''Prehysteria!'' is a series of three
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
monster
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
s made in the early to mid-1990s about the adventures of five miniature baby
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 named after famous pop musicians. The dinosaurs were
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, a male ''
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'',
Paula, a female ''
Brachiosaurus
''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about 154to 150million years ago. It was first described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in th ...
'',
Jagger
Jagger is an English surname. Someone who owned and/or managed a team of packhorses was known as a "jagger", so this surname probably originates from that occupation.
More rarely, the name is used as a given name.
Notable people with the surnam ...
, a male ''
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been foun ...
'',
Hammer
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...
, a male ''
Chasmosaurus
''Chasmosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period of North America. Its name means 'opening lizard', referring to the large openings ( fenestrae) in its frill (Greek ''chasma'' meaning 'opening' or 'hollow' ...
'', and
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
, a female ''
Geosternbergia
''Geosternbergia'' is an extinct genus of pteranodontid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America. ''Geosternbergia'' was one of the largest pterosaur genera, and had a wingspan of up to .
Discovery ...
'' (despite having the crest of a male, and despite the fact that Geosternbergia was a genus of
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 ...
rather than a dinosaur). The films were made by
Moonbeam Entertainment
Full Moon Features is an American Film, motion picture production and distribution company headed by B movie, B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series ''Puppet Master (franchise), Puppet Master'', ''Trancers (fran ...
, the family-oriented sub-brand of
B-movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
producer
Charles Band
Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies.
Career
Band entered film production in the 1970s with Charles Band Productions. Dissatisfied with distributo ...
's
Full Moon Entertainment
Full Moon Features is an American Film, motion picture production and distribution company headed by B movie, B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series ''Puppet Master (franchise), Puppet Master'', ''Trancers (fran ...
.
Richard Band
Richard Howard Band is an American composer of film music. He has scored more than 140 projects, including '' From Beyond'', which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Sitges Film Festival. Lately he scored ''Exorcism at 60,000 Feet' ...
, Michael Bishop, and
Fuzzbee Morse
Fuzzbee Morse is an American composer for films, as well as a performer, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer.
He is known for his command of a variety of instruments, including guitar, keyboards, bass, flute, soprano ...
composed the music for the movies.
Development
In the early 1990s,
Charles Band
Charles Robert Band (born December 27, 1951) is an American film producer and director, known for his work on horror comedy movies.
Career
Band entered film production in the 1970s with Charles Band Productions. Dissatisfied with distributo ...
was working on a new label from ''Full Moon Entertainment'', called ''Moonbeam Entertainment''. Moonbeam Entertainment was created specifically for family, science fiction and fantasy films created for children and adults with no "hard edge" to them. Around the same time, storyboard artist ''Peter von Sholly'', approached Band with a concept about creating a movie about miniature dinosaurs. Band, intrigued with the idea, thought that it was perfect to be the first Moonbeam film. David Allen Productions and
Mark Rappaport
Mark Rappaport (born January 15, 1942 in New York City, United States) is an American independent/ underground film director and film critic, who has been working sporadically since the early 1970s.
Biography
Born and raised in Brighton Beach, ...
created the special effects for all of the films.
The first ''Prehysteria!'' was co-directed by Charles and Albert Band and it was released in 1993. The film was a huge success, gaining over $100,000,000 in rental sales. Due to its outcome, a sequel, ''Prehysteria! 2'', was quickly developed and released in 1994. No character from the first film returned; however, Albert Band returned to direct. In 1995, Moonbeam developed a second sequel entitled ''Prehysteria! 3''.
David DeCoteau
David DeCoteau (born January 5, 1962) is an American-Canadian film director and producer.
Biography
Early life
David DeCoteau was born on January 5, 1962, in Portland, Oregon.
Career
He has worked professionally in the movie business since ...
directed the film. The only returning character was
Owen Bush
Owen Bush (November 10, 1921 – June 12, 2001) was an American actor. Born in Savannah, Missouri, he went on to have a lengthy career in television and film. He portrayed the pivotal character "Benson January" in the season 4 ''Maverick'' ...
from the second film. All of the films were released by Paramount Home Video. *Besides the dinosaurs, Mr. Cranston (
Owen Bush
Owen Bush (November 10, 1921 – June 12, 2001) was an American actor. Born in Savannah, Missouri, he went on to have a lengthy career in television and film. He portrayed the pivotal character "Benson January" in the season 4 ''Maverick'' ...
) is the only returning character in the series. The ''
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been foun ...
'', Jagger, never appeared on the first three film posters. ''Prehysteria!'' was
Austin O'Brien
Austin Taylor O'Brien (born May 11, 1981) is an American actor and photographer. He is known for playing the co-lead Danny Madigan in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film ''Last Action Hero'', followed by his turn into romance as Nick Zsigmond in ''M ...
