Category: Jurassic Park 3

The Jurassic Park Trilogy is Getting New Blu Ray Covers So Bad We Thought They Were Fake

Posted on by Jurassic Outpost

The Jurassic Park name means something – whether it’s the seal of quality only Spielberg can bring, pushing the boundaries of visual effects, or the iconic dinosaur designs. It’s a mega franchise running over 25 years if you count the novels, and its name is synonymous with quality. So why does the franchise seem to lack any real quality control (or at least the budget for good Photoshop artists)?

Welcome, to B-movie quality cover art park. To truly appreciate the travesties on display above, you should first look at them at full size and resolution, because the compressed picture just doesn’t do it justice. Snarky jokes aside, those covers just are not good – and for more reasons than poor photoshop skills.

First up, Jurassic Park – conceptually it is a great cover (they all are – in concept), and Alan Grant and the Ford Explorer do look fantastic. Unfortunately, they look more like a previs concept. The Tyrannosaurus stands out of place, featuring a strangely modified male Tyrannosaurus head from The Lost World, not the female from Jurassic Park (plus it’s just poorly composited). In fact, the head used here is the bizarrely malformed head used on the 2015 Jurassic World products.

Wait. Is that a thumb on the Tyrannosaurus!? A moment ago we were going to point out Alan Grant wasn’t looking at the Rex, but now that issue seems Compsognathus sized. That’s not the only issue at play – the Tyrannosaurs right leg and foot are larger than the left, meaning they should be in front – however, the rear left leg has been photoshopped to land in the front.

The Lost World cover is plagued with just as many issues (ignoring the ugly logo, which would be an issue on its own). First off, the photoshop composition is just bad – which is frustrating, as the base image used (above) is a great choice. Of course the Stegosaurs pictured are far too large (even by The Lost World’s standards), but the idea behind the cover is fun. However, as Jurassic Park teaches us, intention doesn’t overrule execution.

The other issue is the two Stegosaurus’ on display aren’t from The Lost World: Jurassic Park – they’re the drastically different design from Jurassic World. In fact, the two renders on the cover are from Fallen Kingdom, and have already been spotted on early merchandise images. At least this can answer the raging question – do Jurassic World Stegosaurs have beaks like TLW and the real animal? Apparently not.

The Jurassic Park 3 cover is easily the least offensive. The composition of the overall image looks good, the Pteranodon is mostly accurate to the film, and it captures the feel of the movie. It’s just stuck with an ugly logo, and a really poorly photoshopped Billy Brennan face on the cover (perhaps he’s reacting to the other two covers).

Minus the logo, this one at least looks like a professional film studio released it, even if it’s a bit sloppy. Though we have to wonder – why is it Billy on the cover (or wait – is that actually Nicholas Cage)? Further, why not the Spinosaurus? Those aren’t really issues, but the choices stood out as discussion points none the less.

It’s not just us scoffing at the new covers and initially questioning their legitimacy. In fact, the whole community seems to be having the same overall reaction:

For more community reactions see our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter comments plus this Reddit thread.

So, how exactly did this new cover lineup pass quality control? While we can’t answer that, we can say it’s not the first time something like this slipped by for Jurassic Park. In fact, it’s not even the worst. The worst would be the 2013 Jurassic Park 3D IMAX Poster.

 

Art is subjective, but when it comes to meeting the quality and established designs from the base material, the line is crossed to objectivity. To be blunt, the poster and covers above are just not good. In fact, they’re awful, and a poor representation of the source material. This isn’t a case of a fandom entitlement complex (which is a real issue), but simply a poor look for the films overall. When talented artists put out better unofficial work on a daily basis, there is a big issue.

While the above artwork looks like it came from the studio that brought you Sharknado, the next point is something more subjective. The Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary key art looks more like a child’s coloring book cover than the celebration of the longstanding legacy of the film franchise.

The cartoony art style for the fossil backdrop is nothing at all like the visuals on display in Jurassic Park, nor does it mirror or celebrate the artwork used in 1993. 1993 used simple black backdrops, or the iconic jungle sunset motif. If they must insist on a fossil backdrop, at least go minimalistic and inspired by the pillars in visitors center (and actually illustrate dinosaurs depicted in Jurassic Park).

Though, as we said prior, this one is subjective – at least the artwork for Jurassic Park 25th looks professionally done, even if it does seem out of place. At the very least, it’s not another case of Velociraptor toys being released without sickle claws.

