Jurassic Park had an army of artists that helped shape the visual look of the film. Pre-production began in the summer of 1990, a full three years before its 1993 release date. During that time, the scripts changed pens between different writers, but the art department kept churning out images that didn’t necessarily match anything from them. Ideas were freely explored using Michael Crichton’s novel as the main source, while the artists injected their own personalities.
Leading the art department was Jurassic Park‘s Art Director John Bell, who we interviewed back in 2015. He also worked on the sequels: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park 3, and Jurassic World. Despite his involvement in the franchise beginning almost 30 years ago, there are still many pieces of artwork he created that have yet to see the light of day. There was so much that his team created that it would likely fill an entire library!
His site also features some new amazing artwork from The Lost World: Jurassic Park! The amount of detail and ideas he had for the film’s various vehicles is astounding; including a “life pod” used as protection against big predators such as Tyrannosaurs Rex!
John has also shown, for the first time, artwork he created for Jurassic Park 3! This is especially fascinating to see since Jurassic Park 3 never had a “Making Of” book like the first two films did; leaving insights on its filmmaking process only on DVD/BLU-RAY bonus features, magazine articles, and other websites from those involved. His new page features impressive unused vehicle designs and early versions of the incubators!
And finally, we have additional artwork John created forJurassic World, or as it was simply known to him at the time as Jurassic Park 4. We now have an incredible look at some of his more futuristic designs meshed with his older ideas for Jurassic Park in a way that would have been incredible to have seen on film!
It’s amazing that after all this time we are still getting never-before-seen material from the older films of this franchise! No matter how any of the films turned out, it goes to show just how much time and effort went into the creation of them. And who knows, maybe more will be seen someday?
In a darkened room, in an empty building with a dirty floor, it waits…
Something is coming, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with you! Jack De La Mare and I have been hard at work on an exciting partnership with Jurassic World and Target to bring you Beyond the Gates – a new collectors focused web-series where we will be revealing all new Jurassic products, while digging into the DNA that brought the items to life.
Not too long ago Universal began discussions about this unique collaboration, and we hit the ground running to help design a show format that we hope excites you as much as it does us, from the fans for the fans. Our friends at Universal, Mattel, and Target shared our excitement and helped support us every step along the way as we began to play in this expansive Jurassic toybox, creating this little show.
We were given the keys, and a chance to not only to take the Jeep and drive – but to custom design it from the ground up. We worked with a handful of talented artists – including Lukas Vagt, Matt Henderson and Caleb Burnett – to support hatching the series, and evolve Beyond The Gates from concept to reality. This collaborative process has been a dream, and every party involved has been crucial in bringing this vision to life.
Today (February 17th) the first episode of Beyond the Gates made its debut exclusively on Target.com, with subsequent episodes to follow the third week of every month. Every episode feature your first look at all-new, upcoming Jurassic World reveals – and upon their reveal, they will become available for pre-order directly at Target.com.
Universal and ourselves not only want to use Beyond the Gates to share exclusive official content, but also to better inform the fans and collectors what is coming, when it will be available, while giving them a reliable way to secure those items for their collection before those opportunities go extinct. On top of that, we wanted to use this opportunity to let you hear directly from the masterminds who helped design the toys while taking a look at the development and evolution of the items via concept art, prototypes, and more!
The first episode of Beyond the Gates is here, and features a look at two long anticipated Amber Collection dinosaurs from the original Jurassic Park trilogy, accompanied by the expertise of Mattel’s own Chandra Hicks.
Watch now at Target.com!
If you’ve seen episode 1, and are looking for our ‘After Show‘ — stay tuned! We’ve hit the ground running on this project, and that one is coming in hot. As for what to expect, we’ll take a longer look at the Amber Collection reveals, hear more from Mattel’s Chandra Hicks, while showing off more concept art and early looks at the development of these toys!
We wanted to thank Universal Pictures for being so accommodating and entrusting us to help create this fan-focused show. We have so much more to come, and can’t wait to show you more of what waits BEYOND THE GATES.
