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| Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox |
Twenntieth Centry Fox has Walking With Dinosaurs offered up for our families entertainment. It opens December 20th 2013.
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS: Amazing Facts
·
Your nose will be thankful
you don’t live in the Late Jurassic Period: A single Diplodocus fart would have produced enough gas to fill a hot air
balloon.
·
Some members of a pterosaur
group called the azhdarchids would have had jaws up to 2.5 meters long. Although
they had no teeth, their jaw
size is more than enough to swallow a child whole.
·
Some azhdarchid pterosaurs
were the size of a small plane.
·
Coprolites (fossilised poop)
belonging to Tyrannosaurus rex (a
relative of Gorgosaurus) have been
found measuring 2 liters (3.5 pints) in volume – the size of a big bottle of
your favorite fizzy drink.
·
Some of the more ‘out-there’
theories explaining the dinosaurs’ extinction include that they all became
blind due to cataracts caused by the hot, sunny climate and a plague of
caterpillars that ate all the vegetation.
·
Another Late Jurassic
dinosaur, Stegosaurus, had a
brain the size of a kitten’s (even though its body weighed more than 2700
kittens).
·
Ankylosaurs were
plant-eaters. They probably consumed the equivalent of over 700 carrots per
day, in the form of low growing plants like ferns, cycads and perhaps even
flowering plants, which were diversifying during the Cretaceous period.
·
The film’s fine-feathered
hero Alex belongs to a group of toothed birds that lived alongside the dinosaurs.
The birds we know today have lost their teeth. However, scientists have
successfully made chickens grow teeth just like Alex’s in laboratory
experiments. This suggests the genes that code for teeth are still hidden away
in the DNA of living birds!
·
Chirostenotes had no teeth. Instead it
had a beak and an elongated second finger, which some scientists believe was
used to probe crevices for grubs and armored amphibians.
·
Some scientists once
believed that Edmontosaurus could
hop like a kangaroo. The discovery of more complete skeletons shows this view
to be incorrect.
·
Scientists have identified
a fossil of Edmontosaurus skin that
is preserved so intricately that you can see a scar.
·
Gorgosaurus teeth were banana shaped
but serrated like a carving knife – perfect for sawing into flesh.
·
Dinosaurs could grow brain
tumors! One Gorgosaurus fossil has been uncovered with a spongy mass in its
skull cavity. This would have made the animal a bit wobbly and accident prone
when it was alive.
·
Scientists are uncertain
why many theropod dinosaurs like Gorgosaurus
had such short arms. Theories about how these arms were used range from
plausible to silly, including:
o
Holding its probably-still-wiggling food still as it ate
o
In some kind of mating ritual
o
Use by juveniles when feeding (in young tyrannosaurs, the arms were more
sizeable relative to the body than in adults)
o
To aid in balance, turning or agility
o
To prepare a nest - in effect, to make their bed
o
Turning their eggs
o
To help them right themselves in case they fell over
o
No use at all and were just slowly becoming lost over time through
evolution
For the first
time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when
dinosaurs ruled the Earth. WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is the ultimate
immersive, big-screen adventure for families.
You’ll meet dinosaurs more real than you’ve ever seen as you embark on a
thrilling prehistoric journey, where Patchi, an underdog dino, triumphs against
all odds to become a hero for the ages.
Patchi’s heroics and antics resonate
in any era, but he is also a product of his times and stomping grounds – the
latter part of the Cretaceous Period, about 70 million years ago in a land we
now call Alaska.
Twentieth Century Fox and Reliance
Entertainment present in association with IM Global, a BBC Earth Films and
Evergreen Studios Production in association with Animal Logic, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS. The 3D family
adventure stars John Leguizamo, Justin Long and Karl Urban. It is directed by Barry Cook and Neil
Nightingale from a screenplay by John Collee.
The film is produced by Mike Devlin, Amanda Hill and Deepak Nayar. The executive producers are Stuart Ford,
Marcus Arthur, Tim Hill, David Nicksay, Miles Ketley and Zareh Nalbandian. Music is by Paul Leonard-Morgan.