Nor are they the frog faced, green Jurassic Park 2011 Blu Ray statue (the original female Tyrannosaurus is brown, and certainly doesn’t look like this):

In the 2010’s the Jurassic brand hit an awkward stride, with products and images that don’t reflect the brand they belong to. With 2015’s Jurassic World, most chocked it up to rapid growing pains – but over two years later, the excuse seems a little less genuine. Perhaps a lack of a visual style guide and story bible has led an inability to properly vet creative outputs (but that doesn’t explain poor composition – that simply looks cheap and rushed).

This isn’t meant to be an attack piece – Universal Pictures releases some of our favorite films, and their offices are filled with talented, kind, smart, and enthusiastic people. This isn’t personal – just an observation of the some of the high profile Jurassic misfires. We digress. Rant over.

The Blu Rays are listed on Amazon.com, and judging by the back covers are simple releases of the other standalone Blu Rays, with no new content. Considering the cover art, these are easy skips, unless you’re an absolute completionist collector. If you’re on the market for Jurassic Blu Rays, be on the look out for these – they have great covers, and the same content:

This begs the question – if there is no new content on the Blu Rays, will Jurassic Park 25th Anniversary get its own release with new content in the coming months? The demand is there for a 4K release, and the 25th anniversary would the perfect time!

Sound off in the comments below, and let us know what you think of the covers! If you’re a photoshop wizard, perhaps you can take a stab at making your own custom covers and share them with us. As always, stay tuned for the last news – with the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom trailer coming within a month, things are sure to get exciting soon.

Source: Amazon.com (Via @gencinexin and Blu-Ray.com)

We’ve got the scoop on the future Jurassic World toys from Mattel! (spoiler free) #JurassicJune

Posted on by Jurassic Outpost

The year is 1993 – Kenner releases the Jurassic Park toy line which shaped many of our childhoods. From there on, Kenner (and eventually Hasbro when they entirely overtook Kenner and their products) made Jurassic Park toy lines. Whether it was a spin-off like ‘Chaos Effect’, ‘Jurassic Park: Dinosaurs’ or ‘Camo-X-Treme’ or a film line, the franchise was handled by the same company.

Most recently, Hasbro released the ‘Jurassic World’ toy line in 2015 – and to be blunt, the toys were not good. Velociraptors were missing their sickle claws, toys were poorly sculpted, poorly and cheaply painted, prone to breaking, and riddled with gaping screw holes. Not to mention, there was no sense of size consistency in the line, and it did not feature traditional human action figures. Fans were bummed.

Apparently, so was Universal Pictures – while Hasbro began to improve the quality with much better paint application on 2016’s ‘Dino Hybrid’ line, they lost the license that summer to Mattel. This is now uncharted territory – and truth be told, when I first heard the news I wasn’t excited. Mattel has no current lineups that prove they could do the classic Jurassic style of lineup (which is quite similar to current Star Wars offerings from Hasbro), and Hasbro had just put out some of the best Jurassic Park toys ever a few years back (see: Jurassic Park 2009/2011).

Art by James Flames, click for full

Let me just jump to the point: I was wrong to doubt Mattel. While the final quality of the toys remains to be seen, the lineup style is what fans have wanted and true to the legacy of Jurassic Park.

Recently, Mattel held a showcase for vendors, licencors, and more where they showed off their in-development and upcoming lines. As you can imagine, Jurassic World was there – and from what we have heard, it was easily the biggest highlight of any Mattel offering. We’re going to avoid going into too deep into specifics, as certain items will spoil future surprises, including things about the new film.

However, this is the lay of the land for the upcoming Jurassic World toys from Mattel (the images used below are from past Jurassic Park offerings, and used for demonstrative purposes only):

3 3/4″ Human Action Figures ($10)

Yes, human action figures are back – they will be roughly 3 3/4″ tall, and in scale with past Hasbro offerings. They will follow the Kenner styling of including a small or hatchling dinosaur, and some gear/weapons. However, from our understanding the gear skews more towards collectors than play factor (as in Dr. Ian Malcolm includes a film accurate flare – not a net launcher) – and the toys have articulation that will surely please.

Basic Dinosaur Figures ($10)

The bread and butter of the line – the dinosaurs are back! Roughly 6″ long, these are comparable to the basic non-electronic dinosaurs of the Kenner toy lines (or the Bash & Bites from Jurassic World). Much like classic Kenner, these dinosaurs are not dressed with permanent mortal wounds, and have simple articulation tied to a basic action feature. One of my favorite bits of news: size of the dinosaurs are considered when choosing what type of toy to make. There will be no miniature adult Tyrannosaurs – it will focus on smaller species like Velociraptor, and Gallimimus.

