IMMOTION’S FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS MAKES A SPLASH AT ITS AZA DEBUT

March 28, 2023

IMMOTION’S FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS MAKES A SPLASH AT ITS AZA DEBUT

Immotion, the leading provider of location-based VR edutainment, premiered their latest VR adventure FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS at the 2023 Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Mid-Year Meeting in Oklahoma City that began March 25th. Immotion’s President Rod Findley was on hand to introduce FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS to the more than 1000 zoo and aquarium professionals attending the weeklong conference from across the country.

FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS takes viewers on a deep dive under the crystal waters off the coast of Mozambique, following marine biologist Dr. Andrea Marshall on her quest to study and protect the local manta ray population. Known internationally as “Queen of the Mantas,” Dr. Marshall is co-founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of endangered marine wildlife and to the restoration of healthy oceans.

When Immotion approached Dr. Marshall about a collaboration, she jumped at the opportunity to work on Immotion’s latest immersive experience. “Conservation requires empathy. And it’s a really important experience to swim alongside a large animal, to see the challenges it faces. We’ve become disconnected from the natural world, and people don’t get to experience wildlife anymore. But Immotion’s FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS transports them, takes them underwater where they’re right there, swimming next to a manta ray. So VR has been a vital educational tool and a game changer in conservation. Which is so important, because we don’t have a lot of time left to save the remaining manta populations,” Dr. Marshall said.

Immotion President Rod Findley agreed, adding, “Partnering with conservation organizations like the Marine Megafauna Foundation is very important to us. It forms the core of our mission of conservation and education.” To spread this gospel of conservation, Immotion works with zoos and aquariums to place multi-seat VR theaters on-site, deepening the guest engagement via immersive VR experiences. Immotion VR theaters are currently in over 35 locations worldwide and counting, offering the VR experiences GORILLA TREK, SHARK DIVE, SWIMMING WITH HUMPBACKS, and now FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS.

For FLIGHT OF THE MANTAS, Immotion’s creative team partnered with Habitat XR in Africa for logistical help and production services, as they provided state-of-the-art VR cameras to create the 3D, 360 VR experience.