Author: Derrick Davis

Creator of JURASSIC TIME, the John Hammond Memoir and other features. Author of the upcoming novel INVERTIVERSE.

“Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History” Book From Insight Editions Dazzles With Fantastic Images & Recollections!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Last year, ‘Jurassic Park’ fans were gifted with the “Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History” book from Insight Editions. While it may not have entirely lived up to what die-hard fans were hoping for, it was overall a great summation of the behind-the-scenes stories for the original ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy. The entire book was also illustrated with loads of pre-production artwork & rare photographs from all three films, making it a beautiful (but deadly?) addition to any fan’s collection. They also produced a very cool cookbook & children’s book that are also worth checking out.

On October 25th, Insight Editions will release a brand-new book showcasing the making of the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy with “Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History“.

Celebrate one of the most thrilling franchises of all time with this in-depth look at the making of the Jurassic World trilogy. Following the release of director Colin Trevorrow’s smash hit Jurassic World in 2015, the dinosaurs of Isla Nublar once again dominate the public imagination. Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History is the definitive account of the franchise – and a companion book to Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History (released in 2021) – delivering a comprehensive look at the making of the first hit film as well as its thrilling sequels Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). Through rare and never-before-seen imagery and exclusive interviews with key creatives, the deluxe volume explores the entire creative process, from the films’ stunning dinosaur designs to the epic location shoots and the creation of the films’ incredible visual effects.

The book also includes sections on the DreamWorks Animation animated series ‘Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous’, various games, toys, theme park attractions, and even the short film ‘Battle At Big Rock’. This is the first time any of the ‘Jurassic World’ films have received a behind-the-scenes book, which already makes it vital for this reason alone. But is it truly a “definitive account of the franchise” for this trilogy of films, or is it met with some the same (perhaps nitpicky) issues found in the previous book? Let’s have a look!

WHAT’S GOOD?

               VISUAL & WRITING STYLE

Just like in the previous ‘Jurassic Park’ version, this book is visually pleasing. It’s filled with as much colorful artwork and photographs as possible. The text is neatly placed within it all, and nothing ever feels too crammed or out of place. The previous book had more going on with the borders around each page, whereas this ‘Jurassic World’ version has a more barren approach. It simply features gray tabs on the sides with gray/amber-tinged headlines for each new section. This simpler approach feels appropriate with the sleeker look of the films themselves, particularly the first ‘Jurassic World’ and its park’s design.

The writing itself is clear and precise, which is vital in stitching together different information from different sources. James Mottram, who also penned the previous book, weaves the information into a distinct fabric to tell its story.

               EXCLUSIVE INTROS/OUTROS

This book includes a foreword by Bryce Dallas Howard (“Claire Dearing” in the trilogy), introduction by Colin Trevorrow (director of ‘Jurassic World’ & ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’, writer of the trilogy), preface by J.A. Bayona (director of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’), & an afterword by Frank Marshall (producer of the trilogy). Mysteriously absent from this list is Chris Pratt, but I suppose he is too busy voicing Mario these days. These exclusive passages are great bookends for the entire presentation, with each person adding their own personal tribute. They even reveal fun information, like J.A. Bayona as he details Michael Giacchino‘s fantastic music score for ‘Fallen Kingdom’:

One of my most cherished memories from making Fallen Kingdom was working with composer Michael Giacchino. We spent hours talking about film music and listening to soundtracks. There was one specific piece of music we paid attention to: Bernard Herrmann’s work for Mysterious Island (Cy Endfield, 1962). Our common goal while venturing into the musical tapestry of our movie was expressing our love for this kind of film. When I listen to Michael’s music for Fallen Kingdom, I sense our mutual desire to travel back in time and bring back the same unparalleled fascination and heartwarming happiness that those movies gave us.

               FANTASTIC COLLECTION OF IMAGES

While many of the book’s images have been revealed online over the years by various concept artists who worked on the films, it is still great to have them all cobbled together in one book as the trilogy’s history is told. Even better, there are some art and photographs that have never been seen before! Here is just a tease of what to expect!

               NEW & OBSCURE INFORMATION

Making a book like this requires many sources for quotes, stories, and other information. Website articles, television interviews, Blu-Ray bonus features; everything was sifted through to collect the data. While some, maybe even a lot, of the details could be considered “old news” to people deeply invested in this trilogy’s history, it is all well-arranged while even including new details sprinkled throughout. [NOTE: I will be honest and admit I am not as familiar with the history of the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy as I am with the ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy, so forgive me if any of this is not truly “new”.]

For ‘Jurassic World’, some of these fun new details include Derek Connolly never having seen a ‘Jurassic Park’ movie before when he was tasked with co-writing the script with Colin Trevorrow; production designer Ed Verreaux had sent his art department team to the Universal Studios theme park in Hollywood to photograph everything (including signage) to see what they wanted their fictional park to resemble; and concept artist David Lowery came up with an unused idea for a “Pteranodon Terrace” where guests traveled in glass gondolas hanging from a huge cable that stretched across a vast expanse of jungle (and included “food Frisbees” that would be shot out of the gondolas and snapped up midair by the flying reptiles.). However, one of the most exciting new details for me was a little more about the script written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver right before Trevorrow & Connolly were brought in to pen their draft.

Spielberg also wanted to revisit the idea of a hero character capable of training and commanding dinosaurs. These ideas manifested in the character Vance who, in the Jaffa/Silver draft’s opening scene, is seen jumping out of a helicopter with a pack of trained raptors and landing in a compound belonging to a Colombian drug dealer. Although [John] Sayles used the bipedal Deinonychus in his draft, Spielberg felt that the physically similar Velociraptors, first seen in Jurassic Park, would be a better fit for the role. The story also focused on a Chinese paleontologist who visits the now-open Jurassic Park with her sons. The scientist has a secret agenda, believing that the park’s owners have stolen DNA from bones she unearthed of a previously undiscovered dinosaur—the Malusaurus. The corporate side of the park is run by Whitney, a female manager who views the dinosaurs as commodities and nothing more. Inevitably, the Malusaurus created using the stolen DNA escapes from its enclosure, and Vance must use his raptors to hunt it down.

‘Fallen Kingdom’ includes interesting tidbits, such as Benjamin Lockwood originally having very little connection to John Hammond and the past of ‘Jurassic Park’; in its original draft they went from Isla Nublar to England where a small village gets destroyed by dinosaurs (until Steven Spielberg told them there was no credible way to make that journey happen); and the film’s fantastic opening sequence was originally just over a single page in the script, with Bayona fleshing it out further with an extended climax on the helicopter ladder while also adding Jurassic staples (like the pouring rain and the yellow raincoat worn by the tech that resembles Nedry’s apparel from Jurassic Park). The film’s title itself (along with the next film’s) proves to also have its own unique history:

“I wanted to call [the first film] Jurassic World. And the second one was Jurassic Earth, and then the third Jurassic Kingdom. The studio was like, ‘You can’t keep changing the title of the movie. You already did it once.’” Taking Universal’s feedback into consideration, Trevorrow decided to combine the overall franchise name with a subtitle, taking the word kingdom from his proposed third film and adding it to fallen, suggesting the decline of the dinosaurs’ domain.

Even the small section on the short film ‘Battle At Big Rock’ gets a nice detail on its inspiration: a YouTube video titled “Battle at Kruger“, in which tourists witness a water buffalo being attacked by lions and an alligator.

The section on ‘Dominion’ reveals that a scene featuring Daniella Pineda (Zia Rodriguez) had to be recast with another actor, Varada Sethu, when COVID restrictions kept her from being able to leave another production she was on; production designer Kevin Jenkins ensured that the equipment seen in BioSyn’s abandoned amber mines displayed 1990s-style Biosyn logos, a detail reminiscent of the old rivalry between the company and InGen (although I suppose footage containing it must have been cut, because I can’t seem to spot it in either version of the film); and animatronic creature effects artist John Nolan took inspiration from Frontier Developments’ 2018 video game ‘Jurassic World: Evolution’ to get a better sense of the Dilophosaurus’s locomotion for the film. In fact, Nolan’s team had created a device that would allow the animatronic version of the dinosaur to travel on a dolly track with eleven puppeteers following behind it using levers, rods, and cable controls to create the dinosaur’s walk. However, Trevorrow was not happy with the result. But perhaps one of the biggest pieces of interesting information involved our favorite clone girl, Maisie.

