| Dinosaur Revolution | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | David Krentz[1][2] Erik Nelson[1][2][3] |
| Narrated by | Rick Robles |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Erik Nelson[2][4] Alan Eyres[2] Brooke Runnette[2] |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production companies | Creative Differences Mokko Sauce FX Hawaii Animation Studios Kinkajou |
| Original release | |
| Network | Discovery Channel Science |
| Release | September 4 (2011-09-04) – September 13, 2011 (2011-09-13) |
Dinosaur Revolution is a four-part American nature documentary produced byCreative Differences.[1][2] It utilizescomputer-generated imagery to portray dinosaurs and other animals from theMesozoic era. The program was originally aired on theDiscovery Channel andScience.
AlthoughDinosaur Revolution was the first dinosaur documentary to feature a darker, edgier, more serious and violent adult atmospheric tone and the first to have been targeted towards a 13 and 14 year old audience, it served as a reimagining of the comic book seriesAge of Reptiles.[citation needed]
Production of the series began in spring of 2009 (after several months ofpre-production)[2] and took three years in total.[4] The series was built around several short- and long-form stories taking place in a number of distinct environments spanning the Mesozoic era. Its original title wasReign of the Dinosaurs.[5] Each episode was to be instead followed by one of a companion series, calledScience 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 renamedDinosaur Revolution, and divided into a more traditional format inter-cut with "talking heads," or brief explanations from scientists. The series was also cut from the planned six hours to four.[5] Of the four finished episodes, the first was originally planned to feature theTriassicChinle Formation of the southwestern United States, and to includeCoelophysis,Placerias andPostosuchus in the storyline. However, during production the sequence was changed to the olderIschigualasto Formation ofArgentina, and the featured animals changed toEoraptor,Ischigualastia andSaurosuchus. For this reason, theIschigualastia model remained anatomically based onPlacerias.[6] Scenes featuringCryolophosaurus andGlacialisaurus were shot inTenerife.[7]
The second episode, titled "The Watering Hole," was originally intended to highlight theJurassicMorrison Formation of western North America, which has been featured in numerous dinosaur documentaries. At the suggestion of science consultantTom Holtz, the setting was changed to the contemporaryLourinhã Formation ofPortugal, and like the first episode, some species were swapped for equivalents in the new location. This resulted in televised appearances of dinosaurs such asDraconyx.[6] Similarly, the Cretaceous Mongolia sequence (which took place during the third episode) was set in theWulansuhai Formation rather than the near-contemporary, and more familiar,Djadochta Formation. Therefore, it featured the first film appearances of the speciesVelociraptor osmolskae andProtoceratops hellenikorhinus in place of the more well-knownV. mongoliensis andP. andrewsi.[6] Some of the events of "The Watering Hole" were based on Holtz's own research, such as the scenes featuring anAllosaurus whose lower jaw was wounded by the tail of asauropod.[8] Most species in this show were scientifically reported to Portugal by the Portuguese paleontologistOctávio Mateus. Not all animals featured in the finished program were based on specific species from the fossil record. Some, like the aquaticcrocodyliform in theUtahraptor sequence and the carnivorousnotosuchian in theAnhanguera sequence (both aired during the third episode), were left intentionally unnamed.[6]
Notableartists involved in the production include David Krentz (who had previously worked onJohn Carter of Mars andDisney'sDinosaur),[9][10] Ricardo Delgado (famous for his comic bookAge of Reptiles),[9][10] Tom de Rosier (who had worked onLilo & Stitch andMulan),[10] Mishi McCaig (who had worked onIron Man),[10] Pete Von Sholly (who had worked onThe Mask andDarkman),[10] andIain McCaig (one of the artists involved in the production of theStar Wars film series).[9][10] Previous efforts which the creators cited as inspiration includeLooney Tunes,[11]Avatar,Up, andWALL-E.[10]
The modeling, texturing, and painting of the various creatures featured in the episodes was done by Creative Differences inZBrush, while animation and rendering were done inMaya by various other companies that had been employed by Creative Differences. These included Mokko inMontreal, Kinkajou in the UK, Sauce FX, and Hawaii Animation Studios.[2] Hawaii Animation Studios also used a program known as Bakery Relight for rendering.[12]
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 dramaticTroodon segment staged on a post asteroid-impacted world.[10][13]
