''Dinosaur Revolution'' is a four-part American nature documentary produced by
Creative Differences
''Creative Differences'' is a studio album by American hip hop group Living Legends. It was released in 2004. The album cover is a reference to ''The Brady Bunch''. It peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Independent Albums chart.
Critical r ...
.
It utilizes
computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
to portray
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s and other animals from the
Mesozoic era
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising ...
. The program was originally aired on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
and
Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
.
''Dinosaur Revolution'' was released to mixed reviews, with some citing the poor quality of its animation and a lack of seriousness in its tone. It was, however, praised for its educational content and general energy.
Background and production history
Production of the series began in spring of 2009 (after several months of
pre-production
Pre-production is the process of planning some of the elements involved in a film, television show, play, or other performance, as distinct from production and post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts ...
)
and took three years in total.
The series was built around several short- and long-form stories taking place in a number of distinct environments spanning the Mesozoic era. Originally titled ''Reign of the Dinosaurs'', the series was intended not as a documentary, but as a six-hour series of fictional narratives based loosely on the comic book ''
Age of Reptiles'' by
Ricardo Delgado, and employing no narration.
[Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (September 8, 2011)]
Comment
o
"Coming soon to your screens: Dinosaur Hyperbole"
weblog entry by Hone, Dave (September 7, 2011).
Dave Hone's Archosaur Musings
'. Retrieved September 13, 2011. Each episode was to be instead followed by one of a companion series, called ''Science of Reign of the Dinosaurs'', which would feature scientists explaining the basis for the preceding story, and pointing out which parts were speculative or imaginary. Due to cuts and changes in marketing strategy by the network and production company, the series was eventually renamed ''Dinosaur Revolution'', and divided into a more traditional format inter-cut with "
talking heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
," or brief explanations from scientists. The series was also cut from the planned six hours to four.
[ Of the four finished episodes, the first was originally planned to feature the ]Triassic
The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...
Chinle Formation
The Chinle Formation is an Upper Triassic continental geological formation of fluvial, lacustrine, and palustrine to eolian deposits spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, western New Mexico, and western Colorado. In Ne ...
of the southwestern United States, and to include ''Coelophysis
''Coelophysis'' ( traditionally; or , as heard more commonly in recent decades) is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 228 to 201.3 million years ago during the latter part of the Triassic Period from t ...
'', ''Placerias
''Placerias'' (meaning 'broad body') is an extinct genus of dicynodonts that lived during the Carnian to the Norian age of the Triassic Period (230–220 million years ago). ''Placerias'' belongs to a group of dicynodonts called Kannemeyeriiforme ...
'' and ''Postosuchus
''Postosuchus'', meaning "Crocodile from Post", is an extinct genus of rauisuchid reptiles comprising two species, ''P. kirkpatricki'' and ''P. alisonae'', that lived in what is now North America during the Late Triassic. ''Postosuchus'' is a me ...
'' in the storyline. However, during production the sequence was changed to the older Ischigualasto Formation
The Ischigualasto Formation is a Late Triassic fossiliferous formation and Lagerstätte in the Ischigualasto-Villa Unión Basin of the southwestern La Rioja Province and northeastern San Juan Province in northwestern Argentina. The formation da ...
of Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, and the featured animals changed to ''Eoraptor
''Eoraptor'' () is a genus of small, lightly built, basal sauropodomorph. One of the earliest-known dinosaurs, it lived approximately 231 to 228 million years ago, during the Late Triassic in Western Gondwana, in the region that is now northwest ...
'', ''Ischigualastia
''Ischigualastia'' is an extinct genus of large dicynodont therapsids that lived during the Late Carnian age and the Early Norian age of the Late Triassic Period. The genus was found in and named after the Ischigualasto Formation (Cancha de Boc ...
'' and ''Saurosuchus
''Saurosuchus'' (meaning "lizard crocodile") is an extinct genus of large loricatan pseudosuchian archosaur that lived in South America during the Late Triassic period. It was a heavy, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal carnivore, likely being the apex ...
''. For this reason, the ''Ischigualastia'' model remained anatomically based on ''Placerias''.[Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (September 9, 2011)]
"RE: Dinosaur Revolution: Anatomical Nitpicking"
Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List. Retrieved September 10, 2011. Scenes featuring ''Cryolophosaurus
''Cryolophosaurus'' ( or ; "CRY-oh-loaf-oh-SAWR-us") is a genus of large theropod dinosaur known from only a single species ''Cryolophosaurus ellioti'', from the early Jurassic of Antarctica. It was one of the largest theropods of the Early Jura ...
