The celebrations for Jurassic June continue with an all-new episode of Beyond The Gates! In the latest episode, Chris unveils a giant newcomer to Mattel’s Hammond Collection: the 1993 Brachiosaurus, as seen on Isla Nublar!
Joining Chris to dive deep into the development and design of this Jurassic Park collectible is none other than Mattel’s Gregory Murphy, alongside the legendary Academy Award winner Dennis Muren, who took the time to speak with us about his work on the Brachiosaurus scene.
Check out the exciting unveiling and behind the scenes look at Jurassic Park below:
This season of Beyond The Gates has been filled with items to celebrate Jurassic Park’s 30th Anniversary, with no signs of slowing down!
The Hammond Collection Brachiosaurus from Jurassic Park is now available to pre-order exclusively (in the US!) at Target.com! Don’t miss your chance to bring home this towering titan.
There are some exciting unveilings still to come – stay tuned for more!
Thirty years ago, ‘Jurassic Park’ roared its way into movie theaters. The film’s impressive special effects and incredible premise have wowed audiences for decades, cementing it as a true classic.
One vital member of the film’s creative team was Caroline Quinn, the art department coordinator. While her career would later evolve as a set designer on projects like ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’, ‘Halloween Kills’, and Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’; ‘Jurassic Park’ was where everything began. Join Jurassic Time as they discuss her role as an art department coordinator, and the adventure she went on to help bring ‘Jurassic Park’ to life!
Featuring never-before-seen photos and concept work from the film, as Caroline Quinn tells her behind-the-scenes stories! The perfect way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of ‘Jurassic Park’!
They explore her time assisting the film’s art department by assembling storyboard displays, models, and embarking on epic research assignments! Caroline even portrayed Lex Murphy in a “Raptors In The Kitchen” test video created by Stan Winston & Dennis Murren! Hear how she contributed to a famous joke in the film, helped create the memorable slideshow in the Visitor Center’s lunch room, and much more!
After thirty years, the film remains an incredible experience, thanks to the team of creative geniuses that brought to life an adventure 65 million years in the making…
It’s amazing how even after three decades we can learn new behind-the-scenes stories of ‘Jurassic Park’! What were some new details from this interview that you enjoyed the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!
‘Jurassic World’ was released to theaters nearly a decade ago. Let that sink in for a moment. For many, the memories of seeing the film are already nostalgic. Despite this year, 2023, being the 30th anniversary of the original ‘Jurassic Park’, it is also a time to be reflective over the entire series. The fourth film in the story of ‘Jurassic Park’ came after 14 years of nothing between it and the previous film, ‘Jurassic Park 3’. During that huge gap, fans imagined endless ideas as to what the next adventure in their favorite series would be.
In 2013, it was finally announced that a new film was on the horizon. Rumors that it would feature a fully-realized theme park on Isla Nublar, known as ‘Jurassic World’, led to many questions running in everyone’s minds. It was quite a surprising direction for the story that most people didn’t see coming. When filming began in 2014, many fans flocked for the chance to personally take part in the experience. Cameras rolled in Hawaii first, but soon after that their lenses focused on several massive sets in New Orleans.
Derrick Davis of Jurassic Time recently had conversations with three fans who were lucky enough to have been extras, background cast members, in these New Orleans sets: Anthony Feliciano, Bo Monarch, and Brent Kappel. Their discussions were edited into a 4-part video series that dives into the memories of their incredible experiences on the impressive sets of ‘Jurassic World’. Not only do we get to hear their fun stories, but we also get to see some rare behind the scenes photos, video footage, and other cool imagery that helps bring us along on their thrilling ride.
Anthony and Bo first describe what it was like filming the famous Mosasaur Stadium sequence. We learn how little of the set there actually was, and the simple methods used to create a much larger effect on screen. They also catch a glimpse of the original ‘Jurassic Park’ Visitor Center’s eerie ruins. Despite seeing the set from afar, it was enough to give them immense excitement.
In the second segment, Anthony and Bo look back at their experiences inside the highly-detailed Hammond Creation Lab and Samsung Innovation Center sets. We get a fun recollection of what they thought their scenes were about while being filmed, as well as some props, like a map, that they were able to take home with them.
For the third segment, Brent details the stunning Main Street set that was built next to an abandoned Six Flags amusement park. He gives us detailed descriptions of many Main Street locations, including the mostly-unseen Jurassic Traders Gift Shop, and the shock of Katie McGrath (who played Zara) performing some of her insane stunts on set.
The final segment of the series features Brent describing what it was like portraying a scientist in the Hammond Creation Lab, then reveals several props that mysteriously left with him. He tells a funny story involving Chris Pratt, and one of the props he shows us features a dinosaur dietary chart.