When it came to casting the role of Maisie’s mother, Charlotte Lockwood, Trevorrow considered using digital tools to graft Isabella Sermon’s face onto a body double and age her features appropriately. However, during a casting section for the body doubles, he made a remarkable find. “I had been given a set of faces whose bone structure was similar enough to Isabella Sermon’s,” says Trevorrow. Among those faces was Irish-born Elva Trill. As Trill began reciting lines with the director, he quickly came to realize that she would be perfect as Charlotte and abandoned the digital augmentation idea. “I’ve never seen an actor come in and just grab a role by being so good,” says Trevorrow.

The section near the end of the book that details ‘Camp Cretaceous’ scored some of its own interesting details, such as the showrunner’s original plan to feature Owen Grady and Claire Dearing; there was an early version of the story where Ben doesn’t survive past Season 1; and most interestingly how the originally intended final shot of the film trilogy was instead used as the final shot for this series:

Camp Cretaceous also brought Trevorrow full circle, back to his early meetings with Steven Spielberg when he pitched the arc of the Jurassic World franchise, which would ultimately lead to dinosaurs entering our everyday lives. Specifically, the image of a child looking out his window on a suburban street and seeing a traffic jam caused by a Brachiosaurus at an intersection. “We actually ended up making that the very last shot of the entire [Camp Cretaceous] series,” says Trevorrow. “After nine years, that idea found its way back into the story.”

               THE INSERTS

As usual with Insight Edition’s Visual History books, there are numerous “inserts” on certain pages that feature unique items. While some are still applied with an adhesive per the previous book, many of the inserts this time are more technically “part of the book” and not meant to be removed entirely. Some are just meant to be unfolded beyond the confines of the book’s dimensions, while a few are even in the form of actual booklets to flip through. The only real negative is that it is focused more on the first film than the rest. Here is a complete list of what you will find:

From ‘Jurassic World’: Poster art advertises Jurassic World’s Gyrosphere ride; Storyboards by David Lowery from an early iteration of Jurassic World’s evolving storyline; A map of Isla Nublar showing the island’s topography and the location of Jurassic World; Dr. Wu’s Jurassic World security pass; Concept art by Glen McIntosh for Jurassic World’s petting zoo; The sketches that Steven Spielberg drew for Colin Trevorrow to illustrate his feedback on the Indominus rex breakout sequence; A tourist map of Jurassic World highlights the theme park’s attractions; & Storyboards by Glen McIntosh for the scene in which the raptors pursue a pig in the Raptor Research Arena.

From ‘Fallen Kingdom’: Raptor movement study by Glen McIntosh; A sticker sheet featuring production design art created for the Dinosaur Protection Group; & Production design art for the jacket of Dr. Ian Malcolm’s book, God Creates Dinosaurs (not actual size).

From ‘Battle At Big Rock’: Concept Art Booklet.

From ‘Dominion’: Storyboards by Glen McIntosh for Jurassic World Dominion’s prologue scene & Malta Concept Art Booklet.

From ‘Camp Cretaceous’: Concept Art Booklet.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER?

A fan wouldn’t be a fan without needing to nitpick, right? (Don’t answer that.) Despite being mostly pleased with this book, there are still a few areas that could have been improved upon (perhaps in a revised edition, which Insight Editions have done before).

               WHAT ABOUT ‘JURASSIC PARK 4’?

The opening of the book does briefly go into ‘Jurassic Park 4’ (the obvious working title before it eventually was named ‘Jurassic World’), mostly delving into some details on the John Sayles script and then eventually a little more about Jaffa/Silver’s script before Trevorrow/Connolly did their own version. But what about the rest? There were numerous versions of the film, by other writers, that were tackled in the 14 years between ‘Jurassic Park 3’ and ‘Jurassic World’. Given that it was such a long range of time where the studio kept throwing ideas around to try to make things happen, most of it shrouded in secrecy, this had been one of my most anticipated sections. Instead, it was only a few pages, and generalized.

Also, while they mention the dinosaur/human hybrids, it’s a shame that none of the wild concept art (that has been online for many years) was included at all. Perhaps they couldn’t get the rights to feature them?

Speaking of art from this period: where was John Bell‘s art? Last year’s book featured loads of art by Bell for the original trilogy, plus a tease of two pieces of artwork he did for ‘Jurassic Park 4’. And yet, this book didn’t feature any of it. This is another case where the art has been online for years, on Bell’s very own site. And there is some fantastic stuff, including his concepts for gyrospheres and even a version of the park’s map that perhaps coincided with the Jaffa/Silver script. This book even mentions Bell in the “special thanks” section, making the exclusions even more mystifying.

               OTHER OMISSIONS

Look, I get it: this book can’t be 1,000 pages long like all of us die-hard fans would like it to be. Putting the complex histories of three massive films into one book is a huge undertaking (just like it was in the previous book). Still, there were some things I wish had been mentioned or visually included in this book. Because when and where else would it be, apart from random online articles & videos that eventually get buried with the rest? Perhaps that’s why some of these details were possibly missed to begin with?

Seamus Blackley, the creator of the XBOX and the ‘Lost World’-related game ‘Trespasser‘, had pitched a video game that he titled ‘Jurassic World’ (before anyone else); which would later inspire several ideas for the new film trilogy. None of this important revelation is mentioned at all (although to be fair it wasn’t publicly known until very recently). Also for ‘Jurassic World’, there is no mention of the “Stegoceratops“: a second hybrid dinosaur that was originally planned to be in the film, and even had a toy made for it!

The previous book had spent a lot more time detailing most of the different scripts for the films. This book does this at times but to a lesser degree. While it was nice to learn a little more about the Jaffa/Silver script for example, it still just grazed the surface. And since this script can’t be found anywhere online currently, a more detailed summary would have been amazing. For example, was the concept art that was shown in one of the Blu-Ray bonus features (and not in this book) of the Indominus attacking a robotic T-Rex coming out of a waterfall (ala ‘Jurassic Park: The Ride’) something from this script?

               MORE LOVE FOR THE SEQUELS

This is another reoccurring issue, but it just feels like more focus is given to the first film of the trilogy (despite me just complaining I wanted more from it!) with less invested in the sequels; ‘Fallen Kingdom’ and ‘Dominion’. More details about their different scripts, more inserts related to them (A pull-out Hammond painting from ‘Fallen Kingdom’ would have been awesome!), or even the mention of certain deleted scenes we know were filmed thanks to still images (that aren’t in this book): such as Iris’s death from the Indoraptor & a dead/decayed Stegosaur that Owen and his team come across as they search for Blue on Nublar.

According to more “hush-hush” behind-the-scenes stories, we also know that ‘Fallen Kingdom’ was going to originally involve Isla Sorna, a ‘Gene Ship’ for Wu’s experiments, and more of Ian Malcolm. He was going to try and sabotage the rescue mission on the Arcadia! ‘Dominion’ was originally going to be two films that would have been filmed at the same time. But again, none of these details are brought up.

In an ideal world, each film in the series would have gotten its own book. This would have allowed much more breathing room to fully explore all these things, and more. Perhaps that is just not economically feasible anymore, even for a big franchise? Especially when, let’s be honest, the sequels in each trilogy are not as popular or well-regarded as their first entries. While a slew of die-hard fans would have clamored for a ‘Fallen Kingdom’ making-of book, for example, is it really something that would sell well? Especially now? Sometimes these sorts of “package deals” are the only way to at least get what we are able to.

SO, SHOULD I GET IT?

I think ‘Jurassic World’ fans should absolutely get this book. My complaints, as you’ve read, only really dwell with what isn’t in it. While the omissions are disappointing, it isn’t so egregious that it takes away from what is included. There’s a wealth of information, concept art, photographs, and nice inserts (the “concept art booklets” being my favorite) that are all woven together wonderfully. In most ways it improves upon their ‘Jurassic Park’ book, and in retrospect I may have originally been a little too critical on it. But if being a little harsh helped make this book better, well, that’s why I still felt the need to point some things out this time, too.

What I didn’t expect to feel while reading and looking through this book was how much nostalgia it gave me. The first film in this trilogy is nearly a decade old, and it’s crazy how time flies. Books like Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History help preserve these films beyond the screen, along with all our memories that come with them.

The feelings we had in anticipation for these films, the news as details were revealed, the organized screenings every time they came out, and the events we attended where other people obsessed with this series finally felt like they belonged. Friendships made, perhaps even hearts broken, or miraculously the bond of marriage formed. We all have our stories. And when you go through these pages, I can almost guarantee that at least one image, maybe something obscure not literally in the film that you would never expect to elicit an emotion, reminds you of a time that once was. And you remember your place in that time, and perhaps realize just how different you are now; or the same.

