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Animal Planet Breathes Life Into Mythical Creatures in DRAGONS: A FANTASY MADE REAL
- Actor Patrick Stewart Set to Narrate Special Premiering Sunday, March 20 -
- Program Kicks Off Animal Planet's New Destination Night WHOA! SUNDAY -
SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 13 -- From the origins of time,
people have been fascinated with the dragon, which has appeared in the myths
and legends of almost every world culture -- the Inuits, the Aztecs, the
Chinese. Although these people never connected, they all arrived at the same
basic idea of the animal. Working with production crews from around the world
and collaborating with top scientists, artists and animators, Animal Planet's
new special combines scientific fact and theory, CGI animation, and cutting-
edge special effects to bring dragons to life in DRAGONS: A FANTASY MADE REAL,
premiering Sunday, March 20 from 8-9:30 PM (ET). A half-hour special,
DRAGONS: THE MAGIC BEHIND THE SCENES, will air immediately following DRAGONS,
from 9:30-10 PM (ET). The announcement was made today at the Television
Critics' Association semi-annual press tour in Los Angeles, Ca.
Animal Planet is bringing a fresh, contemporary approach to the channel,
expanding the brand into new areas that make for surprising and fascinating
programming. DRAGONS is the network's first venture into the exploration of
mythical animals.
In announcing the program, Maureen Smith, Animal Planet's executive vice
president and general manager, said: "DRAGONS tells the story of one of
humankind's oldest legends in a way that's never been done before! This is
the natural history of a mythical creature, inspired by real nature. It's a
captivating special that's perfect to launch our new destination night WHOA!
SUNDAY."
Narrated by Patrick Stewart, the 90-minute Animal Planet special DRAGONS:
A FANTASY MADE REAL imagines dragons as real animals. Using stunning
computer-generated imagery from the same graphics company that made creatures
for the Discovery Channel's Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Prehistoric
Beasts and the Harry Potter movies, we see dragons from the inside out. The
special imagines how dragons would have evolved into a number of different
species through the ages and around the globe, and how each dragon species was
endowed with physical adaptations and behaviors specialized for its
environment. In our story, dragons find a mate, raise young, protect their
territory, and struggle to survive human encroachment, just as animals have
done throughout history.
Directly after the program, a 30-minute special, DRAGONS: THE MAGIC BEHIND
THE SCENES, will give viewers an inside look at the making of DRAGONS.
Animators, artists, scientists and producers reveal the secrets of how they
created creatures so convincing, you will believe they were real.
DRAGONS: A FANTASY MADE REAL kicks off Animal Planet's new destination
night WHOA! SUNDAY, an evening of the network's most engaging specials for
family and friends to enjoy and talk about.
DRAGONS: A FANTASY MADE REAL is a production of Darlow Smithson for Animal
Planet. For Darlow Smithson, John Smithson is executive producer and Ceri
Barnes is producer. Story developed, written and produced by Animal Planet
executive producers Charles Foley and Kevin Mohs.
Animal Planet, available in more than 86 million homes nationwide, is the
only television network dedicated exclusively to the connection between humans
and animals. The network's original programming brings together people of all
ages by tapping into a fundamental fascination with animals and providing an
entertaining mix of programming including original movies, adventure series,
sports, drama and sitcoms. Discovery Networks, U.S., a unit of Discovery
Communications, Inc., operates and manages Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal
Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery HD Theater,
Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel,
Discovery Home Channel, The Military Channel, Discovery en Espanol and FitTV.
The unit also distributes BBC AMERICA.
For a sneak peek, go to:
http://www.dragonsarecoming.com
Believe.
SOURCE Animal Planet
Web Site: http://www.discovery.com
http://www.dragonsarecoming.com
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