During IAAPA Expo 2021, Immotion premiered the launch of Gorilla Trek, a new live-action virtual reality experience that takes guests to the rainforests of Rwanda on a mission to study one of nature’s most intriguing yet endangered animals – the mountain gorilla.
Immotion has partnered on this project with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the renowned gorilla conservation organization. Tara Stoinski, CEO of the Fund, guides the mission, giving unprecedented access and stunning insights into seldom-seen gorilla behaviors. Helmed by Immotion’s Emmy Award-winning team, it is the first 360-degree VR motion-platform experience to showcase the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. “Creating this VR piece with Immotion was an amazing opportunity for us to transport people to Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas close up and to understand the delicate balance that exists in our conservation efforts,” said Stoinski.
“To partner with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is a dream come true for us,” commented Rod Findley, Immotion’s President (Location-based Entertainment). “We are confident that, as we expand our immersive theater offerings to zoos around the world, having this caliber of project with the conservation pedigree of the Fund and Dr. Stoinski, will allow us to reach even more zoos and more guests worldwide with our message of hope and conservation.”
Conservation is always at the heart of Immotion’s work, whether it be educating guests about humpback whales in the South Pacific, or tiger sharks in the Bahamas, or generating awareness about ocean pollution. “Education is important,” said Findley, “But the engagement that you achieve when you lead the guests on a mission and tell them a compelling story is an order of greater magnitude.”