ROARIVORES (Electronic Dinosaur Figures) ($15)

Slightly larger than the basic dinosaur figures, these toys focus on electronic roars tied to a biting mechanism. They again do not have open wounds, and while they are not posed as neutrally as classic Kenner toys, they are less awkard than the Jurassic Park 3 offerings. Again, the size of the dinosaurs were considered when developing these toys – so at this time, there are no electronic Velociraptors, but rather species of a larger size will be focused on.

SUPER STRIKE DINOS  (Deluxe Dinosaur Figures) ($20)

Slightly larger than the electronic figures, these hearken back to the classic non electronic Kenner dinosaurs of the medium size. An example that was described to use was a Stegosaurus with a tail swinging action that was very Kenner in looks. However, it was apparently closer in size to the JP 2013 Dino Showdows Pachyrhinosaurs.

Large Dinosaur Figures (prices vary)

Yes, they have a Tyrannosaurus Rex (two in fact!) and we have heard both steal the show. We’re going to avoid describing them anymore, as they’re worth waiting for the official reveal to be surprised! But it’s worth noting that there are more than Tyrannosaurs in the large scale, and some figures use a “Real feel” latex/rubber, have action features, and electronic roars.

Vehicles (prices vary)

Not much to say other than they’re film accurate, look awesome, and are scaled to the human figures. Everything in this line is sized correctly, much like the classic Kenner toys. The classic Jurassic Park Jeep has a few details super fans are sure to LOVE!

Matchbox (prices vary)

Gone are the fictional vehicles – they’re being replaced with small film accurate vehicles from all five films! Some include small dinosaurs, and the entire lineup was described as similar to the Micro Machines (but bigger) sold alongside The Lost World. This includes some very cool playsets based upon movie moments!

Games (prices vary)

There will be games – including something tied to pivotal plot elements of Jurassic World 2!

Various ‘smart’/electronic toys (prices vary)

Drones, remote control vehicles, and more! While a lot of these won’t be cheap, they do offer great modern play functionality.

Some key notes: Mattel’s first Jurassic World lineup will be called something similar to ‘Jurassic World: The Classic Collection’. This lineup is scheduled to hit stores late this year or early next year, and is mainly based upon the first Jurassic Park. While they boast film accuracy for all their items, it does seem to also borrow from Kenner by featuring dinosaurs never seen in the films.

Sometime early spring (mid April) in 2018 the Jurassic World 2 toys will begin to arrive in stores. Much like the classic Jurassic line, it boasts film accuracy and a multitude of figures and offerings. From there, the line should continue to populate shelves with new waves featuring figures from the latest sequel, or past films. There are apparently quite a few more classes/skus of toys from Mattel than those listed above, so there are plenty of surprises in store!

It’s worth noting that some of the basic dinosaur figures were described as slightly exaggerated looking, with proportions and poses that were more cartoony than realistic. Our hope is that between now and release, those items will be refined and perfected to better match their film counterparts (and proper realistic anatomical poses). Otherwise, we’re thrilled by what the line is slated to offer, and cannot wait to see photo’s from it – there are quite a few more surprises Mattel has up their sleeves, so stay tuned!

As always, sound off in the comments and let us know what dinosaurs, characters, and vehicles you want toys for. Happy #JurassicJune, everyone!

Dr. Jack Horner sits down with us and talks Jurassic Park, Jurassic World 2, Chickenosaurus and more! Listen!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

On Sunday April 2nd, the Jurassic Outpost team met with Dr. Jack Horner at the first official fan event we sponsored in collaboration with Universal Pictures. To say the least, we were thrilled that he joined us at the event – and there is no question, he stole the show! He sat down with Darice Murphy from Universal Pictures and answered numerous questions from fans before moving on to a more personal meet and greet with those attending (we believe roughly 100+)!


While video from the event is still coming from us soon, yesterday Dr. Horner was kind enough to join us for a more intensive chat and answer our biggest questions as we geek out over dinosaurs. Spoilers: yes he is working on Jurassic World 2, and says the script is great. He also dishes out his thoughts on the Jurassic Park Dilophosaurus, feathers, Velociraptor size, and much more – and it doesn’t stop there! Dr Horner also chats Terra Nova, his sweltering experience on the Jurassic World set, Chickenosaurus, and how he accidentally tortured a sum of money out of George Lucas!

