I had the chance to see the new movie Pelican Dreams and it was a delight! The movie opens with a huge traffic jam on the Golden Gate bridge caused by a lone California brown pelican standing in the middle of the road. The bird won’t budge until a rescuer steps forward and then the pelican is on the move. Thankfully, the rescuer perseveres, captures the bird and the pelican is whisked away to International Bird Rescue. From there, filmmaker Judy Irving takes you on a pelican journey. Not only do you get to follow the progress of Gigi (named for GG as in Golden Gate), you also get to learn a ton about pelicans and see footage of them mating, breeding and raising their young.

Judy is clearly a devoted pelican fan and does a great job capturing the reality of pelicans from their truly awkward and cutthroat beginnings in the nest, to learning to fly and hunt, to soaring with grace and majesty along the coast. Along the way, you also get a behind-the-scenes look at the people who dedicate their lives to rescuing birds, their devotion to these animals is amazing and inspiring. But I don’t want to give away everything – go see the movie Pelican Dreams! You’ll fall in love with these beautiful birds all over again.

For a complete listing of locations and showtimes, visit the Pelican Dreams website.