The epic final battle scene from Jurassic Park is now available in statue form from Iron Studios!
Coming in at an impressive 1/20 scale, this statue is over 18 inches tall and 14.5 inches wide! This limited edition statue features the terrifying scene where the velociraptors are surrounding our beloved characters as the T. rex bursts into the visitors center.
The figures of Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Lex, Tim, two velociraptors, and the T. rex are highly detailed and all hand painted.
On a base imitating marble, after all Iron Studios spared no expense, with the film’s logo adorning the front, the fossils fallen at the feet of the figures, with Lex and Tim Murphy protected by Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant from two Velociraptors and the imposing T-Rex circling ready to capture the Velociraptor that is about to jump on Alan, Iron Studios presents it’s statue “The Final Scene – Demi Art Scale 1/20 – Jurassic Park – Iron Studios”.
After the collapse of the first park on Nublar Island, some of the most dangerous predatory species escape from their cages, including mortal Velociraptors. Seeking refuge and protection in the control room at the visitor center, doctors Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, along with the children Lex and Tim Murphy, grandchildren of John Hammond, the park’s creator, are chased by raptors. The four protagonists run out of the control room and reach the main lobby, and they find themselves trapped when one of the predators advances to strike, jumping on their prey, is unusually captured in the jaws of a T-Rex, which invades the space in search of his hunting. Thus, the giant tyrant king of the dinosaurs, involuntarily becomes the savior of the group, when confronting and being confronted by the Velociraptors, giving the scientists and the children a chance to escape.
This unforgettable and striking sequence from the movie Jurassic Park, created by the master Steven Spielberg, once again comes to life at the hands of Iron Studios, which replicates the final scene of this 1993 Universal Studios superproduction. Faithful in the smallest details, relive that experience in your collection and don’t be surprised if in your subconscious you hear the unmistakable roar of the T-Rex every time you catch a glimpse of this piece.
This beautifully rendered scene is up for pre-order now for $899.99, with an expected release date of September 30, 2021. You can find all the information on Iron Studios.
Iron Studios also announced a brand new Muldoon and Raptor statue this week during their livestream! At 1/10 scale, they captured the moment when the “clever girl” velociraptor is jumping to attack Muldoon. The detail and paint on the raptor looks phenomenal in this first promotional image. While we can’t see much of Muldoon’s face, the attention to detail on his socks and thigh muscle is spot on. We can’t wait to see more images of this one!
Based on other 1/10 scale statues on Iron Studio’s site, we’re guessing this figure will be at least $150, so start saving now if this is something you’d like to add to your collection! We’ll keep all the Jurassic fans up to date as we get more information from Iron Studios in the coming months!
Let us know your thoughts on these new statue in the comments! Will you be adding either of them to your collection?
The people of Singapore will be getting a fun surprise this November as Universal brings a Jurassic World themed restaurant to ION Sky, a popular tourist destination in the capital city. Located 56 floors up in the ION Orchard shopping mall, the dino-centered pop-up will serve premium menu items amongst the backdrop of the Singapore city skyline.
The new diner will feature a variety of Jurassic themed menu offerings, including a Jurassic World Burger, Volcano Curry, and Nasi Lemak. Keep an eye out for some fancy dessert choices too, like Geologic Parfaits and Lava Cookies.
The restaurant also plans to offer more festive themed dishes as we approach the Christmas season. Limited edition merchandise will also be available for purchase, including LEGO sets, keychains, and Snap Squad figures.
The pop-up is a collaboration between Universal Brand Development, 1-Group, ION Orchard, and PARCO – a licensee of the Jurassic World Café. The café opens its doors on November 6, 2020 and will serve hungry customers until January 3, 2021.
It will be open daily from 11am to 10pm, and reservations are highly encouraged. Anybody feeling like taking a trip to Singapore? Gives us your best Jurassic themed food ideas in the comments below!
And while your mouth is watering at the photos above, be sure to also check out Jurassic Park: Chronicle, an Italian short film based on the Jurassic Park saga!