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 byPixar rather than Creative Differences.[14]
The first two episodes ofDinosaur 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 theSeptember 11 attacks, a last-minute schedule change replaced them with 9/11-related programming.[15] These two episodes were rescheduled to air onScience on September 13, 2011.[16]
Stories which were cut or not completed during production were to have featured animals such asSpinosaurus,Megapnosaurus,[17]Placodus,Mixosaurus,Nothosaurus,[18]Iguanodon,Agilisaurus andPrenocephale.[19] ThePrenocephale model was re-used as apachycephalosaur in the final episode (centered on theHell Creek Formation).[19] A segment featuring an unknownpterosaur (which was suggested by biology professor Michael Habib) was also planned but could not be prepared in time for the Discovery Channel airing.[20] 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.[21] However, director David Krentz has stated that sequences were cut based on story quality.[2]
Additionally, some relevant scientific discoveries were published too late into production to have been incorporated into the program. For example, themosasaur 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.[22] (Note that this CGI model is referred to as the genusMosasaurus by the web site for the program,[23] while Krentz has stated it was aTylosaurus.[22])
Pete Von Sholly blogged in 2011, saying that a "proper version" would "see the light of day".[3] On September 10, Von Sholly commented on aDinosaur Revolution review, suggesting the possibility of a "creator's cut" version ofDinosaur Revolution which would correct problems which he alleged were caused by the network.[24] Finally, on September 14, Von Sholly commented on anotherDinosaur Revolution review, confirming the existence of a new version consisting of the material from the show, without any narration, that would be released onBlu-ray. This marked the basis for the film version of the series,Dinotasia.[25]
| No. | Title | Time range | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Evolution's Winners" | Late Permian–Cretaceous | September 4, 2011 (2011-09-04) | |
Sequences include:[26]
Animals featured include:
| ||||
| 2 | "The Watering Hole" | 150 ma (Late Jurassic) | September 4, 2011 (2011-09-04) | |
The episode focuses upon the interactions between various animals that lived around a watering hole inLourinhã Formation, Portugal,150 million years ago.[26] Animals featured include:[26] | ||||
| 3 | "Survival Tactics" | Middle Jurassic–Cretaceous | September 13, 2011 (2011-09-13) | |
Sequences include:[27]
Animals featured include:[26]
| ||||
| 4 | "End Game" | 65 Ma (Late Cretaceous) | September 13, 2011 (2011-09-13) | |
The episode focuses uponTyrannosaurus, portraying the species as "complex, dynamic and even bird-like". It then goes on to depict theCretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, and uses theAlvarez hypothesis to explain the extinction. A soleTroodon is depicted as "the last dinosaur". However, it is explained that "[if] birds are [the dinosaurs'] descendants, then we're still living in the Age of Dinosaurs—and the dinosaur revolution continues."[27] Animals featured include:[26]
| ||||
Dinosaur Revolution received mixed reviews from critics. Riley Black, writing forSmithsonian, criticized the show, citing a lack of scientific content. She described it as "more of a dinosaur tribute than a scientific documentary".[11] Holtz commented on the review and generally agreed with Black's criticisms of the program.[28] Linda Stasi, a TV critic for theNew York Post, criticized the show for being too "cutesy," although she did note that the program teaches viewers "a huge amount of interesting stuff".[29] Ross Langager fromPopMatters criticized the show for its lack of scientific content.[30] 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."[31]New York Daily News reviewer David Hinckley did have his criticisms, but he still noted the show for being "lively".[32]
In 2012, a feature film calledDinotasia was released into theatres, incorporating and expanding upon the footage seen inDinosaur Revolution. It was designed to be closer to whatDinosaur Revolution was originally conceived as. It is narrated byWerner Herzog.[33]
...what gets me is that Dinosaur Revolution is being presented as a program about the latest dinosaur science when the actual scientific content is minimal.
What is strange, however, about the series is that the dinosaurs act a little too much Land before time.
... his mix of fun and science turns the two into cool fun.
"Bad to the Bone" is not as revolutionary as it could be, but it's a living tale of a few greats who, if there hadn't been a single stray asteroid, might still be here today. It is strange and horrible. I think that in the end, looking back, he's quite successful in all of the animations and stories based on real fossils. It's a fable.