NEW ORLEANS (September 4, 2009) – When it premieres November 6, Beyond All Boundaries, the 4-D cinematic experience at The National World War II Museum that tells the real story of America’s passage through World War II, will feature the voices of Hollywood’s biggest names portraying everyday soldiers and servicemen as they fought to preserve our country’s freedom, and the journalists who covered it in their own words.
The exclusive production features an all-star cast including Tom Hanks, its narrator and executive producer, joined by Kevin Bacon, Corbin Bleu, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Connolly, James Cromwell, Blythe Danner, Viola Davis, Jessie Eisenberg, John Goodman, Neil Patrick Harris, Kevin Jonas, Justin Long, Tobey Maguire, Daran Norris, Wendell Pierce, Chris Pine, Brad Pitt, Bill Sadler, Gary Sinise and Elijah Wood, among others.
“Beyond All Boundaries weaves a spectacular tapestry of World War II – authentic, powerful and inspiring” said Hanks. “I’m proud to have served as executive producer of Beyond All Boundaries, and you can see it exclusively, every hour, at The National World War II Museum in New Orleans.”
Beyond All Boundaries is the latest in a series of star-powered projects related to the war that changed the world. Hit movies like Inglorious Basterds and HBO’s upcoming TV series The Pacific are have reinvigorated international interest in WWII, and the Museum’s epic is yet another compelling example of the relevance of WWII today. Created and crafted with 21st-century technology, Beyond All Boundaries plunges viewers into the reality of 20th-century’s most titanic struggle. It tells the tale of America’s fight from Pearl Harbor to America’s final victory in the words of the veterans themselves.
“This isn’t another World War II film,” says National World War II Museum President and CEO Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller “This is a cinematic experience unavailable anywhere else in the world. The narrative uses the combatants’, journalists’ and Home Front workers’ own words to tell the story of the war, and it’s an unprecedented journey that took America Beyond All Boundaries.”
True to history it is, and to appeal to the broadest possible audience – from the Greatest Generation to Gen Y – the Museum brought in former Universal Studios Senior Vice President Phil Hettema and his team to bring the experience to life. The Hettema Group, a Pasadena, California, firm specializing in uniquely creative design in the world of experiential entertainment for museums, has created a jaw-dropping experience in 4-D, a technique that engages viewers’ senses with digital effects, life-sized props, animation, and atmospherics as well as film and sound. Audiences will feel the treads of Tiger Tanks rumbling across North Africa’s deserts, brush snow from their cheeks during the wintery Battle of the Bulge, and flinch as anti-aircraft fire tries to bring down their B-17 on a bombing run over Nazi Germany.
In the quest for historic accuracy, the Museum and the Beyond All Boundaries team researched the world’s great film archives to uncover rare footage. “Viewers will be excited to see that we’ve gone beyond the typical World War II footage,” said Seth Paridon, Manager of Research Services for The National World War II Museum. Paridon and his staff spent years going through film archives to secure rarely viewed footage that has been often overlooked by filmmakers and documentarians for a truly unique experience. Leading historians, such as Dr. Donald L. Miller, also consulted on the historic production.
In addition to the Solomon Victory Theater, the Museum debuts two additional attractions November 6: The American Sector, a Chef John Besh restaurant; and The Stage Door Canteen, a dining and live entertainment venue that salutes the stars of the war years and the Home Front. The opening weekend red carpet extravaganza will be attended by stars led by Hanks and Tom Brokaw, and many World War II military veterans and their families, active military, and others.
The National World War II Museum tells the story of the American Experience in the war that changed the world – why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as America’s National World War II Museum, it celebrates the American Spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifice of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and the Home Front. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-527-6012 or visit www.nationalww2museum.org. Follow us on Twitter at WWIImuseum or visit our Facebook fan page.