This short is a prequel to the first movie and “blends adventure with mystery, telling the story of Garrison Eriksen, a journalist who’s heard rumors about suspicious activities occurring on an island off the coast of Costa Rica. He arrives at Isla Nublar to investigate and soon regrets it.”
The animated short film is available to watch above, and you can find more information at the official website and on the team’s Facebook page! Let us know in the comments section down below what you think of Jurassic Park: Chronicle!
If a recent set photo from Jurassic World Dominion is anything to go by, then it looks like InGen’s Site B will be returning in some form in the upcoming entry in the Jurassic saga. In this article we wanted to revisit the second island known to be home to the dinosaurs of this franchise, exploring what we know about this island and, crucially, how that may factor into the upcoming sequel.
Site B, also known as Isla Sorna, appears in both The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III, and is presented as a part of Las Cinco Muertes – an Archipelago which is 200 miles southwest of Costa Rica. This island is presented as the factory floor for InGen’s dinosaur cloning operations – featuring embryonic labs, an aviary, and an in-island waterway which provided InGen’s workers with access to paddocks and facilities all across the island’s topography. If we think of Isla Nublar as the public-facing side of the theme park, then Isla Sorna is the mechanical side which keeps things running – producing new dinosaurs whilst also providing a space where Scientists can do their work.
In the film canon, we get to see several parts of the island and its facilities. In The Lost World, we see large-scale game trails for Herbivores, alongside a worker’s village – providing space for InGen personnel to live and work on the island. This contrasts Isla Nublar, which was very much guest-centric, and shows how more personnel were likely to be positioned on this island at any time. We also get a glimpse at the large-scale InGen facilities which were present on the island in this film – including a building which is not too dis-similar from Jurassic Park’s visitor center, suggesting that there may have still been some facility for visitors on this island. I could picture Isla Sorna functioning very similar to the Hammond Creation Lab in Jurassic World – providing investors and would-be sponsors with a place to see the company’s work in action.
In JPIII, we get to see more of the island – including large-scale fences, more InGen facilities, and also the embryonic building which forms the core of the InGen laboratories on the island. This building has hints at other things including caging and storage, providing insight into how these dinosaurs may have been created during the years preluding the 1993 incident. JPIII also provides a look at the Aviary – and gives us an interesting look at how Phase II attractions for Jurassic Park may have first been developed at Site B – allowing scientists to perfect their attractions ahead of their introduction to the public. The presence of the Aviary also introduces us to Sorna’s waterways, which were used by InGen to transport dinosaurs and other supplies across the island and between the different facilities which were operating across its large expanse.
Since we last visited Site B in 2001’s JPIII, we haven’t seen much more of the island – apart from receiving hints at how it has functioned in some of Jurassic World’s extended material, such as the Masrani Global and Dinosaur Protection Group marketing. This has helped to pad-out how the island also functioned as a hatching ground for the Masrani Global attraction, but we are yet to see more of this beyond the vague hints at the island having since fallen back into a state of disrepair – devoid of any dinosaurs.
Make sure to check out our video below, which goes in-depth into the Island, and everything we know about it to date! Also check out Jurassic Vault – where some of the images in this article came from!
What this all means for Jurassic World Dominion is still very much up in the air currently, but I think it is safe to say that we are all excited to see how the island will factor into the upcoming sequel.
Join the discussion below and let us know your hopes for Isla Sorna, and if you think it will see some sort of resolution in Jurassic World: Dominion!
Earlier this year we had the opportunity to interview cinematographer Shelly Johnson, who brought Isla Sorna to life in 2001’s Jurassic Park 3. The two hour interview explores Shelly’s work on the third movie along with diving into concepts and ideas that never made it to screen – along with some Jurassic Park 4 concepts too!
A new interview with Shelly which further expands upon our discussion has now released over at Soundstage Access. Check it out below:
The interview dives deeper into Jurassic Park 3’s recycling of old sets from The Lost World and what it was like taking over the Universal backlot shooting throughout the fall of 2000.