This trilogy, and our time in it, is over. But like everything in nature, it will evolve. And so will you.

What are some of your favorite memories related to the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy? Did you go to a fun event, see any of the films with someone you loved, or make new friends because of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and may the joy you have for these films never go away!

ADDENDUM: In celebration of the release of “Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History”, Insight Editions presents author James Mottram in conversation with Jurassic World Animation Director/Paleoartist Glen McIntosh. Discussion moderated by Derrick Davis, Writer at Jurassic Outpost & Creator of Jurassic Time! Intro/Outro by Insight Edition’s Marketing & Publicity Strategist Amanda Hariri. Live Book Release Event via Crowdcast (10/25/22).

Seamus Blackley Reveals The Story Behind The Mysterious ‘Jurassic World’ Game Pitch Trailer & Its Inspirations For The Films

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Several years ago, a trailer was leaked on YouTube that featured a Quetzalcoatlus wreaking havoc on a beach. After flying around, it eventually snatches a surfer on the waves, taking him into the air, then crushing him with its beak. Its then joined by another Quetzalcoatlus, as they bond for a moment before going their separate ways.

For years, this trailer confused many people. It was originally said to be for an unreleased game, but others claimed it was for a movie-pitch. The strangest thing of all was its title: ‘Jurassic World’. Was this an inspiration for the film of the same namesake, or something else entirely?

To learn the story behind this trailer, we must, appropriately, go back in time.

“Trespasser- The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was released in 1998; an early PC experience that was advertised as “the evolution of first-person 3D gaming”. You played as Anne, voiced by Minnie Driver: a woman who just wanted to go on a vacation to escape from the drama of her life. Unfortunately, Anne got more than she bargained for when her plane crash-lands on Isla Sorna. Also known as “Site B” – the abandoned island that was once used by billionaire John Parker Hammond to experiment with the extraordinary science used to recreate extinct dinosaurs. His success becomes Anne’s folly, as she must traverse through the island’s dinosaur-infested ruins alone to find any hope of rescue. Her only company are Hammond’s memoirs, voiced by Lord Richard Attenborough, that are recalled as the island’s myth becomes a reality.

Seamus Blackley produced and programmed “Trespasser”, introducing realistic environments, physics, and artificial intelligence that were ahead of its time for the gaming industry. Unfortunately, release dates and budgets were pushed, cutting off the game from reaching its intended potential. This led to an incomplete experience when it was released, ridden with technical bugs and an engine that ran sluggish on the lackluster 90’s graphic cards. It became a critical and commercial flop, despite a dedicated fan-base that was mesmerized with what the game still achieved and went on to inspire.

Thankfully, Seamus made a massive comeback in 2001 when he created Microsoft’s “XBOX” gaming system. To this day, it is the only true rival against Sony’s “Playstation”, spawning many classic games including the “Halo” series.

Then, a decade later, Seamus had the unexpected chance to revisit what he had explored with “Trespasser”. He was tasked to make a “gaming sequel” to the first three Jurassic Park films. It led to the creation of concept art, detailed documents, and even a fully-completed “pitch trailer” that was shown to executives. Sadly, the game never got made. But its remains were not left to fossilize…

That trailer was, indeed, the one that leaked years ago. Thankfully, Seamus Blackley was kind enough to speak with Jurassic Time and finally tell the story behind the game and its inspirations on the upcoming film series.

Part One of the 3-part interview delves into the “Trials Of Trespasser”. Seamus goes into the details of that game’s inception, creation, and ultimate failure thanks to forces beyond his control with the studio. It’s an honest and dark look into the history of the game, but a necessary starting point to put the rest of his story in context. As he tells his story, footage of every level from the game plays to offer everyone a glimpse of the world he and his team created. Despite its flaws, it’s still impressive, even now.

In Part Two, Seamus reveals the “Origins Of Jurassic World”. What’s fascinating is that the origins of his unproduced ‘Jurassic Park’ game are also part of the origins of the ‘Jurassic World’ film series itself. Thanks to some extra sleuthing, Jurassic Time presents the game’s pitch trailer for the first time in HD, as well as some rare footage of the game’s early stages, and even some concept art. While Seamus tells it best, Steven Spielberg himself appointed him to come up with a game sequel to the original ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy before a fourth film was truly underway. While great work was done that had been met with approval from everyone, including Spielberg when he saw the pitch trailer, its fate came before it got any further. Ownership in the company changed and focus on producing a game became dashed. Instead, the materials that had been made were carried over into the film’s production department for the fourth entry in the series. Various ideas clearly inspired the studio, including the title of the game itself: ‘Jurassic World’. Coincidence?

As a special bonus, the second part of the interview also has a brief appearance by his wife, Caroline Quinn. She was the art department coordinator for the original ‘Jurassic Park’, and she shares a brief story behind the film’s famous joke: Do-You-Think-He-Saurus! Included are several never-before-seen photographs.

The third and final part of the interview is where the gloves come off as Seamus delves into the “Remnants Of A Lost Jurassic World”. A story reel that was made of concept art from the game (featuring work by David Krentz, Iain McCaig, & Mishi McCaig) starts it off with a bang, leading into the reasons behind Seamus’s choice of the game’s protagonist: Billy Brennan from ‘Jurassic Park 3’. As pictured in all the artwork, Billy was meant to have a relationship with the raptors, and other dinosaurs, based on the same level of communication and respect that was seen in ‘Jurassic World’ with Owen and the “raptor squad”. The lead raptor also, just happens, to be “blue”. What’s awesome about the raptors in this game were that they were all feathered: an evolution of the creatures since we saw them in ‘Jurassic Park 3’, via DNA “correcting itself” on its own from generation to generation.

These revelations, and many more, can be found in the complete and extensive conversation with Seamus Blackley. While it is a shame that we never got this game, at least pieces of it lived on via the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy. Owen’s relationship with the “raptor squad”, a prehistoric reptile attacking a surfer on the beach waves, and a Quetzalcoatlus wreaking havoc in the skies were among the many inspirations drawn from this unproduced game.

Do you still wish this game could be made today? What do you think about its connections and inspirations for the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy? Share your thoughts below, and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

‘Jurassic Park’ Soundtrack By John Williams Gets A New 2-CD Release!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

‘Jurassic Park’ has an earth-shattering music score that fans have never forgotten. The memorable themes expertly crafted by composer/conductor John Williams are filled with wonder, action, and intense horror that are forever engrained in our ears. Now, nearly 30 years after it was originally heard, the music score to the classic film gets a definitive release in a brand-new 2-CD set from La-La Land Records. But how definitive is it, and what sets it apart? To learn that, let’s have a little “history lesson.”

In 1993, the soundtrack was released on CD in the form of a 70-minute album via MCA records (also available on cassette and LP). This 1-CD release was assembled by John Williams himself, combining some cues together to form certain tracks, and arranging it all in his own personal sequence. There were some rather interesting decisions made in this arrangement. For example, the actual “End Credits” from the film happen in the middle of this album, titled as “Welcome To Jurassic Park.” Then at the end of the album the track titled “End Credits” is actually just the second half of the same cue. Why? We shall perhaps never know, but it is a very curious choice. While this album featured a large portion of the score it did leave off several cues that fans of the film sorely missed. But overall, it was a fantastic representation.

This same program was replicated in the year 2000 for a CD re-release of the score. It was included in a neat “Collector’s Edition” set with the films and soundtracks for ‘Jurassic Park’ & ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’. It featured unique cover art that mimicked the DVD release at the time.

Thankfully, in 2013, many of the missing cues from the score were introduced as bonus tracks for a digital-only 20th Anniversary Release by Geffen Records. Not only was this an expanded release, but it also featured a brand-new remaster. (Note: Mondo Records also did a limited-edition LP release of this remaster, sans the bonus tracks.) Several of the previously unreleased cues were combined (despite chronologically being from different scenes), and in some cases omitted the tail end of some of the music. These included the “T-Rex Chase”, when our favorite Rex goes after Ellie and the others in the Jeep; the “History Lesson” Tim gives Grant as they attempt to decide which tour car they want to go in; and Mr. DNA’s whimsical music as he is “Stalling Around” in his cartoon while explaining how they obtained dino-DNA. One of the most interesting additions was actually “Hungry Raptor,” which was the original version of the music for when Ellie is attacked by a raptor in the shed; followed by Muldoon’s death. In the film, only the middle portion of this cue is used, with the rest using music “tracked” from other scenes. Amusingly enough, the opening of the cue was first publicly heard during the end credits of the original ‘The Making Of ‘Jurassic Park” documentary that was narrated by James Earl Jones.

