simultaneously. One is for the left eye, the other for the right.
The system that projects the amazing 3-D/360-degree images
34 projectors have a combined total of 368,800 lumens of light output; more than 15 times a typical digital movie theater projection system.
Nearly a kilometer of fiber optic cable carries the video data to the projectors.
The audio system that surrounds guests in an underwater world
The sound system at TurtleTrek includes 22 discrete audio channels that have all been mixed on-site. This allows for 3-D sound and pinpoint placement of audio effects.
A typical surround sound system has a 5.1 arrangement - 5 sound channels and 1 channel for low frequency effects. The sound system at TurtleTrek is 18.4 and is rated at an amazing 32,000 watts.
The real-life animals that live at TurtleTrek
A one-of-a-kind 3-D/360-degree movie is only part of TurtleTrek's allure. It's also two massive, naturalistic saltwater and freshwater habitats, home to sea turtles and manatees, some of them rescued and cared for by SeaWorld's animal team. The attraction's sea turtle residents have been deemed non-releasable by the Florida government -- due to genetics, illness, or being orphaned -- and have found a permanent home at TurtleTrek. Since 1973, SeaWorld Orlando has rescued, cared for and returned hundreds of endangered manatees and since 1980 returned more than 1,200 sea turtles back to their natural waters.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment operates 10 parks across the U.S. including SeaWorld parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove and Aquatica in Orlando; Sesame Place near Philadelphia, Pa.; and water parks Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg.
The 10 parks play host to 25 million guests each year and employ 26,000 people nationwide. To learn more, visit SeaWorldParksandEntertainment.com