We’re now at the halfway point with our collectors focused web-series Beyond The Gates and so far we’ve revealed some very exciting Jurassic products from Mattel!
We hope you’ve been enjoying the show, and enjoyed last month’s exciting debut of the Legacy Collection’s Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Rex Escape Pack, featuring the Ford Explorer, Tim Murphy, and Lady Rex herself.
This month, we’re super excited to reveal some new and exclusive Amber Collection figures – Dr. Ellie Sattler, John Parker Hammond, the Jurassic Park Velociraptor, and a 2-pack of Jurassic World’s Dimorphodons!
In episode 5 we hear from the masterminds from the Mattel toy design team: Rafael Bencosme, Chandra Hicks, and newcomer Nikolai Dryuchin who talk us through the design process behind these all-new figures!
From early sketches on a piece of paper to the final product sitting on the shelves of Target, the Mattel designers run us through the process of designing a toy from start to finish, making this episode not one to miss!
Recreate your favorite scenes from both Jurassic Park AND Jurassic World with these brand new Amber Collection items, the excitement to collect has never been greater! Head to Target.com now to get your pre-orders in!
We were excited to debut the items in this episode, and next month’s episode of Beyond The Gates will debut even more Amber Collection items, don’t miss out!
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t watched Season 3 of ‘Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous’ yet, do yourself a favor and get on it! In this writer’s opinion it is the best, and darkest, season of the show yet!
Season 3 of ‘Camp Cretaceous’ has a lot going on: island escape attempts, fun callbacks at the Visitor Center of ‘Jurassic Park’, and the scary scene-stealing poisonous hybrid Scorpious Rex (also known as E750). The kids that were left behind during Isla Nublar’s second breakout, thanks to the Indominus Rex, spent 6 months on the island before finally getting off the shores. Presumably they are off the island for good, but who knows where they will end up or return to?
Right before their departure, the kids have an unfortunate clash with the same team that was sent by Eli Mills (a rather untrustworthy man who would eventually steal dinosaurs out from under Benjamin Lockwood’s nose and sell them in an auction) to retrieve genetic information from the Indominus Rex so Dr. Henry Wu can create a new hybrid: the Indoraptor. This connects the series directly, not just to ‘Jurassic World’, but to its first sequel ‘Fallen Kingdom’.
Entertainment Weekly shared a conversation they had with showrunner Scott Kreamer and executive producer Colin Trevorrow (co-writer & director of ‘Jurassic World’), where Trevorrow explains:
“They’re on this island and, at a certain point, it seems as if they’ve been there for this indeterminate amount of time. To make clear, first of all, what the timeline was at the beginning of ‘Fallen Kingdom’ — it was about six months after the fall of ‘Jurassic World’ — for kids who’ve grown up on it, it’s cool to allow them to connect to these touchstones in the story and recognize that the story we’re telling is part of the larger story. It’s not just some cartoon show for kids…”
‘Camp Cretaceous’ reveals that a lot more was going on at the island during the incredible opening sequence of ‘Fallen Kingdom’. After the kids are forced back ashore by part of the same team sent by Mills, about half of them are rushed on board a helicopter until our lady T-rex charges in and chomps on an unsuspecting mercenary. The helicopter takes off prematurely due to the attack, leaving behind the other half of the kids to fend for themselves. This sends the helpless kids on a chase through the jungle, until the T-rex is distracted by the same helicopter we see in ‘Fallen Kingdom’ near the Mosasaur Lagoon. We watch from the perspective of the kids as the event plays out, with their reaction to the Mosasaur chomping on the guy at the last moment mimicking how many had felt when they saw it on theater screens in 2018.
It doesn’t stop there. Entertainment Weekly’s article continues with additional anecdotes regarding Dr. Wu’s return to the island with a group of mercenaries and more. However, the most interesting details are about how this series ties into what lies ahead for ‘Dominion’, the second upcoming ‘Jurassic World’ sequel. Trevorrow explains:
“There are connections that we’re making for sure […] When you see ‘Dominion’, it will be clear that it takes place on the same timeline and in the same world as our show.”
This admission certainly makes ‘Camp Cretaceous’ much more of an important show than many may have guessed. While some can argue until the skies are gray that it is only “soft canon”, this is still an incredibly entertaining way to tie in new elements of the same story that we would have never gotten otherwise.