These three fans, and surely many others, finally got to see their work in theaters in 2015 when the film premiered around the world. No matter what they thought of the final product, seeing themselves on the big screen was a huge thrill. While the rest of us may be envious of their experience, it is wonderful to have their recollections joined with the imagery to finally get a real sense of what these sets were like in-person. And, if only for a short time, we can also imagine we visited ‘Jurassic World’ just as they had.
Which set for ‘Jurassic World’ in New Orleans do you wish you could have visited the most? Were you also an extra in the film, and if so, what scenes were you in? Share your comments below, and as always, stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!
The new Camp Cretaceous interactive special has arrived on Netflix! Return to Isla Nublar and navigate your way across Jurassic World like never before.
After a big storm, food is scarce — and hungry dinos are everywhere. It’s up to you to help the Camp Fam survive in this thrilling interactive special. You drive the action in this crowd-pleasing adventure featuring characters from the world of “Jurassic Park.”
We have a new interview with showrunner and executive producer Scott Kreamer coming soon. We spoke with him about writing and producing the Hidden Adventure, the inspiration for the new character, Owen and the Tarbo, and we ask about the future of the campers…
Join the discussion on our social channels – links at the top of the page!
For the first time ever, the juvenile Stegosaurus from The Lost World: Jurassic Park has been captured in toy form and joins the adult Stegosaurus, alongside Dr. Sarah Harding in this all-new set from Mattel!
Last month we debuted the first ever Lex Murphy figure in the Jurassic Park Kitchen Encounter Set, and today’s episode of Beyond The Gates dives into this Jurassic World Legacy Collection set, which takes us all the way to Site B…
This Dr. Sarah Harding & Stegosaurus Figure Pack brings one of the most iconic characters from The Lost World back to toy form for the first time since 1997, and debuts a first: the baby Stegosaurus. All packaged together in this perfect packaging, this set certainly is one for both play and display!
We are join by the incredible, the amazing, the Toy Designer himself Rafael Bencosme, and we hear from the packaging designer behind this incredible set, Katherine Benecke.
Be sure to take a deeper look at the making of this wonderful set by checking out the episode now, and if you haven’t already, head to Target.com to pre-order this exclusive set!
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.
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’.
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!
UPDATE 2: Thank you for your interest in the Generation Jurassic event! Unfortunately, wehave reached full capacityfor this event. Please follow us for more details including on how to watch the event unfold.
If you missed the recent episode of Beyond the Gates then you may have missed the news about an upcoming exclusive event occurring in California. So what are you waiting for? Check out the episode below, and then read on for all the important details:
Working with Universal Brand Development, we’re excited to be part of the upcoming after hours fan-event occurring at Universal Studios Hollywood on April 28th, 2022. The event will be limited capacityRSVP only – read on for more details about what to expect, and information on how to lock your tickets in.
ABOUT:
Generation Jurassic Event – April 28th – Presented by Universal and Target
Universal and Target, along with super fan site, Jurassic Outpost, have come together to create an exclusive event for Jurassic fans of all ages – Generation Jurassic will be held on April 28th from 7:30-10pm at Universal Studios Hollywood. Against the backdrop of “Jurassic World—The Ride” within the theme park, fans will get to celebrate all things Jurassic and experience a variety of activities, including:
Participate in a LIVE “Jurassic World: Beyond the Gates” panel discussion, plus Q&A with toy designers from Universal, Mattel and Funko, including reveals of all-new Target-exclusive items
Explore product displays of the latest and greatest toys, apparel, collectibles and more
Experience the thrills on Jurassic World: The Ride, including coming face-to- face with the stunningly realistic dinosaur Indominus rex
Explore DinoPlay, a fun interactive area for kids
Take part in photo opportunities with fan-favorite dinosaurs and vehicles (thanks to the Jurassic Park Motor Pool!)
Try your luck with giveaways of awesome Jurassic World products!
Generation Jurassic is a free after hours event, and tickets do not include general admission into the park. Valid photo ID matching name on RSVP required. Universal Studios Hollywood follows all current Los Angeles County COVID protocols. Please refer to the additional info on ticket form here.
We’re excited to bring ‘Beyond the Gates’ alive in an all-new way, showcasing the talent of artists creating the numerous Jurassic World products. This is a unique opportunity to dive deeper than ever into the making-of process, let fans ask their burning questions, and of course, feature some exciting exclusive reveals.
More details about what else to expect will become available as we inch closer to the event, and we hope to make the attendance RSVP available ASAP.
As always, be sure to stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for more information coming soon. We hope to see you there!
During this event we had the immense privilege of interviewing two of the top minds behind the development of this brand new tabletop legacy game: Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Funko Games, and Ruby Wishnietsky, Editorial Lead for Prospero Hall. These two are big fans of the Jurassic franchise and have done an incredible job with this game. Read on to hear how they injected their passion for Jurassic and tabletop gaming into Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar!