I imagine some of you are sitting here asking “What on earth is Chickenosaurus?” Well, let me tell you, it’s nothing short of amazing. Dr. Horner is working with top minds in an attempt to reverse engineer a chicken, bringing out its dormant biological features such as a snout with teeth, hands with claws, and of course a tail. He hopes to have successfully engineered these dinosaurs within 3 years – I ask if we can expect a park to visit, but he took it a step further and suggested them as pets. Now you’re John Hammond, Dr. Horner.

So what are you waiting for? Give our hour long interview a listen on Youtube above, or podbean below! Be sure to sound off in the comments below, on youtube, and rate us on iTunes.


Huge thanks to Dr. Horner to taking time out of day to speak with all of us fans!

Would You Want to See Dr. Ellie Sattler Return to the Jurassic Park Franchise?

Posted on by Jack

When thinking of iconic characters from the Jurassic Park franchise, Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm usually appear at the top of the list. The chemistry between these characters in Jurassic Park still holds it’s own as some of the best character development in the entire franchise, so it’s no surprise that many people want to see these characters return.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Laura Dern spoke about how she landed her role as paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler in the first movie. With an Oscar nomination for Rambling Rose under her belt, the offers for films were beginning to roll in. After being offered to star in Jurassic Park, Laura Dern spoke with her Wild at Heart co-star Nicolas Cage who insisted she take the role.

“I remember telling Steven I had to do the movie, because Nic told me he’s always wanted dinosaurs to be his costars.”

A fun piece of trivia for sure, and I don’t think there’s anybody who would have suited the role more than Laura Dern. As EW state, her role became an essential part of the blockbuster hit’s cult fandom, and led to one of the most quotable moments in that most quotable of films: “Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the Earth.”

When speaking about the character and future sequels, Dern replied:

“As I said to the people who are making the new series, ‘If you guys make a last one, you gotta let Ellie Sattler come back. She’s always the one who’s saving the day, man!”

Ellie Sattler briefly appeared in Jurassic Park 3, but perhaps that won’t be her last appearance in the franchise? Would you like to see the paleobotanist return in Jurassic World 3?

I have always found it interesting that in the 14 years that Jurassic Park 4 was in development hell, many of the original cast members claimed to have been called by Steven Spielberg himself about returning in the “next Jurassic”. In 2007, Laura Dern hinted that Spielberg had given her the call:

“I’m told its happening and I’m told they’re calling me. I’m told that Ellie Sattler is involved in it. I think they want to release it in 2008. Well a certain fellow is the one that called me and it’s hard to say no to him cause he’s always got something totally genius up his sleeve so we’ll see what they have in mind.”

At some point during it’s development, Ellie Sattler was involved. It was never clear in what capacity and perhaps we will never know, but maybe now is the time for her to reprise her role!

What do you think? Would you like to see the return of Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic World 3? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: EW, Slashfilm

New Concept Art Emerges from Jurassic Park 3’s Scan Command

Posted on by Jack

While Jurassic Park 3 isn’t generally considered to be the best sequel in the franchise, at least critically, it does hold a special place in fan’s hearts – especially for those born in the 90s as it was likely to be the first Jurassic movie that many were old enough to see in cinemas.

scancommand1

I grew up watching VHS copies of Jurassic Park and The Lost World on repeat, but Jurassic Park 3 was the first movie that I remember following the production of. I remember the toys, the posters, the commercials, the games, everything from that period. It’s nostalgic to think back, and up until the release of Jurassic World last year it was the only movie I had seen merchandise for in stores.

One thing I remember fondly is the video games and the commercials that came with them. Jurassic Park 3 had a wealth of games released alongside it for multiple consoles. Danger Zone, Dino Defender, Island Attack, The DNA Factor… the list goes on.


One game that I never had myself but remember seeing endless commercials for, was Scan Command. It was a video game that utilised a physical barcode scanner – you would scan the barcode of household food/drink items to obtain “genetic code” to progress in the game.

Today, we have some concept art that was made for the game by artist Maurice Kimball, who also worked on some concept art for Jurassic Park: Institute. The concept art is described as visual development and production art. Check out more of the artwork below:

scancommand2    scancommand3

Maurice uploaded these images to his website along with some really cool concept art for Jurassic Park: Institute:

institute1

The art gives us an interesting look at some things that never came to be within the franchise, as well as some terrifying shots for Scan Command showing InGen’s facilities in ruins.

Do you remember playing Scan Command, or any of the other Jurassic Park 3 video games? Let us know in the comments section below, or let us know what your ideal Jurassic Park video game would be!