's first lead role. The ''
Tyrannosaurus
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosa ...
'', Elvis, and ''
Brachiosaurus
''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about 154to 150million years ago. It was first described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in th ...
'', Paula, have appeared on all of the film posters. The dinosaurs in the first three films were realized by traditional
stop motion animation
Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
and
rod puppets
A hand puppet is a type of puppet that is controlled by the hand or hands that occupies the interior of the puppet.Sinclair, A, ''The Puppetry Handbook'', p.15 A glove puppet is a variation of hand puppets. Rod puppets require one of the puppeteer ...
. ''Prehysteria! 2'' and ''Prehysteria! 3'' were both aimed at younger audiences. Madonna the ''
Geosternbergia
''Geosternbergia'' is an extinct genus of pteranodontid pterodactyloid pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America. ''Geosternbergia'' was one of the largest pterosaur genera, and had a wingspan of up to .
Discovery ...
'' hurt her wing in ''Prehysteria! 2'', so that the producers could save money on the cost of stop motion animation. In ''Prehysteria! 3'', Madonna does not fly. ''Prehysteria!'' was the first
Moonbeam Entertainment
Full Moon Features is an American Film, motion picture production and distribution company headed by B movie, B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series ''Puppet Master (franchise), Puppet Master'', ''Trancers (fran ...
film. ''Prehysteria 2'' was Moonbeam's first sequel. The characters of "Richie", played by Stuart Fratkin and "Louis", played by Tony Longo from the first ''Prehysteria!'', were brought back to star in another Moonbeam Production, "Remote", because they had done so well as comedic thugs in ''Prehysteria!''.
Films
''Prehysteria!''
The first film in the series that was released in 1993, ''Prehysteria!'' tells the story of Rico Sarno, a museum curator, who enters a
forbidden temple in South America, and discovers a nest of five
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
. He steals them and brings them back to his museum. Frank Taylor (
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in ''The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Goo ...
), a raisin farmer, sells fossils to Rico and in a mix-up, the Taylor's dog takes a cooler, which has the eggs. The kids, Monica (Samantha Mills) and Jerry (
Austin O'Brien
Austin Taylor O'Brien (born May 11, 1981) is an American actor and photographer. He is known for playing the co-lead Danny Madigan in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film ''Last Action Hero'', followed by his turn into romance as Nick Zsigmond in ''M ...
) discover the dinosaurs when they hatch and try to keep it a secret, until their father finds out. When Vicki (Colleen Morris), a woman who works for Rico, sees the dinosaurs, she tells the Taylors not to give them back to Rico because he will expose them. Rico finds out the Taylors have them and hires two robbers to help him get the dinosaurs back.
Cast
*
Brett Cullen
Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986-1988), Sam Cain in ''The Young Riders'' (1989-1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005-2006), Goo ...
as Frank Taylor
*Colleen Morris as Vicky
*Samantha Mills as Monica Taylor
*
Austin O'Brien
Austin Taylor O'Brien (born May 11, 1981) is an American actor and photographer. He is known for playing the co-lead Danny Madigan in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film ''Last Action Hero'', followed by his turn into romance as Nick Zsigmond in ''M ...
as Jerry Taylor
*
Tony Longo
Tony Longo (August 19, 1961 – June 21, 2015) was an American actor. Longo appeared in numerous television series, including ''Family Matters'', '' The Facts of Life'', '' Laverne & Shirley'', ''Simon & Simon'', '' Alice'', '' Perfect Strang ...
as Louis
*
Stuart Fratkin
Stuart Fratkin (born September 22, 1963) is an American actor, best known for playing Fitz in the movie ''Ski School''. Fratkin also starred in ''They Came from Outer Space'' with Ski School co-star Dean Cameron.
Fratkin has been in several mov ...
as Ritchie
*
Stephen Lee as Rico Sarno
*Tom Williams as Whitey
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as Elvis, Paula, Jagger, Hammer and Madonna
Reception
''TV Guide'' called it, "the worst kind of kids' film."
''Prehysteria! 2''
''Prehysteria! 2'' was the sequel to the first film and was released in 1994. Mr. Cranston is a friend of the Taylors and he watches the mini-dinosaurs while they are on vacation. The five mini-dinosaurs break out of the Taylors' farm and accidentally get shipped into a crate of
raisins
A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the da ...
. The crate is found in a box car by Naomi (Jennifer Harte), a girl whose father works at the train station and a rich kid named Brendan Wellington (
Kevin Connors
Kevin Connors is a sports television journalist for ESPN. He is among the most versatile studio hosts in sports television, handling ESPN's coverage of college basketball and college football, as well as Baseball Tonight. He is also a regular anc ...