The 2013 release was a godsend for fans of the music score at the time. But just three years later, in 2016, La-La Land Records released a 2-CD expanded edition that was part of a 4-CD collection that had included John Williams’ score to ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (also expanded and remastered for the first time). Using the source from the 2013 remaster, they did further mastering of their own (producing even better sound quality) while also going back to the original elements and providing every cue of the score for the very first time. This included Grant’s realization of “You Bred Raptors?”, Dennis Nedry’s “Race to the Dock” after the T-Rex gets out, and even a cue that was not heard in the film at all known as “The Saboteur.” That cue was meant to score the scene where Nedry is left at his messy workstation as the camera pans over to his inconspicuous Barbasol can. In presenting the complete score, the set also separates the unnaturally combined cues of both previous releases so they can be heard on their own for the first time, and without a single note being cut off or faded out. It also featured an extensive booklet detailing the making of both films and scores.

While many units of the 2016 set were produced, it did eventually go out of print. This led to second-hand sellers taking over the reins of offering this presentation of the score to people online, often selling for well over $100. While the 1993 Album remains in print and the 2013 digital-only expansion remains online, neither offer the perfect sound quality or the complete score that the 2016 release contains.

Now six years later, La-La Land Records returns with a brand-new 2022 re-release. Only this time, it is focusing on just ‘Jurassic Park,’ with some additional improvements to truly make this be the definitive release of the first score for the series:

La-La Land Records, Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Geffen Records present JURASSIC PARK, a limited 2-CD re-issue presentation of maestro John Williams’ (JAWS, STAR WARS, SCHINDLER’S LIST) original motion picture scores to the 1993 blockbuster JURASSIC PARK starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum and directed by Steven Spielberg. Williams’ monumental JURASSIC PARK score teems with thematic orchestral wonder and is celebrated as one of the composer’s most accomplished works. Produced, edited and mastered by Mike Matessino, (with fresh outputs of the 192k/24 bit master files utilized in our 2016 collection) this re-issue utilizes that material to re-create the original 1993 soundtrack album. This is featured on Disc 2 and is followed by the source music track “Stalling Around” (the composer’s homage to classic Warner Bros. cartoon music for Jurassic’s “Mr. DNA” sequence). Disc 1 showcases the entire main Score Presentation, which now includes, for the first time, the performances and mixes of “Journey To the Island” and “Dennis Steals The Embryo” as heard in the film. The 28-page CD booklet features liner notes by Matessino (adapted from our 2016 collection) and the new art design is by Jim Titus. This is a limited edition of 5000 Units.

As mentioned, having the film-version performances and mixes of both “Journey To The Island” and “Dennis Steals The Embryo” are quite special. Sometimes, the film performance or “version” of a cue can be different than what is presented on the released albums. In this case, neither had ever been heard before, apart from the film itself. In the film, and now on this new release, “Journey To The Island” features a bit of a faster and more timed tempo of the adventurous “Island Theme,” most notably a snappier pace when it transitions to the park visitors beginning their ride in the Jeeps. The moment for when the Brachiosaur appears is also now properly timed to how it is in the film, as well as later when the Jeeps begin their ride to the Visitor Center. “Dennis Steals The Embryo” fixes a mixing issue that has somehow always been present on every single release: the orchestra had been improperly mixed against the synth. Now it can be heard properly mixed, as it is in the film, for the very first time.

The inclusion of a rebuilt/remastered version of the 1993 Album is a nice addition on the second disc (where the Mr. DNA “source music” was decidedly put since it couldn’t fit on the first CD). Whatever qualms anyone may have had (such as myself) with that initial release, for many it is a bit nostalgic to hear the takes/mixes/editorial choices John Williams had created for it. In fact, for some fans of the score, the takes John Williams preferred for the album of certain cues are preferable to them as well! With this release, you get the best of both worlds by having it all together, and all sounding the best it ever has.

The booklet included in this release is very much the same as the one from the 2016 release, but of course only focuses on ‘Jurassic Park’ this time. The artwork and layout is a bit different as well, making it unique enough from the former release. There are some additional credits this time as well, including a special thanks to yours truly due to years of nerdy insight made on old forum posts (as well as Jurassic Outpost friend Bernard A. Kyer).

By far the most important aspect of this release isn’t what is new, but simply the fact that it is available again. Generations of old and new film score fans, and even those who would like to study such a masterful score as this, should have a comprehensive presentation that is accessible. As good as the previous releases were for their time, having every single cue available, and now different variations of them, is integral for preserving this important milestone of music.

If you have never purchased the music score to ‘Jurassic Park’ before, this release is a massive no-brainer. It is the definitive release, finally back in print and with some great new inclusions that bests every release that came before it. If you only have the 1993 Album or the digital 2013 release, I can promise you that this is still worth getting. It’s presented in a much better way, and with much better sound. For those that have the 2016 CD set paired with ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’… I can understand skipping this. There may not be enough to fully justify shelling out more money for it again, but that will just depend on who you are.

Since this is my favorite music score of all time, to my favorite film of all time… the choice was pretty easy. This new edition is a must-have. And who knows, perhaps ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ will be similarly visited down the line? Maybe even ‘Jurassic Park 3’? We can only hope!

But don’t just take my word for it. Listen to some of the clips for yourself below! Then, be sure to order your copy today from La-La Land Records!

TRACK LISTING (with select sound clips):

CD 1

SCORE PRESENTATION

1 Opening Titles :37

2 Incident at Isla Nublar (Film Version) 2:23

3 The Encased Mosquito 1:16

4 Entrance of Mr. Hammond 1:09

5 Journey to the Island (Film Version) 8:54

6 Hatching Baby Raptor (Film Version) 2:04

7 You Bred Raptors? :40

8 The History Lesson (Film Version) 1:33

9 Jurassic Park Gate 2:05

10 Goat Bait 2:26

11 The Saboteur :47

12 Ailing Triceratops 2:37

13 The Coming Storm (Film Version) 1:26

14 Dennis Steals the Embryo (Film Version) 5:04

15 Race to the Dock 1:18

16 The Falling Car and The T-Rex Chase 4:59

17 A Tree for My Bed 2:13

18 Remembering Petticoat Lane 2:49

19 My Friend, the Brachiosaurus(Film Version) 1:51

20 Life Finds a Way 1:27

21 System Ready :50

22 To the Maintenance Shed 4:13

23 High Wire Stunts 4:10

24 Hungry Raptor 2:10

25 The Raptor Attack 2:50

26 T-Rex Rescue and Finale 7:43

27 Welcome to Jurassic Park (Film Version) 7:58

Total Time Disc 1: 77:44

CD 2

1993 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

1 Opening Titles :36

2 Theme From Jurassic Park 3:27

3 Incident at Isla Nublar 5:22

4 Journey to the Island 8:55

5 The Raptor Attack 2:50

6 Hatching Baby Raptor 3:22

7 Welcome to Jurassic Park 7:57

8 My Friend, the Brachiosaurus 4:18

9 Dennis Steals the Embryo 5:03

10 A Tree for My Bed 2:13

11 High Wire Stunts 4:10

12 Remembering Petticoat Lane 2:49

13 Jurassic Park Gate 2:05

14 Eye to Eye 6:35

15 T-Rex Rescue and Finale 7:43

16 End Credits 3:27

BONUS

17 Stalling Around 2:41

Total Time Disc 2: 73:35

Are you going to get this new release? What’s your favorite cue from this soundtrack? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

An Extensive Fan Review Of ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

Posted on by Derrick Davis

The following review was submitted to us by Neelis/Dinosaur Habitat.

Dinosaurs rule the world once more in ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’. Is it epic? Is it the conclusion to the ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Jurassic World’ franchises, as promised by the tagline? Does Giganotosaurus truly want to watch the world burn? And what does a gig at BioSyn pay when you are a swashbuckling mathematician?   

Originally slated for a June 2021 release, but postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ has been making its way into cinemas across the globe ahead of the US premiere on June 10, 2022.

Reception by audiences and critics has been mixed so far, though the early release has been a financial success; however, monetary profits do not equal quality, so how does ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ hold up?

