Films in the giant-screen theater are included with paid admission and also with Balboa Park Explorer Passes, GO San Diego Cards and for members of the San Diego Natural History Museum. Tickets are available at the Admissions Desks at the Museum.
The Subaru 3D Experience is the largest Dolby® 3D theater for a museum in California! Digital 3D technology delivers a premium viewing experience from anywhere in the 300-seat, stadium-style theater. Assistive Listening Devices for films and lectures in the Charmaine and Maurice Kaplan Theater are available. Please inquire with the theater attendant or with the Admission Desk.
Take a fascinating journey into two remarkably different, but inextricably linked worlds—Mexico’s Sea of Cortés and the Baja California desert.
Ocean Oasis , a giant-screen film, mesmerizes audiences as they witness the beauty of life in Baja California's rich waters and seemingly barren land. Note: Ocean Oasis is a 2D film. Produced by the San Diego Natural History Museum, Summerhays Films, and PRONATURA A.C., with sponsorship from Sempra Energy. Winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and the International Wildscreen Film Festival.
Oceans: Our Blue Planet by BBC Earth takes us on a global odyssey to discover the largest and least explored habitat on earth.
New ocean science and technology has allowed us to go further into the unknown than we ever thought possible. From the coastal shallows to deeper, more mysterious worlds, we reveal the untold stories of the oceans’ most astonishing creatures.
Dolphins leap for joy through the waves, as we begin our journey into the blue. Our first stop is the coral reefs, where we meet fascinating characters like the ingenious tusk fish that uses a tool to open its food. In the great forests of the sea, we find a cunning octopus who shields herself in an armoury of shells to hide from predators.
As you journey through our oceans, learn about these extraordinary discoveries and uncover a spectacular world of life beneath the waves.
Learn about the unexpected wonders of nature that are right under our noses—in our own backyards. Spanning a seasonal year around a suburban home, Backyard Wilderness displays a stunning array of unique wildlife images and behavior.
We follow Katie, a young girl, and her modern family living next to the woods who are blind to the real-life spectacle around them, until Katie discovers the intricate secrets that nature has hidden so close to her front door.
Set in the frozen wilderness at the top of the world, Wonders of the Arctic tells the story of survival in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth, dominated by a single element: ice. Majestic yet dangerous, life-giving yet treacherous, ice affects the fortunes of every living creature in this frosted frontier.
In this glittering world of ice and snow, polar bears tussle, huskies howl, and narwhals dive within the turquoise waters. For thousands of years, the Inuit and their predecessors have adapted and thrived in the beautiful yet harsh environment highlighted in Wonders of the Arctic. Today, their survival has inspired scientists to conduct intense research and answer troubling questions about life in this fragile and largely uninhabited landscape. Through compelling stories told by scientists and Inuit leaders, award-winning filmmaker David Lickley takes audiences on a journey across one of the most beautiful and frigid places on earth, exploring how humans and animals have adapted and thrived for thousands of years in the vast ice wilderness of the Arctic.
MacGillivray Freeman Film's National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation's awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Moviegoers will soar over red rock canyons, hurtle down steep mountain peaks, and explore other-worldly realms found within America's most legendary outdoor places. The film follows world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe, and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb, and explore their way across America’s spectacularly wild and beautiful places—including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, Arches, and many more—revealing a tapestry of natural wonders that will inspire the adventurer in all of us. Narrated by Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure provides celebrates the majesty of our national parks and treasured landscapes while highlighting the importance of protecting them.