Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker

July 1, 2021 — January 2, 2022

Now Open

Free for Members. LeFrak Theater, first floor.

Meet a rare Australian sea lion pup—and the people who are trying to save her species—on a 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen with state-of-the-art digital sound.

Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker Trailer

Waves [CRASHING] against a cliff. A juvenile sea lion [SNORES] on a rock in the sun.

NARRATOR: Meet Otto.

Various shots of baby sea lions playing on rocks.

NARRATOR: She's an Australian sea lion, one of the most endangered sea lions in the world. But you wouldn't know it.

Otto and her mother, an adult Australian sea lion, rub noses.

NARRATOR: Apart from her mother, there's no one else looking out for her.

A man walks along the cliffside and peers out onto the ocean.

NARRATOR: Or is there? Ranger Dirk Coleman once fished these waters. But now he has dedicated his life to protecting them.

With a [SPLASH], a sea lion dives into the water, swimming near the surface with a group of other sea lions as [MUSIC SWELLS.]

NARRATOR: Otto's mother will journey far out to sea to find food…

Otto sits on a rock by herself.

Narrator: …leaving baby otto alone.

Fade to black.

A red truck with the words “Marine Mammal Rescue” on the side drives along a long, empty road among green hills and pulls up to a sandy waterfront.

NARRATOR: Not long ago, the California sea lion also faced extinction.

Wildlife rescue workers feed fish to a group of sea lions in a habitat.

NARRATOR: But now there are over 300,000 of them.

Sea lions in the wild swim and play in the water. Wildlife rescue workers escort a sea lion towards the ocean.

NARRATOR: As the oceans change, so too are humans. Once predators, we are slowly becoming protectors.

An adult and juvenile humpback whale swim with [WHALE SONG] in the background.

Ranger Dirk flies a small plane over the ocean as a storm approaches.

NARRATOR: But Ranger Dirk is facing a race against time to save a species in trouble.

Otto sits alone on a rock in the rain.

NARRATOR: And, alone and with storms approaching a colony, Otto's mother is also facing a race against the clock to find her way home.

Otto’s mother swims in the ocean and appears in the surf at the shore.

[SEA LION CALLING.]

NARRATOR: And to find Otto.

Otto and her mother [CALL] to one another and run along the rocks, presumably to be reunited.

Cut to black.

A curious sea lion rubs its face on and attempts to bite an underwater camera, showing off its impressive whiskers.

NARRATOR: Sea Lions: Life by a Whisker, coming soon to this theater.

Discover a classic coming-of-age tale that takes place in a colony of sea lions living between a jagged cliff face and a roaring ocean, in an environment as harsh as it is beautiful, in the immersive giant-screen film Sea Lions: Life By A Whisker.

Underwater diver views a family of five sea lions.

Capacity is limited to maintain health and safety.

Length: 43 minutes

Showtimes

All screenings are in 2D.

10:15 am, 11:30 am, 12:45 pm, 2 pm, 3:15 pm, 4:30 pm

Captioning devices and audio description devices are available. Please ask a staff member.

Download the transcript:

Sea Lions Life by a Whisker Transcript

Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater

The elegant beaux-arts LeFrak Theater features a 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen and a state-of-the-art digital sound system. The theater is wheelchair accessible, and captioning devices and audio description devices are available.