Beavers (film)

Beavers is a 1988 IMAX documentary directed by Stephen Low, focused on the lives of a group of beavers in Port Perry, Ontario and Kananaskis Country, Alberta. Wildlife expert William Carrick had hand-raised the beavers prior to filming, but they were not trained to perform; Low later described their performance as "very natural" and uninhibited by the presence of cameras and crew.[1][2]

Beavers
A drawing of beavers in trees, with the film title in a wood type design. The tagline is "The biggest dam movie you ever saw."
Promotional poster
Directed byStephen Low
Produced byStephen Low
Narrated byEarl Pennington
CinematographyAndrew Kitzanuk
Edited byJanice Brown
Music byEldon Rathburn
Distributed byThe Stephen Low Company (IMAX), Image Entertainment (DVD)
Release date
  • 1988 (1988)
Running time
31 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,000,000 (est.)

Beavers was Low's second IMAX film, following his short documentary Skyward, which had debuted at Expo 85 in Tsukuba, Japan. Dentsu, a Japanese advertising company, liked Skyward's depiction of Canada geese and contracted with Low for Beavers.[3] Filmed in 15/70 IMAX format, the movie was eventually screened in 21 countries in 17 different languages.[1]

A 34-minute "Director's Cut" was released in 2019, and again shown in IMAX theaters, with 12.1 surround sound and new aerial sequences.[4]

Critics' reviews were generally positive, with Michael Walsh awarding it three stars, but noting Low's tendency to anthropomorphize his subjects in a Disney-like fashion.[3] Jeff Strickler of the Star Tribune felt the knowledge that the beavers "are, in effect, actors" takes the edge off the amazement of the photography, but nonetheless gave the film eight out of ten stars and praised the cinematography.[5]

References
  1. Beavers | The Stephen Low Company
  2. "An intimate look at a beaver". Imperial Beach Star-News. Imperial Beach, California. 9 October 1988.
  3. Walsh, Michael (26 May 1989). "Fascinating Canadian". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia.
  4. "Beavers". IMAX Victoria.
  5. Strickler, Jeff (24 January 1989). "Omnitheater film captures busy beavers' personalities, love for play". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota.




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