) who is hiding in the box car because he is being chased by bullies who are about to attack him. When the two discover the raisin crate, they get into an argument on who should keep the dinosaurs, Brendan claiming that he saw them first and Naomi claiming them on the fact that it is her box car. Brendan pays a worker for the crate, knowing that the dinosaurs are inside. Brendan is unhappy because he has no friends and is desperate for attention because his father does not spend much time with him. Naomi and Brendan later become friends and the mini-dinosaurs help the boy get the attention he needs, and try to save him from his abusive
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...
Miss Winters who is allergic to animals. When she finds out about Brendan having pets (not knowing that they are dinosaurs) she hires two
exterminators. She also views Brendan as a child with a lot of problems and wants to send him to a
disciplinary school.
Cast
*Kevin Connors as Brendan Wellington
*Jennifer Harte as Naomi
*
Dean Scofield
Dean Scofield (born January 12, 1957, Alhambra, California) is an American actor who has provided the voice of the recurring joke character Johnny Sasaki in ''Metal Gear Solid'', '' Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes'' and '' Metal Gear Solid 2: ...
as Mr. Wellington
*
Bettye Ackerman
Bettye Louise Ackerman (February 28, 1924 – November 1, 2006) was an American actress primarily known for her work on television.
Early years
Ackerman was born in Cottageville, South Carolina (another source says she was born in Williston, So ...
as Miss Winters
*
Owen Bush
Owen Bush (November 10, 1921 – June 12, 2001) was an American actor. Born in Savannah, Missouri, he went on to have a lengthy career in television and film. He portrayed the pivotal character "Benson January" in the season 4 ''Maverick'' ...
as Mr. Cranston
*Greg Lewis as Ivan
*Michael Hagiwara as Mr. Hiro
*
Larry Hankin
Larry Hankin (born ) is an American character actor, performer, director, comedian and producer. He is known for his major film roles as Charley Butts in '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), Ace in '' Running Scared'' (1986), and Carl Alphonse in ...
as Ketchum
*Alan Palo as Killam
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as Elvis, Paula, Jagger, Hammer and Madonna
''Prehysteria! 3''
''Prehysteria! 3'' is the third and final film of the series, and was released in 1995. This time, the five dinosaurs fall out of the back of Mr. Cranston's truck, and they make their way to another family's home. The dinosaurs help the MacGregor family, who is struggling with their mini-putt
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
. Ella MacGregor, (Whitney Anderson) is in love with her Scottish culture, but is sad that the mini-putt golf course is going under. She finds the dinosaurs, and with her family's help, they re-build the golf course with a dinosaur theme, which helps them a lot. But Ella's evil uncle Hal MacGregor (
Bruce Weitz) is determined to take over the course by all means, and Ella and her parents must hide the mini-dinosaurs to protect them from danger.
Cast
*Whitney Anderson as Ella MacGregor
*
Owen Bush
Owen Bush (November 10, 1921 – June 12, 2001) was an American actor. Born in Savannah, Missouri, he went on to have a lengthy career in television and film. He portrayed the pivotal character "Benson January" in the season 4 ''Maverick'' ...
as Mr. Cranston
*Dave Buzzotta as Heath MacGregor
*Thomas Emery Dennis as Dole
*
John Fujioka
John Mamoru Fujioka (June 29, 1925 – December 13, 2018) was an American actor of Japanese descent. He was particularly known for performing the role of a Japanese holdout soldier in ''The Last Flight of Noah's Ark'', ''Who Finds a Friend Fin ...
as Mr. Yamamoto
*
Matt Letscher
Matthew Letscher is an American actor, director and playwright, known for his roles as Captain Harrison Love in the 1998 American swashbuckler film ''The Mask of Zorro'' and as Colonel Adelbert Ames in the 2003 American film '' Gods and General ...
as Needlemeyer
*Pam Matteson as Michelle MacGregor
*Michael R. Thayer as Jeff
*
Bruce Weitz as Hal MacGregor
*
Fred Willard
Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Wai ...
as Thomas MacGregor
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as Elvis, Paula, Jagger, Hammer and Madonna
Home media
By 1995, all of the three films in the ''Prehysteria!'' series were out on VHS and
laserdisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
. The series saw a DVD release in Germany under the title "Jurassic Kids" in 2014.
In 2018, the first film of the series received a Blu-Ray release
with a new transfer from the original 35mm camera negative.
See also
*''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
''
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Prehysteria!
1995 fantasy films
Full Moon Features films
Films about dinosaurs
1993 films
1994 films
1995 films
Films using stop-motion animation
Paramount Pictures direct-to-video films
Films directed by Albert Band
Films scored by Richard Band
1990s English-language films