Trevorrow continues further, expressing just how mapped out the story for ‘Camp Cretaceous’ is:
“We do have a beginning, middle, and an end for it […] I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to think that we don’t have a plan. We do, and there is an ending in sight.”
Given that ‘Dominion’ has already finished filming, and the story for this television series is already set, it would appear that there will certainly be many more connections ahead that will blend the stories of the film and the show into one (hopefully) coherent whole. Everyone here at Jurassic Outpost are certainly looking forward to it.
Are you excited for more ‘Camp Cretaceous’? Do you like how the show continues to connect to the films? Let us know in the comments below, and as always, stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost for more!
Universal Studios Hollywood announced today that the theme park, which closed in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will officially re-open to the public on Friday April 16th!
— Universal Studios Hollywood (@UniStudios) March 30, 2021
With the re-opening of the park that means that Jurassic World: The Ride will also be re-opening. But the ride will look a little bit different than it did the last time guests experienced it. Added to the ride is a new animatronic Indominus Rex!
The grand reopening of Universal Studios Hollywood also brings guests face-to-face with “Jurassic World—The Ride’s” all-new, extraordinarily realistic dinosaur, the Indominus rex, who stakes her claim at the ride’s finale in a forceful battle with her arch-rival, the Tyrannosaurus rex.”
“Breaking new ground with highly complex innovations, this fully-articulated lifelike Indominus injects intense new thrills, excitement and intrigue to the already dynamic ride. Spanning nearly 55 feet horizontally from head to tail and over 22 feet vertically, the Indominus’ imposing presence will be amplified by the fluidity of her motions and synchronized movements that deliver an unprecedented level of authenticity. From the subtle blinking of her eyes, the flexing of her arms and claws and clenching of her jaw as she bears her razor-sharp teeth, the colossal Indominus rex will lunge from her hillside setting, stalking guests just before they descend the giant waterfall drop to escape her grasp.”
Included with the press release of the ride updates is a new advertisement poster showing the Indominus Rex squaring off with the Tyrannosaurus Rex as a ride boat is about to plummet down a waterfall.
What are your thoughts on Universal Studios Hollywood re-opening and the addition of the Indominus Rex to the Jurassic World ride? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below!
Last month we were excited to debut an all-new collectors focused web-series Beyond The Gates, revealing brand new Jurassic products! The debut episode featured two items – The Lost World Male Velociraptor, and the Jurassic Park 3 Pteranodon.
This month we’re excited to launch episode two and debut the Jurassic World Legacy Collection Dennis Nedry Escape Pack:
Along with speaking to Mattel toy designer Rafael Bencosme, we got to go hands-on with the bundle and see up close the detail put into Dennis Nedry, the Staff Jeep, and the Dilophosaurus.
Relive the exciting big-screen action with this Jurassic World Legacy Collection Nedry Getaway Pack! Play out the famous scene from the original Jurassic Park film when Dennis Nedry encounters the spitting Dilophosaurus and attempts to flee in his vehicle. Set includes the fan favourite figure of villain Dennis Nedry, the spitting Dilophosaurus and the Jurassic Park vehicle with park logo and rolling wheels.
Take home the excitement of the Jurassic Park film with this collectible Nedry Getaway Pack! Makes a great gift for fans of the Jurassic World franchise, dinosaurs and action play!
We’re thrilled to be able to debut more exciting Jurassic items in Beyond The Gates and the next episode will focus on an exclusive item from the Camp Cretaceous collection. Stay tuned for more!
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.
At long last, a Jurassic World game that is not mobile-exclusive or a park builder has arrived! ‘Jurassic World: Aftermath’ is an immersive VR survival adventure game hitting platforms like the recently released Oculus Quest 2, featuring plenty of Dino-action, and compelling storytelling.
Check out the launch trailer below!
We’ve been playing this game the last couple of days, and will have plenty of exciting content hitting our YouTube channel soon – but until then, here are some of the basics you need to know:
‘Jurassic World: Aftermath’ is set 2 years after the events of Jurassic World, prior to events of Fallen Kingdom. You play as Sam, a voiceless protagonist serving as an avatar to the players, who was hired for an illegal asset retrieval mission on Isla Nublar. You were hired by Dr. Mia Everett, an ex Jurassic World geneticist who worked under Dr. Henry Wu. Everett accompanies you to the island and watches your every move via a body camera, all while speaking to and advising you as you explore (think Halo’s Cortana to Master Chief – only if the Chiefs main talent was hacking computers, and hiding in storage lockers).