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ – the story

Picking up four years after ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ (2018), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is still haunted by the past; trying to atone for her mistakes and feeling a deep sense of duty towards the dinosaurs, she has moved on from rallying the public and politicians to more radical measures, raiding illegal dinosaur breeding facilities to expose them and have authorities shut down the awful practices conducted there.

Despite their earlier romantic struggles, Claire and former Velociraptor-trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) have made a pretty nice home for themselves and rebellious Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), who they’ve taken under their wings after her grandfather’s death.

It isn’t long before their peaceful life is disturbed; Velociraptor Blue turns up at their cabin in the woods. And Blue is not alone; she has a baby, whose origins are a mystery.

Both the baby Velociraptor and Maisie are kidnapped by a bunch of nameless poachers, led by over-the-top bad guy Rainn Delacourt (Scott Haze).

Owen and Claire give chase; with the help of Franklin Webb (Justice Smith) they learn Maisie is headed to Malta, where illegal dinosaur fights are being held by more anonymous, unpleasant people, and dinosaurs are sold for excessive amounts of money, the trades conducted by delightfully devious, and criminally underused, Soyona Santos (Dichen Lachman).

Owen and Claire briefly reunite with Barry (Omar Sy) and find an unexpected ally in veteran pilot Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), who agrees to fly them to Biosyn Valley, a sanctuary for recaptured dinosaurs and other resurrected prehistoric creatures.

Parallel to Claire and Owen’s story runs another tale; the one of Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) investigating the mysterious appearance of swarms of gigantic locusts, feeding on crops throughout the United States, destroying harvests as they swoop down and gorge on anything the farmlands offer.

Believing Biosyn is responsible, she asks her former love-interest and old friend Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) for help with her quest for evidence; invited by a familiar acquaintance, Sattler and Grant journey to the dinosaur sanctuary located deep in the Italian Dolomites. 

Touring Biosyn’s facility under the guidance of Ramsay Cole (Mamoudou Athie), Grant and Sattler are welcomed by Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), who seems more aloof than an evil genius. Alas, do not judge a book by its cover; as with ‘Jurassic World’ (2015) and ‘Fallen Kingdom’, shady stuff is going on right under everyone’s noses, including Dr. Ian Malcolm’s (Jeff Goldblum) who lectures at Biosyn for a handsome stipend, and who extended the invitation to Dr. Sattler.

Will the familiar trio manage to expose Dodgson before everything goes pear-shaped?

Through a series of high-adrenaline adventures, the two groups eventually come together in Biosyn Valley and must not only fight for their own survival, but for the chance to reveal the truth.

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ – the verdict

The story of ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ begins, of course, in 1993; Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jurassic Park’, based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, enthralled audiences of all ages and demographics. Never before had dinosaurs been so realistically and dynamically depicted on screen.

At the time, critics lauded the visual effects but quite a few were less complimentary when it came to the human characters; they were seen as somewhat two-dimensional, entirely in service of the spectacular animatronics and CGI.

‘Jurassic Park’’s success spawned two sequels; ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (1997), based on another Michael Crichton novel, and ‘Jurassic Park III’ (2001).

After the third film, the franchise seemed to have been given up on by Universal. Rumors about a possible fourth film, and even a few announcements of it having entered active pre-production, swirled, but it would take fourteen years before the dinosaurs made a successful return in ‘Jurassic World’ (2015) and ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ (2018).  

What has endured most amongst fans, almost ironically, is a deeply rooted love for the original characters; Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler and Dr. Malcolm inspired generations to seek out careers in palaeontology and science.

Dr. Ian Malcolm in particular remains incredibly popular amongst film enthusiasts; and Jeff Goldblum delights in the character’s popularity, having reprised the role not just in sequel films, but a car commercial and the various ‘Jurassic World: Evolution‘ games.

This popularity only made it a matter of time before Grant, Sattler and Malcolm would return to the world of dinosaur escapades. But with five returning leading characters, three returning supporting characters (though two are really cameos), four newcomers, one renewed villain, and Maisie’s story continuing too, do they get a chance to truly shine?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ tries to squeeze in so much everyone’s individual stories are bogged down, even with the gargantuan runtime of two-and-a-half hours.

Most of the time it feels more as if the entire film’s a comedic approach rather than a serious continuation of the series and a re-introduction of beloved characters; Dr. Malcolm talks, but his words, unlike his dire warnings and razor-sharp analysis in both ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World’, are hollow, meaningless; even his rivalry with Dodgson can’t reach the heights of the adversarial quips traded with Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) in ‘The Lost World’.

And so it goes on; Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant have surprisingly little to add, aside from their own little mystery-espionage adventure, and are written rather abysmally.

A completely  ridiculous subplot is introduced, erasing things we learned (or thought we’d learned) in ‘Fallen Kingdom’ regarding Maisie’s origin story, which is now so muddled and contrived (the “Benjamin Lockwood – John Hammond fallout”-spiel makes no sense at all now), it defies any desire of exploring it further.

Claire and Owen, by comparison, have a more straightforward and slightly more serious arc, and given their history there is a surprisingly touching moment between Claire and Owen on Kayla’s aircraft. Owen, having taken on the role as surrogate dad, is far less goofy, a welcome approach. Both Kayla and Ramsay are appreciated additions to the story, though they get far too little screentime (Ramsay’s character especially suffers from the bloated cast of characters).

The dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, too, feel underused. Most of them only appear once, dutifully carry out their parts in the story, then are gone just as quickly as Delacourt and Santos.

With the exception of the (very effective) reveal of the Therizinosaurus, the introductions of the dinosaurs are distinctly underwhelming; they aren’t helped by some unimpressive CGI work and highly disappointing animatronics. Not once do they reach the greatness of Stan Winston and his team’s work on the original ‘Jurassic Park’ films.

And though it was heralded as the new big bad dinosaur, Giganotosaurus turns out to be the chillest theropod in the franchise. It lumbers around a bit, and even gives half-hearted chase to our heroes once, but it mainly being absent from the larger part of the film is what stands out most.

By comparison, the mystery of the locusts, admittedly and pleasantly, feels as if it came straight out of a Michael Crichton novel. And some of the humour in the film (“he slid into my DMs”) truly works and draws hearty laughs.

For all its flaws, and Colin Trevorrow’s insistence of them not featuring when ‘Jurassic World’ entered production sometime in 2013, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ now introduces feathered dinosaurs, some of them first seen in ‘The Prologue‘ (2022); it’s a radical and deeply appreciated step forward for the franchise – the fierce Pyroraptor especially is a fabulously spectacular plunderer, echoing the memory of ‘Jurassic Park III’’s marvelous Velociraptors.

A tighter, more competently written story, shorter runtime and less filler-characters might have made for a better, more entertaining film. Even though the pace is high and everyone’s continuously horse-riding, driving, cycling, running and flying from set-piece to set-piece, I found myself bored at times because it was hard to keep up with the action, and also, about halfway, hard to care for what was going on. 

The absence of any tension and playing it safe to please a very wide demographic (of fans) takes away any edge it otherwise might have had.

At times the film’s more ‘Bourne’ or ‘Mission: Impossible‘ than ‘Jurassic Park’ / ‘Jurassic World’. As a friend described it; the film feels very much as if you’re watching a string of excellent video game levels.

Is it epic? No. Is it the conclusion? Also no. The open end, unfortunately, hints at more to come. I’m hoping Trevorrow and Universal Studios will hand over the reins to other writers and directors; preferably filmmakers who aren’t hardcore fans of the original films and therefore capable of taking a step back, critically evaluating what does and does not work, only then to come up with engaging, intriguing stories and characters.

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ has its heart in the right place, but the execution is dreadful. Though it will no doubt make an obscene amount of money over the coming summer, it’s not destined to become a classic. One thing is clear; dinosaurs will rule cinemas once again and they, unlike that tagline’s promise, are very much here to stay.

Do you agree with this fan review, or do you have a different view? Share your thoughts below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

‘Jurassic Park’ Production Designer Rick Carter’s Immersive Art Exhibit Is Now Open!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Rick Carter was the production designer of ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’, among many other classic films from the ‘Back To The Future’ sequels to ‘Avatar’. Now, immerse yourself in Rick’s visually-stunning mind with ESMoA’s new art exhibit: ‘TIME’.

“TIME, a project by artist and production designer Rick Carter, is an immersive collage that contemplates the concept of time. The exhibition features paintings, drawings, and collages by Carter along with photographs, movie memorabilia, and additional works by eight other artists who were invited to participate.”