Brando at Soundstage Access also interviewed Gary Rydstrom who was the sound designer for Jurassic Park and who has signed on as the sound designer for the upcoming Jurassic World: Dominion.
In the interview Gary discusses his creative process designing the dino-sounds for the first Jurassic Park.
Thanks to Brando for sharing these with us, what a great couple of interviews! The interviews are both available on iTunes along with Spotify, so be sure to check out the Shelly interview and Gary interview there. Let us know what you think in the comments down below!
In a new interview with People TV, Jeff Golblum gave viewers some insight into how production for Jurassic World: Dominion was progressing as the first major studio film to resume shooting amidst the pandemic.
When asked how the story of the new film had to adapt to our current reality, Goldblum responded:
“…there are [elements of the film] we are finding are already apropos, but there are some sensitive things that [the filmmakers] are tweaking and adjusting that might make it right for now and contributive and nourishing for right now.”
It also appears Ian Malcolm will be holding steadfast to the principles he’s attempted to convey in previous installments. Goldblum says:
“As it happens, there are things my character talks about, and has always talked about, like the fragility of our species and the global cooperation that’s needed . . . to unite us in trust and connectiveness as a family and to do right by ourselves and this glorious planet. As you can imagine those things are now more relevant than ever.”
Well said Jeff.
In true Goldblum fashion, Jeff knows how to tease fans just enough to keep us at peak excitement levels. He also spoke briefly about some scenes he’s already filmed, indicating a “thrilling” reunion with Laura Dern and Sam Neill in a sequence taking place in a Jeep. No doubt familiar territory for Mr. Goldblum.
Be sure to watch the interview at the KCTV website.
What do you think about the potential story impacts Covid-19 might have on Dominion? Do you think a Blockbuster franchise like Jurassic has the potential to give us some insight on how we should handle science and unity under the current circumstances? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The Dilophosaurus is arguably one of the most interesting dinosaurs seen in Jurassic Park, and while it doesn’t hold up as well scientifically as some of the other dinosaurs, the colourful frill and poisonous venom make it one of the more terrifying and unique encounters in the movie.
While the dinosaur has only appeared once in the franchise, a revival of this species is something many are hoping for in Jurassic World: Dominion. Until we see it on screen once again, we can only look back at original concept art and it’s original appearance and that is exactly what Jurassic Time have done.
And they’ve discovered something new. Hidden beneath the mouth of the juvenile Dilophosaurus that Dennis Nedry encounters is a venom sac, that was intended to inflate before the dinosaur spits the venom.
The original creator and puppeteer recently spoke with Bernard from Jurassic Time, revealing more about this mechanism that unfortunately failed on set. They had intended to film a close-up of the Dilophosaurus that showed the expansion of the frill and the mouth opening, the venom sacs filling up, and then the venom actually leaving the mouth. Instead, the shot cut away to a close-up Nedry’s face as the venom hit.
“When the Dilo spit, it worked but we tested in hot, dry air in our Van Nuys studio. Compressed air cools down rapidly as it expands during the ‘spit’. This cooling created a visible cloud of gas and gave away the gag in the cold/humid stage at Universal. They cut the film around it. But the mouth would open wide, the venom sac would sell up in its throat and the tongue would lift up like a serpent revealing the spit openings.“
He also detailed the mechanism behind the dinosaur’s tongue which originally would be seen moving.
“The tongue was a two stage tentacle mechanism and the base was on an ‘up/down’ pulley, too. The tentacles would allow the two sections of the tongue to move up and down and left and right independently of each other making it very serpent-like. Then, the base would rotate the tongue up to the top of the mouth to reveal the venom pits beneath.”
The full interview with Rick dives into the Dilophosaurs’ design and concepts through the production of Jurassic Park, which you can read here. Bernard has also put together a video that tells this story and showcases some of the concept art showing the venom sacks:
It’s a really interesting feature that never fully made it to the screen. The venom sacs can be hard to spot but are seen briefly on the Dilophosaurus when inside the car. The sacs can be seen on most of the concept art and storyboards too!