From left to right: Jennifer Durst (Jurassic Jen), Brad Jost (The Jurassic Park Podcast), Deirdre Cross (Funko Games), Ruby Wishnietsky (Prospero Hall), Nima Neemz Nakhshab (JurassicYourWorld), and Caleb Burnett (Jurassic Outpost).
What is your relationship with Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, and how did that influence developing this game?
Ruby Wishnietsky:
“My relationship with Jurassic Park and Jurassic World was definitely deepened through the development of this game. I am a huge amusement park fan. So honestly, my clearest relationship to them is riding the ride in Florida – going through that wonderful boat ride and getting freaked out by dinosaurs.”
Deirdre Cross:
“My relationship with the Jurassic World franchise is, I would say, very deep and quite intimate. I reread the book every year and I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen the first film. But really, I celebrate the whole thing. I’m so into Jurassic World that I have two cats at my house – one of them is named Dr. Grant and the other one is named Dr. Malcolm. And they’ve both grown too big to fit in our game box.”
That is so awesome. So the word “legacy” – it feels like that’s important. How does the word legacy connect with the franchise, this game, and everything that’s going on with the new films?
Ruby:
“Well, the, the word ‘legacy’ in the title of the game, Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar, has a few different meanings. One of the meanings of course is that the whole story is John Hammond’s legacy, right? As it goes, you know, from the inception of the park, his dream of the park, and then carries on through the whole Jurassic story. The whole thing is his legacy.
The other meaning that it has is that legacy is a type of gameplay, which means that the game changes over time. As you make decisions, it changes permanently as you and your playgroup explore the stories and the adventure and build your own park. That’s really the meaning of legacy for us in this context.”
Deirdre:
“And as you may have noticed playing the game, and as you will continue to notice, it has even deeper meanings as you play through our particular game. Not just Hammond but other characters will leave their legacy on the island and on your part. And so you’ll see how that plays out as you continue your adventures.”
What themes from the Jurassic franchise, whether it’s the books or the films, were important to you to put into this game?
Ruby:
“I have a couple that relate to some specific aspects of the game that I love to talk about. One of the big themes that played a big role in our art direction is the early fear of how technology is going to affect the natural world. In the art direction of the game, we went very much from the perspective of what influenced the creators of the Jurassic stories: 1950s and ’60s pulp comics, monster movie posters, and even scientific textbooks. Thinking about how this exciting new technology field of genetics is going to change things for the better or for the worse – who knows?
One of the other themes that I think we play on a lot in the gameplay sense is the wonder at the unknown and learning with our new scientific knowledge – learning some aspects of what used to be and what was extinct, but not having the whole story.”
Deirdre:
“I mean, we’re filling in the gaps. You know, there’s still gaps in the code, the DNA. And we’re sort of guessing at what it was. And in the mechanical gameplay of our game, there are gaps there and the players can guess – maybe they’ll guess right and be a little more prepared, or maybe something’s going to go very differently than what they expected.
I also feel like a theme is ‘you can’t put it back in the box.’ Like, there are things you can’t undo.”
The artwork is gorgeous. Can you talk a little bit more about what it was like developing the artwork and all of the stickers and game pieces and everything?
Deirdre:
“Like Ruby was saying about where we went to look for our inspiration for the art style and everything – back to the fifties and sixties, pulp and scientific textbooks, scientific magazines. But beyond that we also had this great opportunity to do these sculpts in the game, the sculpted miniatures. And we worked very closely with Universal and Amblin to get their files for 3D dinosaurs and stuff. We’re getting all this amazing stuff and we start to realize, well, yeah, we can just make the dinosaurs.
A lot of games just have dinosaurs in them, but what if our game had a more immersive sculpture that tells a story on its own that is also a really beautiful storytelling piece? So when you look at our sculpted velociraptor game piece, it’s two raptors coming out of the door of the kitchen. It’s so cool.
It’s so great to get to really pour so much creativity into those tiny pieces that are on the table. And I think as you look at the whole product, from the stickers to the card art to even the liner of the box, everything is bespoke and original to the product.”
Last question: You said you read the books often. Was there anything from those that influenced this game at all?
Deirdre:
“I think, like what Ruby’s saying about the exploration of science and the tension of the unknown… If you’ve also read the books, you understand what Steven Spielberg was doing when he created the films, because that was his source material. The story he’s trying to tell, when you also read the books as more backstory, there’s a lot more in there about that tension. Though our game does not technically cover the books, you can definitely feel their DNA.”
We cannot thank Deirdre Cross, Vice President of Funko Games, and Ruby Wishnietsky, Editorial Lead for Prospero Hall, enough for taking the time to speak with us about their passions for Jurassic and this fantastic new game. It’s clear their love for all things Jurassic and board games has been woven into this product, and the beautiful result speaks for itself. Jurassic fans are going to love experiencing this game.