Rick Carter further explains:

“Over the past five decades as an artist and film production designer, I am frequently immersed in the realizations of visual concepts. […] This experience at ESMoA provides the opportunity to explore with younger LA-based artists the legacy of my artistic career as both a painter and visual collaborator with movie directors.”

Last weekend I attended a special advance preview of the exhibit, and it was quite extraordinary to see it in person! After being a fan of his production design in films for so many years, it was unique and exhilarating to be in a representation of his vast mind. Below is a gallery that features just a taste of what this exhibit is like.

For fans of ‘Jurassic Park’, there are various interpretations by other artists that are beautiful and engaging. Such highlights include art by Jacori “Aiseborn” Perry that feature a raptor running towards the gates of ‘Jurassic Park’ and a Triceratops hatchling!

There is also a myriad of work by Rick Carter himself, of course; straight from his own production files. This includes a special area at one end of the exhibit where a portion of the wall features several key items that have never been seen before. Unique collages of Jurassic Park’s Visitor Center and pencil sketches done on napkins create an early look into what would eventually be realized on the screen. A glass case at the center of this section displays a miniature Velociraptor model created by Stan Winston’s team. This detailed creation is clearly a cherished item in Rick’s collection that everyone can appreciate.

Left Side, Top to Bottom: Rick Carter’s actual crew badge, a collage concept for the Visitor Center, and a series of sketches done with pen on napkins depicting early layouts of the Visitor Center (and Hammond perhaps?). Center: Stan Winston Studios Raptor model from Rick’s collection. Right Side, Top to Bottom: Another Visitor Center collage concept, café mural collage concept, and DNA collage concept.

One of the coolest things for a ‘Jurassic Park’ fan to see is the mural Rick created that is actually featured in the film’s cafe; most iconically during Richard Attenborough’s portrayal of John Hammond as he tells his ‘Petticoat Lane’ story to Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler. It was inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Guernica!

Another neat treat is an illustration of a Tyrannosaurus Rex made in 1990 (the first year of pre-production for ‘Jurassic Park’). It is credited to both Rick Carter and his daughter Amee Carter.

However, ‘Jurassic Park’ is just one of many films that Rick Carter was part of that the exhibit showcases. Other artifacts and artistic depictions include ‘Avatar’, ‘The Polar Express’, the ‘Back To The Future’ sequels, ‘Cast Away’, ‘What Lies Beneath’, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, ‘Forrest Gump’, and a lot more. There are also more abstract and personal pieces not related to any film, including many stunning renderings of human faces.

Walking around this massive room, with art reaching all the way to its tall ceiling, you can’t help but be wonderfully overwhelmed with Rick’s vision and the representations of his entire career (so far). One of the most arresting visuals Rick himself produced for this exhibit are the faces of the four leading directors he has worked with through the years: Steven Spielberg (‘Jurassic Park’), Robert Zemeckis (‘Back To The Future’ trilogy), James Cameron (‘Avatar’), & J.J. Abrams (‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’). They almost appear to be looking down at the entire exhibit, seeing their entire worlds that Rick helped create with them.

One of the coolest features of this exhibit is the ability to have your own self-guided tour of sorts using ESMoA’s “Grid” feature! Using correlating numbers that are painted on the floor near the items they represent on the walls, you can look up each number on the Grid then select it to view a small cropped version of the artwork along with information about the specific artist and other details. There are even some fascinating sketchbooks that Rick created that you can digitally thumb through! These features are additionally informative if you somehow aren’t able to visit this exhibit in person, presenting a version of everyone’s work to be appreciated by virtually everyone. Or, as John Hammond would say, “Everyone in the world has the right to enjoy these illustrations.”

ESMoA’s “Grid” Feature
Access to Rick Carter’s personal sketchbooks.

Additional artists that illustrated Rick’s mind and career are: Alex Garcia, Luke Hayes, Muraji Khalil, ​Dalila Paola Méndez, ​​Helena Park, Jacori “Aiseborn” Perry, Ivan “Mr Mustart” Petrovsky, and Carlos “Kopyeson” Talavera. The creation of the exhibit itself was also a massive undertaking, as evidenced in a cool time lapse video that begins with its inception then leads up to the preview event. The exhibit was curated by Dr. Bernhard Zuenkeler.

Rick Carter & Select Illustrators: Bernhard Zünkeler, Carlos “Kopyeson” Talavera, Jacori “Aiseborn” Perry, Rick Carter, Ivan “Mr Mustart” Petrovsky, Muraji Khalil, Helena Park. Sitting on the ‘Forrest Gump’ bench.

While attending the preview event, I saw all of the talented artists and ran into some ‘Jurassic’ veterans, including: Rick Carter (of course), David Lowery (Storyboard Artist), John Bell (Art Director), & Seamus Blackley (creator of the ‘Lost World’ PC game ‘Trespasser’… and a little thing called the XBOX). Seeing this exhibit with so many of the creative leads that were involved with the extraordinary films represented will certainly be a night I will never forget!

Derrick Davis pictured above with Rick Carter and then Rick Carter & David Lowery

While ESMoA is applauded for having an online version of the exhibit accessible to everyone, I must stress just how much more incredible it is to see it all in-person! They really did “spare no expense“! This amazing free exhibit is open from May 5th to September 17th 2022 in El Segundo, CA, USA. Be sure to plan your trip in advance for the exact location and available hours and days it is open. Also check out their various upcoming programs that include opportunities to see Rick Carter in person!

For another Rick Carter-related experience that is connected to ‘Jurassic Park’, watch Jurassic Time’s illustrated audio drama of ‘Rick Carter’s Jurassic Park’; an adaptation of Rick’s script for the film, featuring thousands of production images from the film and interviews with Rick!

Note: Some images were obtained directly from ESMoA. Special thanks to Rick Carter & Eugenia Torre. ‘Rick Carter & Select Illustrators’ and ‘Installation Shots’ are credited to Mark Knight.

Do you plan to make a trip to this exhibit? And besides the ‘Jurassic’ films, what are Rick Carter’s other films that he worked on that you also love? Share your comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

‘Jurassic Time’ Interviews Production Designer Rick Carter With Its Updated Illustrated Audio Drama!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Last year, Jurassic Time unveiled ‘Rick Carter’s Jurassic Park’: an illustrated audio drama that presented an early version of ‘Jurassic Park’ through production designer Rick Carter’s adaptation of Michael Crichton’s final draft screenplay. It featured the film’s original production artwork brought to life with fantastic music, sound effects, and the voice talents of enthusiastic fans.

Click Image For Full Playlist

While the production was released in February 2021, additional artwork was revealed from people who worked on the film through various outlets; including many in better quality than previously available. More would be uncovered throughout the year, thanks to a resurgence of interest in how the film was made. There was so much more material to work with that it became clear the video program had to be updated.

In February 2022, Derrick Davis (video editor & head of the project) began re-working the videos with the new materials. Such additions included Art Director John Bell‘s character designs of Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm that differed greatly in appearance compared to how they would look in the film. It should be noted that character appearances changed frequently during pre-production, creating unavoidable inconsistencies throughout the artwork. However, adding such imagery gave the videos even more authenticity and revealed more insight into the endless production ideas.

John Bell’s early art depictions of Ellie Sattler, Alan Grant, John Hammond, Ian Malcolm, Lex Murphy, & Tim Murphy.

During this process, an amazing opportunity took place. Derrick was able to reach out to Rick Carter himself, who had seen the 2021 version of the illustrated audio drama! Rick was delighted with the production, and never thought something like it would have been realized from his script. Their discussions led to a recorded conversation that was then edited into two separate videos: one focusing on his script, the other an hour-long look into his career that delves into ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘AI: Artificial Intelligence’, ‘Avatar’, and other productions. More importantly, Rick explores the core of what he brings to any project he works on with his inspirational wisdom.

Both conversations now appear at the end of the production as supplemental features, perfectly cementing the entire presentation. His wonderful insight into the film’s production, his career, and his life were an emotionally fulfilling highlight.

One of the many brand-new talking points from Rick Carter explains how he ended up revising Michael Crichton’s ‘Jurassic Park’ screenplay into his own draft, and the purpose it served in the production of the film.

“Steven and all of us were having such amazing conversations as we explored where the movie could go, based upon Michael’s book. And I knew Michael Crichton through my mother, so I already knew him as a person independent of all of this. So, I knew what he was writing from his book, and the conversations with Steven, and we were developing all sorts of ideas for scenes and context that it was fine for him to do his version.