What do you make of this discovery, and had you noticed the venom sacs yourself? Are you hoping the Dilophosaurus returns in Jurassic World: Dominion? Let us know in the comments section down below, and a huge thanks to Jurassic Time for sharing this discovery with us!
Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter and Fast and Furious are all major live-action Hollywood franchises that not only entertain and shape generations of moviegoers, but also dominate at the global box office. But despite all those franchises’ success, there is only one live-action film franchise (with 2+ films) that averages $1 billion worldwide per film and it might shock the average person of which franchise that is: Jurassic Park.
That is right, the Jurassic Park franchise, which currently stands at 5 films (with the 6th film, Jurassic World: Dominion currently in production for a June 11, 2021 release), is the only live-action movie franchise to reach this amazing feat. With the Covid-19 re-release of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom this Summer in multiple countries and some theatrical showings of Jurassic World, the franchise global total has finally crossed the $5 billion mark ($5,069,589,335 to be exact as of this writing).
One might argue that the re-release of those films to push it over the top is unfair, but most major film franchise’s see re-releases from time to time, including other big ones like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So how does this all break down for the Jurassic films compared to the others? Well lets start with Jurassic Park.
Before 2015, the Jurassic franchise consisted of only three films, Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and Jurassic Park III (2001). The worldwide grosses of those three films are $1,033,756,460, $618,638,999 and $368,780,809 which totals $2.02 billion, or about $673.7 million per film. So how did the franchise go from averaging $673.7 million to $1 billion? In 2015 the release of the fourth film in the series, Jurassic World demolished box office records at the time on the way to a massive global haul of $1,670,400,637. Three years later the fifth film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, while not as massive as it’s predecessor, was still one of the biggest film’s of all-time with $1,378,012,430. Add those all up and you have a franchise that makes it to the $1 billion per film average.
So if you are still surprised or asking “Well what about Star Wars or Marvel, they have to be at or close to an average of $1 billion also”. Those are indeed massive franchises with at least one film in each that has made over $2 billion individually, but overall still behind Jurassic in terms of averages. Star Wars has 11 theatrical films that average $937.4 million per film and if you include 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars as the 12th film, the average drops to $859.8 million. The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently has 23 films that average $982 million. Some other major franchises that are near the top of the list include the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts films ($923.8 million average), Pirates of the Caribbean ($904.9 million), The Hunger Games ($742.0 million) and (Fast and Furious ($654.9 million).
But there has to be a catch right, is Jurassic REALLY the highest grossing franchise in Hollywood on average? Yes, and well, also no. It is the highest grossing live-action film series per film, but it is not the highest grossing film series per film overall. There is one other franchise that can claim that title: Disney’s animated Frozen films. Currently sitting at two films, the series is averaging a very impressive $1.37 billion per film.
While Jurassic might be the only current $1 billion per film live-action franchise it will be interesting to see if a series like Star Wars or Marvel can ever reach those heights too since they are not that far off. It will also be something to watch if Jurassic can maintain that level with the series adding Jurassic World: Dominion next Summer. If Dominion can earn at least $1 billion itself it will obviously stay in the exclusive $1 billion per film club. Based on past results, the movie going audiences love for new films in the series it is a no-brainer that the new film would reach those heights. However, the wrench in the whole thing is the current world climate with the Covid-19 pandemic and the complete uncertainty of the film landscape going forward. Will the virus be gone, or at least contained enough that normalcy resumes? Will theaters be open at 100% capacity? Will some theaters even fail to re-open after their financial losses, especially in a very big box office market in China? There are a lot of rough waters that a blockbuster like Dominion will have to navigate.
