Embark on an exceptional immersive expedition to discover history of Earth and life itself.
43 min
2023
- Excurio
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (France)
9 paleo-landscapes and 3.5 billion years of evolution in just 43 minutes
Caught in the meanders of time, will we be able to find our way back to the present?
In this captivating space-time adventure, we follow Charlie and her robot Darwin through extinct ecosystems populated by fascinating species.
Tyrannosaurus and triceratops won't be your only encounters...
How can we illustrate the evolution of the planet and the various life forms that have walked it through a non-exhaustive selection of species, places and periods? This is the challenge taken up by Life Chronicles.
The selection has focused on several paleo-landscapes, from the Archean period (3.5 billion years ago) to the present day, including the rise of animal life in the Cambrian (520 million years ago), the great forests of the Carboniferous (300 million years ago), the great dinosaurs of the Cretaceous (67 million years ago) and the rise of humans (between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago).
The paleo-landscapes are located in different regions of the world (chosen for their actual fossil sites), at different periods and featuring spectacular or more elusive, mysterious species that help us understand that life is everywhere, all the time, in multiple forms.
Science at the heart of the story
From paleontologists to paleobotanists, evolution specialists and bioacousticians, the Excurio teams and scientists from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (France) have brought this epic to life, in a dreamlike, sometimes humorous way, but always based on scientific data.
To best represent the atmosphere of the period, a sound universe has been created to immerse you in dense environments. Listen carefully – a species might be approaching you!
Living conditions on the Earth's surface have changed over time: each time you discover a paleo-landscape, you'll be told where you landed and the specific features of that era.
Charlie, your guide
- Born in 2196, Charlie is a post-doctoral researcher at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. Her work, combining quantum physics and research into the evolution of species, is extremely promising.
- Always accompanied by her robot Darwin, her insight and knowledge shed light on the mysteries of life and evolution.
- Will she be able to get us home?
A breathtaking journey through time and space
Nine periods and locations are covered by this immersive expedition:
- The formation of the Earth (Hadean), 4.5 billion years ago, Cosmos
- Archean, 3.5 billion years ago, Pilbara, Australia, Coastline / Ocean
- Cambrian, 522 million years ago, Chengjiang, China, Ocean
- Carboniferous, 314 million years ago, Montceau-les-Mines, France, Swamp / Forest
- Jurassic, 180 million years ago, Holzmaden, Germany, Ocean / Sky
- Cretaceous, 67 million years ago, Hell's Creek, United States, Shore / Forest / Plain
- Eocene, 45 million years ago, Messel, Germany, Forest / Canopy
- Pleistocene, 61,000 years ago, Flores Island, Indonesia, Forest / Plain / Cave
- Present day, 2023, Arusha Region, Tanzania, Savanna
Behind the scene videos
Co-producteurs
Excurio, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Creative Director
Guillaume Martini
Authors
Ludovic Marguerie, Guillaume Martini, Francis Nief
Scientific curators
Bruno David, Sylvain Charbonnier, Gaël Clément, Guillaume Lecointre (MNHN)
Our Immersive Expeditions
An immersive expedition conceived and co-produced by Excurio and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (France)
EXCURIO
Producers
Emmanuel Guerriero
Fabien Barati
Catherine Seys
Lead designer
Ludovic Marguerie
VR interface designer
Aurélien Signorino-Gelo
VR experience designer
Séraphin Gaillard
Ahmadji Ursulet
Emilion Sannie
Céline Tohier
Aurélien Signorino-Gelo
Integrators
Thomas Planchais
Teddy Houche
Concept artists Excurio
Guillaume Duflos
Gwénaël Feuillard
Concept artists
Maël Olliver-Henry
Flora Silve
Axel Paumier
Quentin Dognon
Mathieu Freyermuth
Casting director
Frédérique Barkoff
Actors - French voices
Charlie – Leslie Carles
