6/24/2009

ANIMATION featuring Cartoon Network opens July 10th

ANIMATION featuring Cartoon Network, a new exhibit exploring the science behind the art of animation, will open July 10, 2009. Characters from Dexter’s Laboratory, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Codename: Kids Next Door, and The Powerpuff Girls will provide a colorful backdrop to the exhibit, in addition to popular Hanna-Barbera characters such as Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones.

ANIMATION features six areas, including Animation Studio, where visitors can develop a storyboard, and create scenes using layered cels and moving backgrounds, and Science Laboratory, where visitors can use Dexter’s Laboratory to delve into the science and technology that make animation possible.

Fun Animation Facts:

Snow White, which premiered in 1937 was the first American animated feature film ever. It cost $1.4 million to produce.

Disney had only two animators working for him when he created Steamboat Willie in 1928

Production of Beauty and the Beast took three and a half years and required the talents of nearly 600 animators, artists, and technicians.

6/17/2009

“Daddy, please quit smoking.” A plea to smoking fathers

BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart exhibition at MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) invites all families to join together in an effort to encourage dads who smoke to quit for Father’s Day, June 21.

The dramatic display at BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart exhibit can guarantee that fathers will want to make a lifestyle change for their children and family. An exhibit specimen containing a tar-filled, blackened smoker’s lung in a side-by-side comparison with a healthy lung has moved thousands of people to pledge to quit on the spot.

BODY WORLDS is calling all children and families with a father who smokes to bring dad to this groundbreaking exhibition on Father’s Day. Fathers will be admitted for FREE on June 21 with the purchase of a child or family member ticket. Fathers who smoke are encouraged to kick the habit and of course pledge to quit once confronted with the compelling imagery inside the lung gallery of BODY WORLDS.

In 2006, exhibition cleaning crews discovered masses of unfinished cigarette packs discarded on the glass displays of the smoker’s lung. In early March, BODY WORLDS partnered with the American Cancer Society (ACS) in the “I Quit!” campaign. Pledge cards for visitors intending to give-up smoking, along with their last packs of cigarettes, were displayed inside the exhibit. Information from ACS is available, as well as a multimedia PSA message from the late Yul Brynner, who died from lung cancer in 1985. BODY WORLDS, in partnership with the Moffitt Cancer Center, have also offered lectures on smoking cessation and lung cancer. The lectures are free of charge with the purchase of admission and held inside the exhibition.

“Lung cancer is the most preventable form of cancer death in our society, but about 23 percent of Americans continue to use tobacco,” said Mel Tockman, M.D., Ph.D, chairman of the American Cancer Society’s Greater Tampa Unit. ACS provided BODY WORLDS visitors smoking cessation materials including a phone number to free phone-based counseling though the Florida Quitline: 1-877-U-Can-Now.

BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart MUST CLOSE JUNE 28th

Let the mad rush begin as the Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart, the world’s most successful traveling exhibit, is entering it’s final weeks at Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI).

The last chance for Floridians to visit one of the most talked about exhibitions in the world is only four weeks away. Attracting more than 27 million visitors and traveling in 47 different cities throughout the world, BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart, which has been on display at MOSI since January 22, features more than 200 authentic human specimens offering insights into the human body, health and disease.

Mark your calendars
There is something for everyone in the final days of BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart:

Ending Events at Exhibit:
June 17: Flashlight Twilight Tours – Tour the exhibit in total darkness with nothing but flashlight in tow!
June 17: Moffitt Breast Cancer Lecture 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
June 21: Father’s Day – Bring Dad to BODY WORLDS!
June 23: Moffitt Skin Cancer Lecture 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. – Tickets to exhibit include lecture
June 26-28: CLOSING WEEKEND

For CLOSING WEEKEND
To ensure visitors have the best possible experience at BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart, MOSI offers the following helpful information and tips:
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Hours: Tickets to BODY WORLDS are available Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. or can be purchased online at http://mosi.org/bodyworlds3.html. Advance online ticket purchases are strongly encouraged (service charges may apply). After Dark hours at a discounted rate are from 5 – 9 p.m. (with the last entrance at 8 p.m.). Tickets can also be purchased by calling (813) 987-6000, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Exhibition hours may change due to demand in final weeks, for updates on operating hours and special discounts, visit mosi.org.

Timed Tickets: Entry to BODY WORLDS is also available through a timed ticket system. Tickets are sold in 30-minute blocks for a specific date and time. Once purchased, visitors can exchange tickets for a different time and date, but only if they make the exchange prior to the date and time listed on the ticket. Visitors may enter the exhibition during the 30-minute window beginning at the time printed on their ticket. For example, if a visitor has a ticket date for June 16 at 3:30 p.m., they may enter the exhibit between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on June 16.

Plan Ahead: BODY WORLDS & The Story of the Heart at MOSI sells out often on the weekends, and it is common for the exhibition to get busier as the end of the run approaches. With this in mind, MOSI recommends pre-purchasing tickets. The exhibition MUST CLOSE on JUNE 28.

Plenty of Time: The average visitor dwell time is 90 minutes. However, visitors often take much longer to experience the entire exhibition. Audio guides tend to significantly increase he amount of time visitors spend in the exhibit. Please allow yourself ample tome to view BODY WORLDS. Audio guides are available at the exhibit entrance for $5 per adult and $3 per child (2-12).

Other Questions: The MOSI website, www.mosi.org, features information about tickets, opening hours, parking and special programs and events, group sales, and more. Please visit the website often, or call (813) 987-6000 prior to coming to BODY WORLDS to ensure the best experience possible.

Flashlight Twilight Tour - June 17, 2009

Join MOSI on Wednesday, June 17 at 6 p.m. at MOSI / BODY WORLDS exhibition for Flashlight Twilight Tour. The exhibit is closing and leaving on June 28, and this is the last opportunity locals have the chance to explore this fascinating exhibition.

Imagine this...

An exhibition hall, darkened ebony with no lighting other than the deep shades of crimson slightly illuminating each exposed specimen. Visitors will enter the compelling display of BODY WORLDS with only a flashlight in tow. Adventurous explorers, will experience the fascinating BODY WORLDS exhibit like no other – in complete darkness. Flashlights provided... courage not...

Flashlight tours are a unique, fun and exciting way to experience the exhibit. Gallery lights are turned off and flashlights are turned on, as visitors carefully explore the gallery.

*Flashlights will be provided, although you are welcome to bring your own. Tours are self-led. No-reservations are required but are strongly recommended.

Tours begin at 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
$18.95 general admission; $14.95 children 12 and under, $16.45 seniors 60+