'Humpback Whales 3D:' Inspiring, fascinating, breathtaking

The free screening was part of Marbles' Kid Critic Challenge when kids get to see a movie and write reviews of it. Winners get their reviews featured here on Go Ask Mom and also win some great prizes from Marbles.

I'm excited to announce the first place winners and share their winning reviews! It was really a wonderful movie about the lives of Humpback Whales. (And, for full disclosure: My older daughter is old enough to participate in the contest, but she didn't because that would be a huge conflict!).

Congratulations to the winners!

Some of the most fascinating singers and dancers aren’t on “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars” – they are humpback whales.

In the new IMAX movie, “Humpback Whales 3D,” we get to see these inspiring animals up close. I liked to learn how the calf loves his mother and stays with her for about a year. Another one of my favorite parts was seeing the whales make a bubble fishing net - it’s how some whales work together to catch a meal of herring.

The movie followed the humpback whales through tropical Tonga in the South Pacific to Hawaii and another group in frigid Alaska.

I think the movie was very well made, especially the use of 3D. When a whale turned over, I thought its flipper was going to hit me! The sounds made me feel like I was right there on the boat listening to them.

I really enjoyed the Humpback Whale movie because I never knew what amazing mammals humpback whales are. How incredible the whale is in size!  What a marvelous mammal expanding over 40 feet long and weighing over 40 tons.  Not only are they huge in size, but humpback whales sing beautiful and peaceful songs.  Their songs travel for great distances.  It’s fascinating how they communicate to hunt using the bubble net technique to catch thousands of krill.  I found out krill are like very tiny shrimp.  Yum, I like shrimp!

It’s unbelievable how big in size a baby calf is when born. Some baby calves are over 14 feet long.  Calves nurse for almost a year learning everything from hunting to taking care of themselves. Humpback whales are also powerful swimmers just like my dad.  It is very interesting that humpback whales migrate for thousands of miles for food.  I can’t imagine walking thousands of miles for food. That’s an amazing fact.  This movie was awesome and I am very grateful I had the opportunity to watch it with my family.  Thank you IMAX theater.

Humpback Whales celebrates the comeback of one of the planet’s most magnificent creatures which were once close to extinction. This breathtaking film gives us gorgeous underwater shots of these massive yet majestic creatures. Ewan McGregor was a spectacular narrator. He provided us with some history of whaling, and how humpbacks were nearly wiped off the face of the planet. Stunning footage of a mother and her calf, large migrations, and a group of humpbacks using the bubble-net feeding technique showed that Macgillivray Freeman Films did an impressive job creating this movie. A courageous rescue team used grappling hooks, buoys, and underwater cameras to free a whale of a net it was tangled in. The soundtrack was fantastic. It included an enchanting whale song and American Authors’ Best Day of My Life. Overall, Humpback Whales was a great movie, and I would encourage kids of all ages to go watch it.

Congratulations again to the winners! "Humpback Whales 3D" is not rated and suitable for all audiences. My five-year-old also enjoyed it. It runs 39 minutes.