The other thing Jurassic has proven and earned is the right to exist as a franchise. Not everyone loves all the films, and people will always question certain choices by the filmmakers and not everyone will always agree with with the direction the movies take. Like any other film series though, some absolutely love every aspect of it, and there are people that hate everything too. You can’t please everyone and every series will have its positives and negatives. But you can’t deny that there is a global thirst and want for these films. It is a franchise that if a new film is released, people will flock to see it. You might see people on social media or even national movie critics ask things like “Why are they making another?”, “Jurassic is not a franchise”, “It is time to let the series die”, “No one asked for another Jurassic movie”, yet what they fail to realize is that how well these films do, people do want more films and they don’t want the series to end. If you don’t want to watch another Jurassic film, then don’t, no one is forcing you to, but it is still going to have a major turnout, excitement and box office haul.
So what do you think of the Jurassic franchise being the only live-action film franchise to average $1 billion per film globally? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
It was a digital landscape that sometimes we think time wishes it could forget. Before Facebook or Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr, even before Myspace. It was an age when the internet wasn’t quite in its infancy, but more of an awkward transitional phase, as everyday it seemed new sites, forums and chat rooms came and went.
Today the graveyards of Archive.org are littered with the remnants of this now bygone era and provide a fascinating insight into the Jurassic Park fandom. Full of forgotten fanfics, early rumors of a “Jurassic Park 4” and maybe if you’re lucky some old screencaps and fan art, there is one page in particular that stands out. A place many once heard of and few probably remember, it was only recently that it was rediscovered.
Almost lost forever and forgotten by most, Jurassic Park: England (or “JP:UK” as it was also known) was a website chronicling a labor of love undertaken by British fan Andy Simpson and his quest to create a patch of prehistoric paradise in his own garden. Seemingly inspired by “Jurassic Park: The Ride” and then then recent Jurassic Park III, you can guarantee no expense was spared.
With some reports estimating that Andy spent about £4,000, the attraction included a 20ft. river safari through primeval overgrowth, smoky banks and of course a 15ft. recreation of the infamous “King Kong gates” that loomed over guests in the movie. All of this ending in a home theater where guests could join its creator in a private screening of his favorite films. “I’ve seen Jurassic Park over 300 times!” Simpson told reporters back in 2001. “I watched the films over and over ’cause each time I’d notice new things to re-create.” he also commented.
The attraction itself was by no means easy to build. According to Andy, besides the two years and countless hours needed to construct the massive attraction, it was also required to meet certain standards from the local council in order to entertain guests. Luckily for him however, “Jurassic Park: England” came just short of the required dimensions for some serious urban planning. As, if that wasn’t enough to consider, Simpson had to reach out to Steven Speilberg and Universal themselves for their blessing to use the Jurassic Park name and iconography. With little in his favor and probably as much chance as the cast of Jurassic Park had escaping the jaws of a hungry t-rex, Universal and Speilberg’s company actually reached out to the teenage fan, providing him with everything he needed to properly represent what they created.
Unlike the fictional park, which was only previewed to six selected guests, “Jurassic Park: England” opened to 40 and was met with critical acclaim for such a humble attraction. People gasped with delight as they were towed through the torch lit river and amazed as they came face to face with simulated dangers waiting along the banks. Simpson went on to be featured in countless news outlets including radio, tv, magazines and newspapers. In addition his site showcasing the ride briefly went viral with thanks from an avid community of fans.
What happened to “JP:UK?” Well truth be told, nobody really knows. In a time before social media as we know it today, it was easy for it all to fall into obscurity. The last time anyone heard from Simpson was in 2008 when he last updated his webpage. Perhaps somewhere in a British suburb, in an overgrown garden adorned with plastic skulls are the ancient ruins of this once proud attraction. A real lost world, waiting to be rediscovered, to be explored and maybe even entertain guests once again.
It’s hard to think that anything this huge could be forgotten, but if it’s one thing dinosaurs like the ones in Jurassic Park have to teach us, it’s this: Even the biggest things can be lost to time and reclaimed by the Earth. That’s why it’s important that we make our mark and tell the world who we are. The dreamers, the innovators, the people who do the impossible, keep pushing forward, shine bright and leave your legacy.
This article was written with love and with cooperation from “Big Razzie” and “Jurassic Outpost”.