Darwin – Bernard Gabay
Samantha – Diane Diassigny
Actors - English voices
Charlie – Tiffany Hofstetter
Darwin – Mark Jane
Samantha – Sharon Mann
Actors - Spanish voices
Charlie - Anaïs Parello
Darwin - Joan Bellviure
Samantha - Eva Perez
Project lead
Tarek El Khamsa
Lead developer
Renaud Wintzer
Content developers
Pierre Bregeon
Julie Helbecque
Vincent Kerharo
Valentin Thomas
Cédric Welty
Lead technical artist
Jean-Baptiste Sarrazin
Technical artist
Tom Walker
Editing and camera operator
Maïlé Rome Khemissi
Scopitone – Reccording studio
Quentin Dupuis
Michel Dupuis
Jean-René Minier
Max Mollot
Authors
Ludovic Marguerie
Guillaume Martini
Francis Nief
Lead 3D artists
Cédric Lecomte
3D artists Excurio
Guillaume Duflos
Thomas Mantilla
Romain Paindessous
3D artists
Maxim Belyaev
Kseniya Belova
Anton Bezrukov
Alberto Cano
Siavo Chernaya
Andrey Chumak
Katja Diaz Granados
Marta Ivanova
Vanessa Jorry
Vadim Kalabukh
Louis Keucker
Lena Kleymenova
Delphine Lacroix
Maxim Nikiforov
Brice Parrondo
Anton Popov
Hylton Rodel
Natalya Sedova
Vladimir Shatunov
Alexander Staronosov
Julia Tolstova
Anna Tumolskaya
Nils Wadensten
Daniil Yachenko
Leticia Zanella Domingues
Yelizaveta Zaychikova
Project manager assistant
Diane COLIN
MocapLab – Motion capture
Rémi Brun
Christophe Cheul
Charles Fougeront
Robin Gaune
Luca Jami
Oriana Kacimi
Châu Kim Nguyen
Mathilde Renet
Frank Vayssettes
Actors - Motion capture
Leslie Carles
Diane Diassigny
Corinne Martin
Jean-Yves Tual
Creative Director
Guillaume Martini
Lead animators
Antonin Delboy
Animators Excurio
Cécile Auer
Margaux Badaya-Delaroche
Matthieu Berge
Benoît Toutous
Animators
Alexis Caillet
Christophe Devaux
Xavier Jacolot
Artistic director
Maxence Fournier
Moving Puppet – Puppet animation
Jerome Clauss
Pascal Meunier
Umeshu Lovers – Visual development studio
Gabrielle Clegnac
Mickael Lelievre
Adrien Quillet
Blanktone Studios - Agence sonore immersive
David Escudero
Laurent Vang
Sound designer
Gery Montet
MUSÉUM NATIONAL D'HISTOIRE NATURELLE, FRANCE (MNHN)
Under the Presidence of Gilles BLOCH, President of the MNHN
General project coordination
Cyril Roguet, Director of the Jardin des Plantes Large site
Stéphanie Targui, Project Manager, Innovative Digital and Audiovisual Projects, Public Division
Delphine Nahon, Head of Programming, Mediation, cultural actions and events, Public Division
Scientific curators
Bruno David, President of the MNHN until 31 August 2023
Sylvain Charbonnier (MNHN)
Gaël Clément (MNHN)
Guillaume Lecointre (MNHN)
Scientific advice
Origins & Evolution Department
UMR 7207 Paleontology Research Center - Paris
Ronan Allain (MNHN)
Denis Audo (MNHN)
Nathalie Bardet (CNRS)
Olivier Béthoux (MNHN)
Anaïs Boura (Sorbonne Université)
Cédric Del Rio (MNHN)
Dario De Franceschi (MNHN)
Damien Germain (MNHN)
Florent Goussard (MNHN)
Romain Jattiot (Sorbonne Université)
Isabelle Kruta (Sorbonne Université)
Charlène Letenneur (MNHN)
Grégoire Métais (CNRS)
Séverine Toussaint (CNRS)
Loïc Villier (Sorbonne Université)
Valéry Zeitoun (CNRS)
Scientific advice
Département Origines & Evolution
Origins & Evolution Department
Sylvain Bernard (CNRS)
Matthieu Gounelle(MNHN)
Pierre Sans-Jofre (MNHN)
UMR 7205 Institute of Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity
Violaine Nicolas-Colin (MNHN)
Germinal Rouhan (MNHN)
Jérôme Sueur (MNHN)
Scientific advice
Human & Environment Department
UMR 7194 Natural History of Prehistoric Man
Florent Détroit (MNHN)
Other institutions
UMR 123 Botany and plant architecture modeling and vegetation architecture, Montpellier
Anne-Laure Decombeix (CNRS)
Yunnan University, China
Peiyun Cong
Yu Liu
Xiaoya Ma
Dayou Zhai
MNHN Cross-functional departments
Direction de la communication
Direction des affaires financières
Direction des affaires juridiques et de la commande publique
Direction des publics
Direction du développement
Direction de l’innovation numérique et des systèmes d’information
Direction de la sécurité
Direction d’exploitation du Jardin des Plantes
With the support of
Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC)
Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche
Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires
- Program
- Your guide
- Scientific information
- Behind the scenes
- Reviews