'' and ''Glacialisaurus
''Glacialisaurus'' is a genus of sauropodomorph dinosaur. It lived during the Pliensbachian stage of the Early Jurassic period around 186 to 182 million years ago in what is now the central region of the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. I ...
'' were shot in Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
.
The second episode, titled "The Watering Hole," was originally intended to highlight the Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...
Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic, Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandsto ...
of western North America, which has been featured in numerous dinosaur documentaries. At the suggestion of science consultant Tom Holtz, the setting was changed to the contemporary Lourinhã Formation
The Lourinhã Formation () is a fossil rich geological formation in western Portugal, named for the municipality of Lourinhã. The formation is mostly Late Jurassic in age (Kimmeridgian/Tithonian), with the top of the formation extending into the ...
of Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and like the first episode, some species were swapped for equivalents in the new location. This resulted in televised appearances of dinosaurs such as ''Draconyx
''Draconyx'' (meaning "dragon claw") is a genus of dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. It was an ornithopod which lived in what is now Portugal and was a herbivore. It was found in the Lourinhã Formation in 1991, and described by Octávio Mateus ...
''. Similarly, the Cretaceous Mongolia sequence (which took place during the third episode) was set in the Wulansuhai Formation
The Bayan Mandahu Formation (also known as Wulansuhai Formation or Wuliangsuhai Formation) is a geological unit of "redbeds" located near the village of Bayan Mandahu in Inner Mongolia, China Asia (Gobi Desert) and dates from the late Cretaceous P ...
rather than the near-contemporary, and more familiar, Djadochta Formation
The Djadochta Formation (sometimes transcribed and also known as Djadokhta, Djadokata, or Dzhadokhtskaya) is a highly fossiliferous geological formation situated in Central Asia, Gobi Desert, dating from the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 milli ...
. Therefore, it featured the first film appearances of the species ''Velociraptor osmolskae
''Velociraptor'' (; ) is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the pa ...
'' and ''Protoceratops hellenikorhinus
''Protoceratops'' (; ) is a genus of small protoceratopsid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous, around 75 to 71 million years ago. The genus ''Protoceratops'' includes two species: ''P. andrewsi'' and the larger ''P. helleni ...
'' in place of the more well-known ''V. mongoliensis'' and ''P. andrewsi''. Although the velociraptor confusion could have come about due to Misidentified Velociraptor osmolskae being labeled Velociraptor mongoliensis. Some of the events of "The Watering Hole" were based on Holtz's own research, such as the scenes featuring an ''Allosaurus
''Allosaurus'' () is a genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic epoch (Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian). The name "''Allosaurus''" means "different lizard" alluding to ...
'' whose lower jaw was wounded by the tail of a sauropod
Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their bo ...
. Most species in this show were scientifically reported to Portugal by the Portuguese paleontologist Octávio Mateus
Octávio Mateus (born 1975) is a Portuguese dinosaur paleontologist and biologist Professor of Paleontology at the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He graduated in Universidade de Évora and received his PhD at U ...
. Not all animals featured in the finished program were based on specific species from the fossil record. Some, like the aquatic crocodyliform
Crocodyliformes is a clade of crurotarsan archosaurs, the group often traditionally referred to as "crocodilians". They are the first members of Crocodylomorpha to possess many of the features that define later relatives. They are the only pseudo ...
in the ''Utahraptor
''Utahraptor'' (meaning "Utah's thief") is a genus of large dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period. It was a heavy-built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore. It contains a single species, ''Utahrap ...
'' sequence and the carnivorous notosuchia
Notosuchia is a suborder of primarily Gondwanan mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. Some phylogenies recover Sebecosuchia as a clade within Notosuchia, others as a sister group (see below); if Sebecosu ...
n in the ''Anhanguera Anhanguera may refer to:
People
* Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva (1672–1740), a bandeirante
Places in Brazil
* Anhanguera, Goiás, a municipality in the state of Goiás
* Anhanguera (district of São Paulo), a district in São Paulo
* Parque Anhangue ...
'' sequence (both aired during the third episode), were left intentionally unnamed.
Notable artists
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...
involved in the production include David Krentz (who had previously worked on ''John Carter of Mars
John Carter of Mars is a fictional Virginian soldier who acts as the initial protagonist of the Barsoom stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. A veteran of the American Civil War, he is transported to the planet Mars, called Barsoom by its inhabi ...
'' and Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's ''Dinosaur''), Ricardo Delgado (famous for his comic book ''Age of Reptiles''), Tom de Rosier (who had worked on ''Lilo & Stitch
''Lilo & Stitch'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 42nd Disney animated feature film, it was written and directed by Chris Sande ...
