Reviews & Press
Audience Highlights
“Lively, fun and educational. On leaving, the children were singing and dancing and clamoring to be friends with Franz—truly an immersive musical fantasy worth gathering your friends for!”
“A really special visual shock. It's my first time seeing a children's stage production with LV-level (luxury-brand) gorgeousness—it feels great!”
“This is the best family show I've ever seen. The story is touching and meaningful, the imagery colorful and three-dimensional, the music lovely, and the actors and dancers gave their all.”
“I've always loved IMT's multimedia theater—every time brings a new, moving shock. 《Voyage Undersea》 is really good; my child was glued to it, thrilled, for the entire show.”
“Work created with such effort for children gives our nation's young seedlings wonderful artistic nourishment—so touching.”
“A great format—combining stage play, musical and modern technology to teach through entertainment, so that children, without noticing, pick up some simple awareness of ocean environmental problems.”
“The group is very well coordinated, the props and costumes are exquisitely made, and it's very educational—excellent!”
“《Voyage Undersea》: Dr. Franz (Dr. Food) and his human friends go on an undersea expedition to investigate rising ocean temperatures and the proliferation of jellyfish, and discover the sea floor full of garbage. A warm and educational stage play that reminds us there is only one ocean and we must cherish it.”
“The whole show is like a 3D undersea extravaganza—besides sound-and-light effects and giant puppets, there are performers doing stunts, plus simple melodies and songs children love; it's a lively, bustling musical. The kids were thrilled! The children we came with—aged one-and-a-bit, three-and-a-half, and in second and fourth grade—all gave it rave reviews!”
“I never expected that within the first five minutes on stage I'd feel it was absolutely worth bringing my child. Besides ordinary stage performance, it combines song and dance with 3D animation, to excellent effect—my restless son immediately agreed to sit still and enjoy the show. Of the main characters, the funny-natured Doug made the deepest impression on him. A lovely story, all kinds of fun undersea sights, and of course, as expected, lessons about the importance of protecting the environment. A children's show with really high value for money!”
“The story of 《Voyage Undersea》 is easy to follow, and the songs woven into it are easy to sing along to. Whether it's the cute character costumes or the sound-and-light effects, everything is very appealing and resonates with children. In addition, the characters on stage interact with the children in the audience—singing together, or at the end helping clear the garbage out of the big sea turtle's belly—making children feel involved while instilling correct knowledge. It's a wonderful model of family musical, and a strongly recommended show.”
Media Praise
“《Voyage Undersea》 combines 3D animated scenery, film special effects and original puppet performance; you can feel the three-dimensional effect without wearing 3D glasses. The whole gorgeous undersea kingdom is richly colored, and the puppet costumes feel contemporary and refined.”
“《Voyage Undersea》 awakens love and care for Earth's ecology and marine life, and for cherishing the abundant resources God has given us. Through storytelling that teaches by entertaining, it puts humanistic care into practice. We hope Taiwanese society becomes ever better, more harmonious and happier, restoring life's rightful beauty and richness.”
《Voyage Undersea》 not only shows an entertaining adventure story through song, dance, sound and light; it also draws on IMT's years of experience combining multimedia and theater, overlaying animated imagery projected onto front and rear curtains to present dazzling, layered undersea scenes that enrich the audience's visual imagination.
“A groundbreaking family show that combines technology and creativity”
“Combining 3D dynamic imagery, animation, song and dance, live performance and plenty of audience participation—imaginative and wonderful beyond words”
《Voyage Undersea》 by Franz & Friends is a rare, original Taiwanese environmental family theater production, supervised by the Taipei Arts International Association and created by Image in Motion Theater in the spirit of original “made in Taiwan.” Gathering top talent from Taiwan's theater and animation fields and using glasses-free 3D multimedia technology rarely seen in theater, it builds a Hollywood-grade, high-spec large-scale fantasy theater, skillfully blending rich visual effects, exquisite and agile puppet stunts and environmental-education concepts. Through interactive multimedia theater experiences that teach through entertainment, it offers the audience a colorful visual impact and a baptism of dynamic music in a virtual ocean kingdom, not only inspiring children's imagination but also conveying ocean knowledge, environmental awareness and practical ways to protect the Earth.
Bringing together talent from theater, animation and film special effects, it creates for children a fantasy song-and-dance party fused with vivid 3D animation, with eye-catching sets, pleasant songs and charming puppets. Franz and friends, together with the lively undersea troops, sing and dance, and with fun interaction spread simple yet easily overlooked basic values—friendship, dreams, courage and care for the environment—into the hearts of audiences young and old.
《Voyage Undersea》 is a high-spec musical built on multimedia theater, bringing together the finest of Taiwan's theater and animated-film worlds to devote themselves to creating something tailor-made for children. In 2014 the Taipei Arts International Association launched a nationwide tour of 《Voyage Undersea》, breaking out of the commercially driven atmosphere of the market, opening a new multimedia trend for family theater and setting a new milestone in the history of Taiwan's cultural and creative industries.
“Voyage Undersea is a wonderfully imaginative mix of 3D motion capture, video animation, music, dance and live actors— and a lot of audience participation.”