Dr. Everett’s past with Dr. Wu comes into play throughout the story, as their time working at the park was mired with admiration, tension, and spite. Working on the Velociraptor genetics program together, they eventually butted heads and had a falling out – which could mean life or death on the island as Everett tries to salvage the mysterious operation, and figure out just who she can call for help.
This game is lore rich, with fantastic voice acting by Laura Bailey (Everett), BD Wong (Wu), and Jeff Goldblum (Malcolm). The story has everything to do with Velociraptors, and there is a lot to discover within – including some reveals that may have relevance in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion. There is a lot to unpack there, and we will have more in-depth coverage soon!
The gameplay is focused on navigating the facilities (including the canonically important, and expanded universe favorite Geothermal Power Plant), getting certain system back online to unlock doors, access computers, and try to survive – all while dodging three Velociraptors. If you’re wondering where these new raptors came from, why they look different, and why they behave differently, worry not – the game has compelling answers for all those questions within the story.
This game has zero combat elements: your tool is your wit, using computer systems to distract the raptors as you crawl through vents, take cover behind tables, or hide within lockers all while hacking into computer systems, or looking for items needed to progress. You also have a flashlight, which you can use to spook the occasional Dilophosaurus, which will try ambush you from ventilation openings. All of this leads to exciting ‘raptors in the kitchen’ like moments of cat and mouse tactics, much like Alien Isolation at a smaller scale and budget.
While this games budget is notably smaller, the voice acting is top tier, as is the music. The story is incredibly compelling – and certainly seems to be canon – but shorter, and clearly episodic, with an expansion coming in 2021. The cel shaded visuals looks crisp, though I really can’t help but wonder if a more realistic style would have been better positioned for the VR format. After-all, it’s all about breaking the confines of a screen and bringing that world to life for the player. Thankfully, the gameplay is well polished, and that’s what really matters.
If you have a VR capable device, or are planning to pick something like the Oculus Quest 2 already, this game is not to be missed for Jurassic story fans (Side bar: also pick up Vader Immortal and SuperHot — they really are must-haves for the VR platform. They made me a believer.). If you’re waiting for more information, fair play as well! Be sure to stay tuned to Jurassic Outpost, where we will have in-depth video coverage coming, including a Quest 2 unboxing, lore videos, and a formal review in the days to come!
“I don’t get it. It says InGen on the side of that ride vehicle!”
Universal Orlando Resort released a first look at what park guests will be riding in when the Jurassic World Velocicoaster becomes a reality next year:
The reveal video describes the vehicles as “designed for speed” and “engineered for the hunt”, seemingly comparing them to a predatory velociraptor pursuing its prey.
The ride vehicles are strikingly futuristic and feature sleek proportions, bright lights on the headrests and front areas, and a shiny canvas of that signature ‘Jurassic World’ blue. The iconic Jurassic T. rex skeleton logo and the InGen company logo adorn the side and rear sections of the vehicles.
Gregory Hall, who has been responsible for creative and art direction on the Velocicoaster, shared more official images of the ride vehicles on Twitter shortly after the announcement:
The ride vehicles certainly look to be equipped for top speeds that will excite theme park and Jurassic fans alike. While their design aligns with the bright, modern aesthetic of the Mercedes vehicles and other designs that we have seen in ‘Jurassic World’ and beyond, it is a bit distanced from the established rugged, jungle safari theme found in previous Jurassic rides and attractions.
What do you think of the Jurassic World Velocicoaster ride vehicles? How excited are you for the ride to open next summer? One thing is for sure: we can’t wait to experience the Velocicoaster when it opens to the public Summer 2021.
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!
The long awaited animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will finally be released tomorrow, September 18th, on Netflix. The new series from Universal Pictures, Amblin and DreamWorks Animation takes viewers to the other side of Isla Nublar during the events of the fourth film Jurassic World.
Join executive producers Colin Trevorrow and Scott Kreamer, consulting producer Zack Stentz, story editor Josie Campbell, and staff writers Sheela Shrivinas, Rick Williams and Bethany Johnson as they take you inside the writers’ room of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Make sure to check out our review of the series and hear all our opinions and thoughts. And listen in to our latest podcast where we break the show down episode by episode:
Also please let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below!