'' and ''Mulan
Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history.
According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...
''), Mishi McCaig (who had worked on ''Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
''), Pete Von Sholly (who had worked on '' The Mask'' and ''Darkman
''Darkman'' is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. Based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, the film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who is br ...
''), and Iain McCaig
Iain McCaig (born March 19, 1957) is an American artist, writer, and filmmaker. He was involved in the '' Star Wars'' franchise and many other iconic film and book projects, including an album cover for Jethro Tull's Broadsword and the Beast.Rei ...
(one of the artists involved in the production of the ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' film series). Previous efforts which the creators cited as inspiration include ''Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '', ''Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'', ''Up'', and ''WALL-E
''WALL-E'' (stylized with an interpunct as ''WALL·E'') is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed and co-written by Andrew Stanton, pro ...
''.
The modeling, texturing, and painting of the various creatures featured in the episodes was done by Creative Differences in ZBrush, while animation and rendering were done in Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
by various other companies that had been employed by Creative Differences. These included Mokko in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Kinkajou
The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Potos'' ...
in the UK, Sauce FX
In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...
, and Hawaii Animation Studios
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. Hawaii Animation Studios also used a program known as Bakery Relight for rendering.[Casian, Caitlin]
Bakery Relight customer testimonial by Caitlin Casian, CG Supervisor at Hawaii Animation Studios.
''The Bakery''. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
Miniature sets, along with physical special effects were designed and filmed by, Los Angeles based, Tindall Vision Laboratories by director John Tindall. The sets include the dramatic ''Troodon'' segment staged on a post asteroid-impacted world.[
A press release by the Discovery Channel initially led to some confusion about the production of the series, leading some to believe that the project had been produced by ]Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...
rather than Creative Differences.
Original airing
The first two episodes of ''Dinosaur Revolution'' aired on Discovery Channel on September 4, 2011. The final two episodes were scheduled to air September 11, 2011, on Discovery Channel. However, out of respect for the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, a last-minute schedule change replaced them with 9/11-related programming.[Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (September 9, 2011)]
"RE: Dinosaur Revolution: Anatomical Nitpicking"
Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List. Retrieved September 13, 2011. These two episodes were rescheduled to air on Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
on September 13, 2011.[Krentz, David (September 9, 2011)]
"DINO REV NEW AIR DATE!!!!"
Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
Incomplete segments and errors
Stories which were cut or not completed during production were to have featured animals such as ''Spinosaurus
''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first fro ...
'', ''Megapnosaurus
''Megapnosaurus'' (meaning "big dead lizard", from Greek μεγα = "big", 'απνοος = "not breathing", "dead", σαυρος = "lizard") is an extinct genus of coelophysid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 188 million years ago duri ...
'',[Krentz, David (March 10, 2011)]
"Re: Pantydraco and the worst dinosaur name"
Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List. Retrieved October 26, 2011. ''Placodus
''Placodus'' (meaning 'flat tooth') was a genus of marine reptiles belonging to the order Placodontia, which swam in the shallow seas of the middle Triassic period (c. 240 million years ago). Fossils of ''Placodus'' have been found in Central Eur ...
'', ''Mixosaurus
''Mixosaurus'' is an extinct genus of Middle Triassic (Anisian to Ladinian, about 250-240 Mya) ichthyosaur. Its fossils have been found near the Italy–Switzerland border and in South China.
The genus was named in 1887 by George H. Baur. The ...
'', ''Nothosaurus
''Nothosaurus'' ("false lizard", from the Ancient Greek (), "illegitimate", and (), "lizard") is an extinct genus of sauropterygian reptile from the Triassic period, approximately 240–210 million years ago, with fossils being distributed from ...
'',[Von Sholly, Pete (December 16, 2011)]
"Dino Revo N0-Show"
''Vonshollywood''. Retrieved December 17, 2011. ''Iguanodon
''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the late Jurassic Period to the early Cretaceous Period of Asia, Eu ...
'', ''Agilisaurus
''Agilisaurus'' (; 'agile lizard') is a genus of ornithischian dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Period of what is now eastern Asia. It was about 3.5–4 ft (1.2-1.7 m) long, 2 ft (0.6 m) in height and 40 kg in weight.
It has ...
'' and ''Prenocephale
''Prenocephale'' (meaning "sloping head") is a genus of small pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. It was similar in many ways to its close relative, ''Homalocephale''.
Description
Adult ''Prenoceph ...
