A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Educational Value
a lot
Details the decades-long quest to follow the multigenerational migratory pattern of the monarch butterfly. Full exploration of the development and life cycle of the insect from egg to flight. Introduces Fred and Norah Urquhart, scientists who are credited with solving the mystery of the butterflies.
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Positive Messages
a lot
Details the life and migratory journey of the monarch butterfly as a means to appreciate the awe-inspiring character of the natural world. Promotes respect for the miracles of nature and for scientific discovery as a life's work. Shows how curiosity, perseverance, and teamwork play an essential part in scientific discovery.
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Positive Role Models
a lot
Recounts real-life story of a husband-and-wife scientific team who spent decades tracking the monarch butterfly. They are portrayed as dedicated, respectful, determined, and smart.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Flight of the Butterflies is a 44-minute movie made for IMAX screens now available on DVD. Following the monarch butterfly in its extraordinary three-generational, one-year journey from north to south and back again, the filmmakers have captured the essence of one of nature's most profound miracles. At the same time, they tell the story of one husband-and-wife scientific team who spent their lives working to discover the mysteries of the flying insect's migration. There are some references to the small percentage of the genus that survives to full adulthood. However, unlike many nature documentaries, this one includes no scary predators or frightening interspecies conflict, nor does it spend time on the insects' deaths. In its IMAX format, kids must have been doubly delighted as they felt they were in the midst of the butterflies' flight. On home screens, while kids will still appreciate the magical beauty and challenges of the monarch's odyssey, it may not engage the younger ones as fully. A quietly fascinating documentary for all ages. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES, audiences are treated to the real-life history of Fred and Norah Urquhart, two Canadian scientists whose lifework was the discovery of the annual migratory route of the monarch butterfly. From their Toronto laboratory, aided by volunteer recruits whom they called "citizen scientists," the Urquharts took more than 40 years to solve the mystery of how the delicately beautiful flying insects spent their lives. As two of the earliest individuals to use "tagging" of a species, the Urquharts were able, little by little, to track the monarchs from springtime in Texas to summer in Toronto. But the mystery of their whereabouts between Toronto in the summer and their return to Texas in springtime was far more challenging. Where did those fragile wings take them? How did they survive? How many survived? A combination of great luck, relentless determination, and eager volunteers around the world who were inspired by the challenge made possible what was to be called "one of the greatest natural discoveries of our time."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the ability of documentary films like Flight of the Butterflies to engage our imaginations and our interest in subjects about which we are not already familiar. What is it about the art of moviemaking that makes such films the perfect partners for what we learn in school and from books?
Did this movie motivate you to find out more about butterflies? About other creatures that migrate annually? What other documentaries have you seen that helped you understand the complexity and magical ways of the natural world?
What did you learn about the field of scientific investigation from this film? Did it surprise you that the Urquharts took so long to find the answers they were looking for? Were you amazed by the fact that to complete the one-year migration cycle it took three generations of butterflies?
Who were the "citizen scientists"? How did they make the Urquharts' discoveries possible?
How does Flight of the Butterflies promote curiosity, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters: September 4, 2012
- On DVD or streaming: July 12, 2016
- Cast: Gordon Pinsent, Megan Follows, Patricia Phillips
- Director: Mike Slee
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Shout! Factory
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: History, Science and Nature
- Character Strengths: Curiosity, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 44 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 19, 2023
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