Be sure to check out Maurice’s official website for more of the artwork and to see his other work too!

Sam Neill: “I don’t know where Alan Grant is now”

Posted on by Jack

The character of Dr Alan Grant has not been seen on screen since 2001’s Jurassic Park 3, and while many were expecting some form of cameo or reappearance in the long-awaited sequel Jurassic World, none of the original cast members showed their face – excluding Dr Wu.

samneilljp3-cropped

But that doesn’t mean the man who played him has not been busy – New Zealand actor Sam Neill has starred in a number of television series and movies over the past few years, and is currently traveling to promote one of his latest projects, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which opened two days ago in UK cinemas.

In a recent interview with Yahoo! Movies, the interviewer asked the actor about Alan Grant and whether or not we will see him again. While the clickbait title of the original article will have you think Sam Neill outright said the character is dead, that’s not entirely true. After a slight pause, Sam Neill responded:

“I don’t know where Alan Grant is now. He might have died. He could have a new career as an accountant. He could be running for President of the United States, in a parallel universe. I don’t know where he is. I don’t know if anyone could find him, he’s disappeared.”

As the Yahoo! article states, while promoting movies actors have to sit in the same chair for hours while various journalists ask the same questions over and over, so it’s natural for the actor to start having a bit of fun.

However, Jurassic World made the choice to not include any of the original cast members in the movie, except of course Dr Wu. Some were expecting Ian Malcolm or Alan Grant in a cameo perhaps at the end of the film, but the filmmakers made a bold choice to not include them. That’s not to say some of the original cast members won’t return for a future sequel as some have expressed their interest, but at this point it is seeming unlikely.

Where do you think Dr Alan Grant is now? How would you like to see him return in a sequel? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: Yahoo!, John Toner

Breaking: Hasbro will lose the Jurassic Park license post 2017

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Extinction is merciless, and it’s coming for the dinosaurs once again. Earlier today, Hasbro has announced they were unable to secure new deal with Universal Pictures for the Jurassic Park license and 2017 will be its final year producing items for the brand. CNBC covered the latest investors call, and reported the following:

The company, which makes a significant part of its revenue through licensed products, revealed that it would no longer handle “Jurassic Park” licensing after 2017 during its earnings conference call. Earlier, the company had posted quarterly profit and revenue that outpaced analyst estimates.

“We have had a many year relationship with Universal; we will no longer handle ‘Jurassic Park’ because they are unable to arrive at a mutually beneficial financial arrangement on that brand,” Brian Goldner, CEO of Hasbro, said during the call.

“Jurassic Park” was a headwind for the boys’ category in the latest quarter, and it would continue to have an impact into the third and fourth quarters, Goldner said.

Hasbro Jurassic Park

This is fairly depressing news. It’s no secret that Hasbro’s Jurassic World offerings were underwhelming, and a severe step down in quality compared to their past lineups. However, Hasbro has been the license holder since the original Jurassic Park (if you count them as Kenner due to their acquisition of the brand). I personally cannot think of another toy company out there capable of easily producing a toy line worthy of Jurassic Park’s action figure legacy.

While toy manufactures like NECA could do good things with the Jurassic brand for collectors, they would not create a line nearly as expansive as the past. This means removable dino-damage, vehicles, capture gear, and large, affordable electronic Tyrannosaurus Rex items are less certain going forward. Today’s news will mark a fairly large tonal shift for Jurassic toys, and it is likely the future lines will not be nearly as mainstream.

While Hasbro retains the Jurassic license up until the end of 2017, it is unclear if they will proceed with their plans of releasing toys. It is possible that both the 2016 ‘Dino Hybrids’ and 2017 ‘Raptor Squad’ line will see cancellations.

Update: Mattel is now in charge of the ‘Jurassic World’ license. Learn more!

Thanks to Brad Jost of the Jurassic Park Podcast for the heads up!

Source: CNBC, Wall Street Journal

Now streaming on Netflix: The Jurassic Park trilogy!

Posted on by Chris Pugh

Happy Jurassic June, everyone! We hope you’re enjoying the new website – if you haven’t already, be sure to poke around and explore. If you do happen to find any mess, just remember – all major theme parks have delays! On the plus side, our website certainly won’t eat any tourists.

Now Streaming

After you have taken a look around, be sure to swing by our forums and join the discussion – and please, give us any feedback you want! While chatting on our forums, you can kick back and watch Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Jurassic Park 3 which are now streaming on Netflix US. Let the disc-free binge watching begin.

Stay tuned, we have a lot more Jurassic fun coming this month!