''. The ''Prenocephale'' model was re-used as a pachycephalosaur
Pachycephalosauria (; from Greek παχυκεφαλόσαυρος for 'thick headed lizards') is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs. Along with Ceratopsia, it makes up the clade Marginocephalia. With the exception of two species, most pachyc ...
in the final episode (centered on the Hell Creek Formation
The Hell Creek Formation is an intensively studied division of mostly Upper Cretaceous and some lower Paleocene rocks in North America, named for exposures studied along Hell Creek, near Jordan, Montana. The formation stretches over portions of ...
).[Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (September 9, 2011)]
Comment
on "Coming soon to your screens: Dinosaur Hyperbole" by Hone, David (September 7, 2011). ''Dave Hone's Archosaur Musings''. Retrieved October 3, 2011. A segment featuring an unknown pterosaur
Pterosaurs (; from Greek ''pteron'' and ''sauros'', meaning "wing lizard") is an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order, Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 to ...
(which was suggested by biology professor Michael Habib) was also planned but could not be prepared in time for the Discovery Channel airing. Artist Pete Von Sholly, who was involved in the production, expressed regret over the way the production was handled and cuts were made. In Von Sholly's opinion, some of the best sequences were left unproduced; cuts were made not based on the quality of the story, he claimed, but on how far along in the production process the segments were.[Von Sholly, Pete (September 12, 2011)]
Comment
o
weblog entry by Von Sholly, Pete (September 9, 2011). ''Vonshollywood''. Retrieved September 13, 2011. However, director David Krentz has stated that sequences were cut based on story quality.
Additionally, some relevant scientific discoveries were published too late into production to have been incorporated into the program. For example, the mosasaur
Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') comprise a group of extinct, large marine reptiles from the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in a limestone quarry at Maastricht on th ...
in the first episode lacked a tail fluke, the discovery of which came immediately after the CGI model was completed, according to director David Krentz.[Krentz, D. (September 9, 2011)]
"RE: Dinosaur Revolution: Anatomical Nitpicking"
Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List. Retrieved September 13, 2011. (Note that this CGI model is referred to as the genus ''Mosasaurus
''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian and Maastrichtian stages o ...
'' by the web site for the program, while Krentz has stated it was a ''Tylosaurus
''Tylosaurus'' (from the ancient Greek (') 'protuberance, knob' + Greek (') 'lizard') is a genus of mosasaur, a large, predatory marine reptile closely related to modern monitor lizards and to snakes, from the Late Cretaceous.
Description
A ...
''.)
Alternate version
Pete Von Sholly blogged in 2011, saying that a "proper version" would "see the light of day". On September 10, Von Sholly commented on a ''Dinosaur Revolution'' review, suggesting the possibility of a "creator's cut" version of ''Dinosaur Revolution'' which would correct problems which he alleged were caused by the network. Finally, on September 14, Von Sholly commented on another ''Dinosaur Revolution'' review, confirming the existence of a new version consisting of the material from the show, without any narration, that would be released on Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
. This marked the basis for the film version of the series, ''Dinotasia''.
List of episodes
Critical reception
''Dinosaur Revolution'' received mixed reviews from critics. Riley Black, writing for ''Smithsonian'', criticized the show, citing a lack of scientific content. She described it as "more of a dinosaur tribute than a scientific documentary". Holtz commented on the review and generally agreed with Black's criticisms of the program.[Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (September 2, 2011)]
o
"The Dinosaur Revolution Will Be Televised"
by Black, Riley. (Smithsonian). Retrieved June 2, 2021. Linda Stasi, a TV critic for the ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'', criticized the show for being too "cutesy," although she did note that the program teaches viewers "a huge amount of interesting stuff". Ross Langager from ''PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' criticized the show for its lack of scientific content. Brian Lowry of '' Variety '' took a more positive view of the series: while criticizing the series' lack of "groundbreaking" content, he nonetheless determined that it was "a very laudable decision to give viewers get a taste of life on a prehistoric planet." ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' reviewer David Hinckley did have his criticisms, but he still noted the show for being "lively".
Dinotasia
In 2012, a feature film called ''Dinotasia'' was released into theatres, incorporating and expanding upon the footage seen in ''Dinosaur Revolution''. It was designed to be closer to what ''Dinosaur Revolution'' was originally conceived as. It is narrated by Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
.
References
External links
Discovery Channel's ''Dinosaur Revolution'' press release
*
{{Discovery Channel programming
2011 American television series debuts
2011 American television series endings
Discovery Channel original programming
Documentary television series about dinosaurs
Science Channel original programming