When it went to the next step, there was Malia Scotch Marmo who was brought on; and I wasn’t part of those meetings. And I knew that many of the things that we were discussing were going through Steven to her and then he was wanting to see what she would bring. But it was making it a little bit hard, as I remember, to know what to coordinate for the art department to focus on. I mean, we knew the main road attack would be there, we had the design of the Spitter, the Spitter would be there, we knew there was a raptor pen; you know, we knew certain things. But there was a whole river extravaganza, there were a lot of things that were in the book that we were still playing out and exploring.

So, I wanted to get something in front of Steven that we could use as our working document. And I started to write sort of memos that would outline scenes and I’d throw images with them, and that kind of thing. But it got to be where it almost was easier to do it as a screenplay form. And then, of course, once I entered into that I started just putting in dialogue and, you know, whatever. Or whatever I took from the book that I thought was still really good.”

-Rick Carter

Rick Carter during his conversation with Derrick Davis.

Now, the final version of the program is completed. The end result is a one-of-a-kind experience that was an ultimate labor of love from everyone involved. While the debate can rage forever if this early version of the film would have been better than what we got, it is still fascinating to see it performed in such a dramatic way. It is also great to finally have an engaging way of presenting the art from those who worked on the film, instead of having it locked away or forgotten forever.

Derrick Davis & Bernard A. Kyer (the project’s sound designer & music composer) would like to thank Rick Carter and everyone in the production for bringing this dream to life and realizing the imaginations of those who worked so hard to create our cherished, classic film: ‘JURASSIC PARK’.

Be sure to check out the entire updated video series now! And if you’d like to learn more, read the ‘Behind The Scenes’ article to delve into the entire history of the project.

How exciting was it to hear brand-new conversations with the production designer of ‘Jurassic Park’? What were details that he shared that you enjoyed the most? Share your comments below, and as always stick around with Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

Runtime Of ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Is The Longest In The Franchise!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

“You’re gonna need a bigger soda.”

According to One Take News, the final runtime of ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ is 146 minutes and 57 seconds, or in other words: 2 hours 26 minutes and 57 seconds (this includes credits)! This makes it by far the longest film in the entire franchise! The two runner-ups in length were ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ and ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’. Both of those films clocked in at 2 hours and 9 minutes.

While length of a movie never defines its quality, it is fitting for the final film in the ‘Jurassic World’ trilogy, and according to the filmmakers the ‘Jurassic Park’ saga, to have such an extended length. With the legacy cast and the current cast thrown into a blender with all-new characters on a global adventure, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it became the longest film with so much going on. Given that the final film in the original ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy, ‘Jurassic Park 3,’ was only 1 hour and 32 minutes, it is nice that the sendoff for ‘Jurassic World’ at least gives us much more to digest.

Some will undoubtedly question a runtime of nearly two and a half hours: but looking at recent blockbusters such as ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, ‘The Batman’, and ‘Avengers: Endgame’; audiences seem to dig these extended runtimes for franchises they love (if the filmmaking, story, and script support it), with the box office receipts to prove it. Believe it or not, we’ve also heard much content – some finished, some not – was left on the cutting room floor after numerous test screenings; extended cuts of the film exist and could have released.

Before we close off the article, let’s end it with some fun non-runtime anecdotes we’ve personally heard from those at the various test screenings: ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ is reportedly the best Jurassic World film yet. It’s not going to be long now, and with the exact runtime known we expect a second trailer alongside ticket pre-orders aren’t far off.

Does the reported runtime make you more excited for this film, or do you wish it were even longer? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

Source: One Take News

New Animatronic Images From ‘Dominion’ Featured In Upcoming Fangoria Magazine Issue!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

This is NOT a joke. Later this month, Fangoria magazine will unleash a new issue in stores featuring some spectacular images from the upcoming film ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’! However, subscribers to the magazine already have the new issue in advance (with an alternate cover, apparently)! While we haven’t seen its special ‘Dominion’ article in full yet, Ganon Gorder delivered to us a first look at some of its fantastic new images!

First up we have an in-progress look at the animatronic head/neck of Giganotosaurus! This thing looks like it could eat up the entire crew working on it with a single chomp! In the foreground you can see a smaller maquette version they are basing it off of. A quote on this image from creature effects supervisor John Nolan says:

“Jurassic is a perfect example of how digital and practical complement each other.”

– John Nolan

If you look to your left, you will see the next dinosaurs on our tour called… Dilophosaurus! Dilophosaurus, yes! Even in an unfinished form it is still impressive!

Now the Dilophosaurus is even more impressive in stunning color! From this angle, it certainly does have that original ‘Jurassic Park’ look compared to the couple of shots we saw of it in the trailer. Hopefully we get a better look at it in the final film, like this!

Here is our first look at Microceratus! It is nice to see new herbivorous dinosaurs enter the franchise, especially with such a vibrant blue color scheme! It’s more blue than Blue!

Next we have a close look at the head of a Pyroraptor! How cool is it to finally see an animatronic dinosaur in the ‘Jurassic’ films with feathers (beyond the quills we saw in ‘Jurassic Park 3’)? Right below it we have a pair of Dimorphodons, which we haven’t seen since the first ‘Jurassic World’! While maquettes were made of those for that film, there was never any full animatronics created as seen here! John Nolan’s studio is really knocking this out of the park (and world?).

For a grand finale, we have this amazing collection of finished animatronics surrounding John Nolan! The beautifully red-feathered Pyroraptor on the front left, a caged Stygimoloch on the front right (oh no!), another look at the Dilophosaurus right behind it, and then off to the rear left are more Microceratus! It appears there are a couple other things further beyond in the background, but they are hard to make out. This photo is adorned with another John Nolan quote:

“We built thirty-eight dinosaurs, fourteen species, I think. Some were tiny, like the Compies. And then the Giga, which has a head the size of a car.

– John Nolan

Now THAT is incredible! Certainly gives the Stan Winston Studios from the original ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy a run for its money! It also makes up for a lack of animatronics so far in the ‘Jurassic World’ films. ‘Jurassic World’ only had one actual animatronic sequence (the head and neck of a dying Apatosaurus). While ‘Fallen Kingdom’ had a nice amount of animatronics created, many of them were replaced with CGI once post-production took place. Will these fantastic beasts of ‘Dominion’ end up the same way? Or will we know exactly where to find them?

Fangoria’s issue featuring ‘Dominion’ arrives on store shelves later this month! We are all curious to see what details the article’s text contains beyond the quotes we have seen, and any other new images that could be within! Be sure to pick it up as soon as it drops!

Which of these animatronics do you like the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

Advance Review Of The Upcoming ‘Jurassic Park: The Original Topps Trading Card Series’ Book!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Back in the early 1990s, things were very different. The internet was still in its infancy and cell phones weren’t available. People read books, played board games, watched a lot of cable TV, and played outside. I know, it’s a time for many that is as foreign as the time of the dinosaurs.

‘Jurassic Park’ came out in June 1993. But it wasn’t available for home viewing (via VHS and Laserdisc… which is a whole other topic to explain to some people) until October… 1994! Yes, nearly a year and a half after the film was released in theaters! Back then, theatrical releases for big movies really could last that long to make as much money as they could if popular. And as a kid who saw it during its original release, it was popular. But for me, the wait was painful. Excruciating. I had seen what to me was the greatest thing I had ever laid my eyes on… and waiting almost a year and a half to see it again (my allowance at age 6 couldn’t afford that many tickets) felt like an eternity. I wanted to endlessly watch it, rewind it back to the beginning, and watch it again. But no. We all had to wait.

The Topps Trading Cards, that were on store shelves as soon as the movie was, were a godsend. For ‘Jurassic Park’, they had dozens and dozens of wallet-sized cards that had fantastic stills from the film, concept art, behind the scenes images, and more. And if you got them all, you essentially had the entire story of the film that could fit in your pocket. I remember flipping through them, soaking in every image, reading every detail. For that long wait, those cards were the film. Only the comic book adaptation came as close to truly filling the void as those cards (also produced by Topps).

That’s why the upcoming ‘JURASSIC PARK: THE ORIGINAL TOPPS TRADING CARD SERIES’ book (available April 26th) is such a fantastic compilation of that time for me. And even if you weren’t around to enjoy the cards the way I had, you can still appreciate them as pieces of the film’s rich merchandise history. They are an artistic joy to behold.

