Title: Dinotopia
Stars: David Thewlis, Katie Carr, Jim
Carter, Alice Krige, Tyron Leitso, Wenworth Miller, Stuart Wilson, and Lee Evans
as the voice of “Zippo”
Writer: Simon Moore
Based on the “Dinotopia” Books by:
James Gurney
Director: Marco Brambilla
Night One Running Time: 83 minutes
without commercials
Night Two Running Time: 86 minutes
without commercials
Night Three-Running Time: 81 minutes
without commercials
Media: ABC and Hallmark Entertainment
Original Television Mega Series Event (NTSC VHS Screeners)
World Premiere Night One, Sunday, May
12, 2002, at 7PM (ET/PT)
World Premiere Night Two, Monday, May
13, 2002, at 8PM (ET/PT)
World Premiere Night Three, Tuesday,
May 14, 2002, at 8PM (ET/PT)
Network: ABC (Check your local
cable/satellite listings for channel)
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
Dinotopia,
the epic story of a lost continent where dinosaurs and humans live together
in an almost-utopian world, is brought to life as one of the most lavish and
technically complex productions in the history of American television. A
six-hour miniseries premiering May 12, 2002 on the ABC Television Network, Dinotopia
is based on the best-selling books by author/illustrator James Gurney.
The
story begins when Frank Scott (Stuart Wilson, The Mask of Zorro), a
wealthy American, crashes his plane into the Caribbean. He appears to perish,
but his two teenaged sons, Karl (Tyron Leitso, Snow White: The Fairest of
Them All) and David (Wentworth Miller, Popular), survive, only to
find themselves castaways on Dinotopia, a fantastic lost continent where
humans and dinosaurs peacefully co-exist. Karl and David are constantly at odds,
even as they struggle to adjust to life in their strange new world. Dinotopia’s
colorful human inhabitants include resident rogue Cyrus Crabb (David Thewlis,
Seven Years in Tibet), a descendant of shipwrecked pirates, who lives as
an outlaw in the utopian society; smart, beautiful Marion (Katie Carr, Mrs.
Dalloway), who is in training to be a matriarch and leader of her people;
Marion’s father, Mayor Waldo (Jim Carter, Shakespeare in Love),
overseer of Dinotopia’s spectacular capital, Waterfall City; her
mother, revered matriarch Rosemary (Alice Krige, Star Trek: First Contact)
and Oonu (Colin Salmon, Tomorrow Never Dies), commander of the Skybax
Corps (humans that train to fly huge Pterosaurs with 30-foot wingspans). Marion
– who captures both Karl’s and David’s hearts – leads the brothers to
Waterfall City, where Mayor Waldo welcomes the “off-worlders” and has them
enrolled in the capital’s academy so they can learn to become Dinotopians. The
talkative Zippo, an academic Stenonychosaurus who speaks 17 human and Saurian
languages, soon befriends them. Upon receiving their Dinotopian assignments,
cynical Karl is assigned to a Saurian “hatchery” where he’s charged with
overseeing the birth of an infant Chasmosaurus named 26. David – terrified of
heights – is ordered to
Most
of the miniseries’ dinosaurs (including key character Zippo) were created by
FrameStore, the company that handled visual effects for the award-winning Merlin,
Arabian Nights and Walking With Dinosaurs, using state-of-the-art
digital special effects. A team of 75 computer animators, architects/designers
and CG staffers worked full-time on the company’s largest project to date.
Eight staff members alone made up the “Zippo Squad,” working exclusively to
bring the character vibrantly to life. The adorable baby 26 was hand-held, and
her intricate, life like movements were controlled off-screen by two operators,
allowing the baby to blink, breathe and wriggle her tail convincingly.
Constructed
as one of the largest sets in the history of London’s Pinewood Studio, the
production took 17 months to bring Gurney’s unique vision to life on the small
screen and after watching this Mega Series Event I can truly attest that there
has never been anything quite like Dinotopia.
Watching this three part film is like seeing the amazing artwork and
fantastic storytelling that made Gurney’s books the critically acclaimed and
award winning best sellers magically come to life from the amazing vistas, such
as the Canyon and Waterfall Cities to the near flawless combination of special
CGI effects and live action, Dinotopia will not only set new benchmarks
for what can be accomplished dramatically on television, it will also provide a
new standard for fantastic visual storytelling in all genres and mediums. Lee
Evans provides the voice for “Zippo,” one of the most amazing animated
computer generated characters ever created for the small screen. The mythology
of the storytelling is as imaginative as any of the big name fantasy stories
ever created, including the big screen adaptation of Harry Potter And The
Sorcerer’s Stone.
For
more information, visit the official website http://www.visitdinotopia.com
and do not miss this Mega Series Television Event. Dinotopia will make
its World Premiere on ABC Non-Cable Broadcast Network Television on Sunday, May
12, 2002, at 7PM (ET/PT), with the second part premiering on Monday, May 13,
2002, at 8PM (ET/PT), and the climactic finale follows on Tuesday, May 14, 2002,
at 8PM (ET/PT).
©
Copyright 2002 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.