You can still secure your copy of the game by backing its Kickstarter campaign here! What do you think so far about this game, its visual style, and the influences of the creators? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Jurassic Outpostfor all Jurassic news!
A new set joins Mattel’s Jurassic World Legacy Collection in this new episode of Beyond The Gates! Last month we showcased an item from The Lost World, this month we’re heading 87 miles Northeast of Isla Sorna back to Isla Nublar, with the Jurassic Park Kitchen Encounter Set.
The Jurassic Park Kitchen Encounter brings one of the most beloved scenes from Jurassic Park to life, featuring a Velociraptor, Tim, and the first-ever action figure of Lex Murphy! Lex has long been requested since the Kenner days, and Mattel has finally brought her to life in collectible form. The episode shows off the new set in action, and goes behind the scenes with toy designer Rafael Bencosme so if you haven’t already be sure to watch.
Not only that – the Dinosaur Supervisor himself Phil Tippett, guides us through his work contributing to the creation of this now infamous scene the toy set was based upon. It was an absolute honor to talk to Phil, and his work on Jurassic Park was absolutely key to making the scene – and velociraptors – so terrifying.
Finally, this episode included one more surprise — the announcement of fans-first “Generation Jurassic” event occurring at Universal Studios Hollywood April 28th! While we can’t share more details about the event quite yet, we’re quite excited about it and will have more to say soon. We really hope to see you there!
As always, stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for more news – there’s a lot of exciting things on the horizon.
Join me on a lengthy and engaging discussion with David Lowery! He was the storyboard artist on the entire ‘Jurassic Park’ trilogy and the first ‘Jurassic World’ film. His talents were also part of the productions for ‘Honey, I Shrunk The Kids’, ‘Rango’, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, ‘The Mandalorian’, and many others. Included in the interview are a myriad of David’s storyboards, with some that have never been seen before!
Click Image To Watch The Full Interview Playlist!
There are four parts to the interview, with each one focusing on a different film. The first part delves into how it all began with ‘Jurassic Park’! David explains how he got involved with the film, what it was like to shape classic sequences with Steven Spielberg, why certain scenes were cut, and a lot more! Newly-revealed storyboards show Robert Muldoon attempting to tranquilize the Tyrannosaurus Rex after it has escaped from its paddock; a scene inspired by the novel that was never filmed! There is also a drawing featured that was made by Spielberg himself!
In Part Two, David recounts his memories from working on ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’. Before the film even began, he first helped Spielberg create a new studio: DreamWorks! From there, his role expanded in the first ‘Jurassic’ sequel, working even closer with Spielberg and storyboarding many sequences, including: the thrilling Stegosaurus meeting, the terrifying trailer attack by the Tyrannosaurs, and the divisive San Diego chase (a bigger climax that was created due to pressure from the success of ‘Independence Day’ the year prior)! For the first time, we also get a look at the full storyboards for the Rex raid on the hunter camp and the raptor attack in the long grass! He also details how the film’s paleontologist advisor, Jack Horner, helped shape the look of a shot involving footprints that was left largely unfilmed!
The third part of the interview touches on ‘Jurassic Park 3’, and what it was like shifting to a different director: Joe Johnston. David remembers what it was like being at the extraordinary indoor jungle sets! He also details the challenges he and the production faced to please eager audiences with the anticipated film. The story went through many changes, with several never-before-seen storyboard sequences featuring a group of kids as they are faced with Isla Sorna’s fierce inhabitants! We also discuss the interesting change of the film’s lead dinosaur from Baryonyx to Spinosaurus; something that was evident in an early logo!
In the final part of the interview, we discuss the early storyboards David did for ‘Jurassic Park 4’, which would eventually become ‘Jurassic World’. Many of the sequences he storyboarded either didn’t make it into the film or were tweaked in various ways after he had left the project. He explains what the original opening of the film was before Colin Trevorrow came on board to direct, and it definitely sounded… interesting! Despite leaving the film during its production hiatus to work for Jon Favreau on Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’ remake (leading David to eventually storyboard for the highly-praised ‘Star Wars’ Disney+ show, ‘The Mandalorian’), he was thrilled with how the film, and largely the series as whole, turned out. At the end of the interview, we are treated with a video “animatic” of David Lowery’s “Opening Montage” storyboards from the film, fan-made by BernardA. Kyer (beginning with footage from the fantastic computer game ‘Jurassic Explorer‘)! It shows a vastly expanded version of what the opening to ‘Jurassic World’ could have been!
I’d like to thank David Lowery for taking the time to reminisce about his experiences working on the ‘Jurassic’ films, and the many fantastic storyboards he created that are truly a work of art!
I hope you enjoy this multi-part interview! After watching it, what were some of your favorite stories David told? Which storyboard sequences captured your imagination the most! Share your thoughts in the comments below, and as always stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for the latest!
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