“Journey back to where it all started in this deluxe collection showcasing the classic Topps trading cards from 1993—timed for the theatrical release of Jurassic World: Dominion.

When Jurassic Park was released almost 30 years ago, it was an immediate blockbuster and went on to become one of entertainment’s largest multimedia franchises, with five more films, theme park attractions, and a robust consumer product program—including a set of trading cards released by Topps in 1993 to tie into the film. This comprehensive collection of the original trading card series—timed to publish alongside the release of Jurassic World: Dominion—includes the fronts and backs of all of these classic cards, plus the special chase cards and rare promotional material. The book also includes text and commentary by Gary Gerani, editor of the original series, and an afterword by Chip Kidd, who created and designed the cover of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, which became the iconic logo for the franchise.“

The book begins with a foreword by Gary Gerani, who happens to have been the co-writer of the film ‘Pumpkinhead’ (directed by the same animatronics legend who brought the dinosaurs of ‘Jurassic Park’ to life: Stan Winston). Before and after that time, he worked for Topps. The ‘Jurassic Park’ cards were all written and edited by him. Before the film was released, he was able to see a myriad of storyboards & fantastic photos of the amazing on-set dinosaurs. Another thing he was privileged to see was the film’s super-secret script; required reading to make the text for all the cards.

Gary goes on to explain how the cards became organized into themed sections and how they gained their appearance & layout. After he selected the images and text, they would be taken to the art department at Topps and turned into their final form.

Speaking of layouts, the main sections of the book feature one side of every card on its own page. Personal commentary is provided by Gary on select cards. He shares his views on certain parts of the film as depicted in the cards and why he made certain choices. Gary clearly had admiration for Stan Winston’s work on the animatronics, likely heightened from his time associated with ‘Pumpkinhead’. It’s always nice to see the animatronics of the film still getting love all these years later.

The first main section of the cards begins with everything from “Series One”: all 88 cards of the original set. This is followed by its 11 sticker cards (which put together would create a cool single picture on the other side), 4 hologram cards, & 4 promo cards. The first series essentially tells the entire story of the film, in a reduced form of course. But it also has cards that focus on certain characters, places, dinosaurs, and some behind the scenes information. There is even a selection of cards that focuses on Crash McCreery’s famous artwork for the film.

From there, we go into everything from “Series Two”, which continues from the first series with card 89 through 154, followed by its 11 sticker cards. This second series was released a few months after the first one and featured a looser approach to conveying the film instead of trying to tell a story. It featured many behind the scenes quotes from people who worked on the film. This series is also the only one that features ILM-produced CGI shots, since Topps did not have access to them until after the first series had to be completed.

The final main section of the book showcases the fantastic 10 art cards that were part of the “Gold Series” (a special gold-embossed version of the cards that was produced after “Series 2”), making for a very showy finish. While the backs of these art cards are for some reason not represented, the artists for each one are all credited with text.

However, that’s not all. The book features an afterward by Chip Kidd, the creator of the ‘Jurassic Park’ novel cover (which later was literally converted into the film’s logo). He details how the cover of the novel came to be, and how he was told to make it be as iconic as the cover for ‘Jaws’. This afterword also includes a note from Michael Crichton that was inscribed to Chip.

The book is about the size of my entire hand, bound in a sturdy hardcover with a thin bubble gum wrapper-style sleeve (which is made to look slightly distressed around the edges). The pages are thick and printed with high-quality vibrant color. The cards represented on each page are about 30% bigger (rough estimate) compared to the actual card size, which is nice to see a bit more detail.

As the cover promises, the book includes four promotional cards, taped to the inside of the back cover in sealed plastic. Luckily, removing the cards from the book did NOT leave any kind of blemish and was easy to do. The four cards are exclusive to this book. Two of the front designs are from actual cards in the series, but the others are new additions. One resembles the cover of the 2011 ‘Jurassic Park’ Blu-ray, while the other features a top view of the retail display box. All four of their backs are the same, but numbered. Overall, this book is even better seeing it in person than it would be as an eBook (in my opinion).

If you remember collecting these cards, or never got to have them, this book offers the perfect way of showcasing them. I must warn you that if you’re like me, you will be overridden with nostalgia. Topps would go on to do cards for the first sequel in the franchise, ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’. Thankfully, Gary teases the possibility of more of that story being told. So, keep your fingers crossed that we get a second book!

You can pre-order the book right now so it can come home to you on April 26th! I can’t recommend it enough.

(Note: Some images are from Amazon’s preview of the book.)

Did you collect any of the Topps cards when the film came out? Were you ever able to get a complete set on your own? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always return to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!

New ‘Jurassic World Cookbook’ & ‘Hungry Dinosaur’ Kids Book Are Coming Soon From Insight Editions!

Posted on by Derrick Davis

Insight Editions has two new Jurassic World-related books on the horizon that fans of the franchise will certainly be hungry for!

The first book will salivate anyone who likes to cook up new dinosaurs— I mean food— in their labs! ‘Jurassic World: The Official Cookbook‘ (available on April 19th) has every recipe you need to avert disaster in the kitchen and the park!

“Designed to look like an in-world souvenir sold at the park, this colorful cookbook features approachable at-home recipes for treats and dishes that celebrate the different regions of the iconic park and the miraculous dinosaurs that live there. Cook up some Fossilized Flora Pastry Puffs from the Triceratops territory or enjoy a Raptor’s Claw Scone from the Junior Paleontologist’s Menu. Nosh on some Shrimp à La Isla Nublar, inspired by the Mosasaurus Feeding Show in the Jurassic World Lagoon. And for those whose appetites run to the truly gargantuan, try the King of Steaks, a massive grilled sensation worthy of T. rex herself – be sure to bring your whole appetite for this one!”

I should stress that there are also drinks in this book… alcoholic ones! Hey, scientists need a break too, okay? Especially if you got a date later in the evening. Don’t forget your boardshorts!

The book’s souvenir-like design makes for such a cool item to have on display even when you aren’t cooking up anything more than an Indominus! Apart from the recipes, the book features numerous dinosaur facts, data about the park, and plenty of dinosaurs and other imagery from Jurassic World.

Each of the recipes feature easy-to-follow instructions, gorgeous photo representations, and—you know what? Let’s make some grub right now! What could go wrong?

Let’s start with the main course: “The Ultimate Carnivore Burger”!

“Jurassic World is home to some of the most magnificent carnivores on Earth . . . and one of the most magnificent burgers. Named for our majestic meat eaters, our Mediterranean-inspired Ultimate Carnivore’s Burger, served daily throughout T. Rex Kingdom, features not one meat, but three, so guests can enjoy the maximum carnivore experience.”

Every main course needs a sidekick! For that, we have the “Root Vegetable Chips”!

“The baked chips served at Jurassic World are created from root vegetables such as carrots, yams, beets, and turnips. They offer a healthier and more flavorful alternative to fried potato chips and are a popular, energizing snack or side for many park visitors.”

With all this food, we’re going to need a watering hole to quench our thirst. Wait, I did mention alcoholic beverages earlier! No need to push aside a Pachycephalosaurus for the last of the water, now! (They’d headbutt right back, anyway!) There are a number of drinks to choose from in the book, and while this particular recipe is an asset in containment, I made myself a “Jurassic Sunset”!

Overall, it was a delightful dinner worthy of a night at Nublar!

Now, let’s see what’s next! The second new book from Insight Editions (available on May 3rd) is a little one for the little ones called ‘Jurassic World: The Very Hungry Dinosaur’!

“Follow the adventures of Jurassic World’s dinos as they eat their way across the island. The story begins with a very hungry herbivore gleefully chomping on foliage. Soon, the other dinos escape containment and playfully rampage through the park eating all manner of strange things.”

This adorable board book (featuring a bite out of its top right corner by one of the prehistoric miscreants) is a cute way to get the younger set into your favorite franchise without scaring the living daylights out of them (yet). We’ve got to prepare them early! Each page has bright and colorful illustrations depicting Baby Blue-levels of wide-eyed adorableness! The text is also written in a clever way to teach its young audience numbers. They will have to learn them to eventually ask Dr. Wu about “Version 4.4″…

Whether you’re cooking up a feast for a pack of Raptors or trying to entertain your little Compies, Insight Editions has the books for you in this ever-evolving Jurassic World of ours!

Will you be checking out either of these new books? Share your thoughts below and remember to return to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!