Dave the Photon (Image from the Jupiter 9 Productions Web site.)
TrekMovie.com has posted an interesting review of a new movie that highlights the study of space and touches on particle physics in a unique and fun way.
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey blends education and entertainment though the use of 3D computer-generated animation and footage from seven NASA space missions, including the Cassini Huygens mission to Saturn.
Audience members will get a tour of the outer planets and moons of our solar system while meeting the movie's cast of characters, which includes a photon, neutrino, proton and an evil genius, The Void, who represents "nothingness" and seems to have traits similar to dark matter and dark energy. A number of celebrities lend their voices to characters, including former Star Trek captain William Shatner as The Core, a figure that represents the sun and knowledge, and, arguably, all visible matter.
From a press release:
The full voice cast includes Chris Pine (Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams'
upcoming "Star Trek XI" feature film), Samuel L. Jackson ("The Spirit,"
"Pulp Fiction," "Star Wars"), Hayden Christensen ("Jumper," "Star Wars"),
Amanda Peet ("X-Files Movie 2," "The Whole Nine Yards"), Robert Picardo
("Stargate Atlantis"), Jason Alexander ("Seinfeld"), Tom Kenny (voice of
"Sponge Bob Squarepants," "Transformers"), Sandra Oh ("Sideways," "Grey's
Anatomy"), Brent Spiner ("Independence Day," "Star Trek: Next
Generation"), James Earl Jones ("Star Wars"), William Shatner ("Boston
Legal," "Star Trek"), Mark Hamill ("Star Wars"), Neil Armstrong, Doug
Jones ("Pan's Labyrinth," "Abe Sabien - Hell Boy"), Abigail Breslin
("Little Miss Sunshine," "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl"), Spencer
Breslin ("The Happening"), Gary Graham ("Alien Nation," "Enterprise"),
and Janina Gavankar ("The L Word").The movie features the voices of two Captain Kirks (veteran William
Shatner and Chris Pine, star of JJ Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek" movie)
and two Darth Vaders (James Earl Jones and Hayden Christensen) -- a first
for Hollywood and a first for the galaxy.
The movie is expected to appear in theaters worldwide sometime in 2010 in IMAX and conventional 3D format. It is the brainchild of Jupiter 9 Productions producer Harry Kloor, who has Ph.D.s in physics and chemistry and has written for the Star Trek franchise.
The movie was initiated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as part of the outreach program for the Cassini Huygens space mission in 1996. About once a week for the nine months leading up to the film's release, its creators will post video clips and supplemental educational material on the film's Web site.
The main Web site has limited movie clips available so far, but computer-generated images posted with the TrekMovie.com story look amazing. It doesn't look anything like your typical education-based film, and the story definitely seems worth a read.