A STORY AND HERO 70 MILLION YEARS IN THE
MAKING
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS presented a
unique creative challenge to its filmmakers, who had to project themselves back
in time – 70 million years – to what is now the U.S. state of Alaska, in the Late
Cretaceous Period. Then, they had to
imagine the myriad adventures a lovable young dinosaur might encounter on an
odyssey unlike any other.
“WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is a story about
a dinosaur’s life and adventures, and we’ve gone to the ends of the world to
film it!” says director Barry Cook, whose credits include the animated feature Mulan, co-directing the animated feature
Arthur Christmas and working in a
variety of key creative capacities on Aladdin,
Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and TRON. Now, with WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, Cook inhabits a
world far away and long, long ago – and makes it come spectacularly alive.
Also
taking on directing duties is Neil Nightingale, a filmmaker admired around the
world for his ability to capture nature’s wonders in ways you’ve never
experienced. “Life’s fundamentals have
not really changed since the time of the dinosaurs,” says Nightingale, who is Creative Director at BBC Earth, where he
spearheads the development of new forms of commercial content. “Thankfully,
we don’t face perilous pursuit by hungry gorgosaurs, but audiences can identify
with Patchi’s quest for survival. We
meet him as a hatchling and watch him learn to navigate his environment and
face the primary challenges of finding enough to eat, evading predators and
rising above his rivals in order to win a mate. These are things we can all
recognize and empathize with. Audiences
will really get behind Patchi and root for this underdog hero to triumph.”
WALKING WITH DINOSAURS points to our
continuing fascination, if not obsession, with creatures that have been extinct
for millions of years. The T. rex and the Gorgosaurus are among the most fearsome predators to have ever
walked the Earth, but kids (of all ages) can’t get enough of them. Dinosaurs spark our imaginations as much as
any fictional creation does.
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| Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox |
“Kids
love dinosaurs, and they’re going to love WALKING
WITH DINOSAURS because it feels so real, has lots of humor and fun,” says
John Leguizamo, who voices Alex, a prehistoric parrot who is Patchi’s best
pal. “Plus, they’ll love the camaraderie
between Patchi and Alex.”
Dinosaurs
combine the best of two worlds: they’re scary, but because dinos haven’t been
around for millions of years, they’re non-threatening. Nightingale believes our enduring obsession with
them is here to stay. “Dinosaurs are the
most amazing creatures to have ever existed on our planet. In four and a half
billion years of Earth’s existence, there have been no creatures that are more
dramatic or terrifying. Dinosaurs
fascinate us because they represent a sort of safe danger. You can be scared of them but not too scared
because they are long gone. They’re not
going to come out from under the bed or pounce on you in the dark! And it is not just dinosaurs we are talking
about; it is The Age of Dinosaurs. It is
amazing to know that the world we now live in, the skies above us and the stars
we see were once their realm – incredible animals now lost to pre-history.”
“In
bringing WALKING WITH DINOSAURS to
the big screen, we wanted to transport audiences back to a real world, to meet
dinosaurs that truly existed and to immerse audiences in that world,” Nightingale
continues. “For a big motion picture
experience it’s also vital to have a strong and emotionally engaging
story. So we used what we know about
Late Cretaceous Alaskan dinosaurs as inspiration for a fictional,
character-driven story we knew would entertain families.”
Screenwriter John
Collee’s (Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World) tale introduces
the
most fearsome predators to have ever walked the Earth, but kids (of all ages)
can’t get enough of them. Dinosaurs spark
our imaginations as much as any fictional creation does.
“Kids
love dinosaurs, and they’re going to love WALKING
WITH DINOSAURS because it feels so real, has lots of humor and fun,” says
John Leguizamo, who voices Alex, a prehistoric parrot who is Patchi’s best
pal. “Plus, they’ll love the camaraderie
between Patchi and Alex.”
Dinosaurs
combine the best of two worlds: they’re scary, but because dinos haven’t been
around for millions of years, they’re non-threatening. Nightingale believes our enduring obsession with
them is here to stay. “Dinosaurs are the
most amazing creatures to have ever existed on our planet. In four and a half
billion years of Earth’s existence, there have been no creatures that are more
dramatic or terrifying. Dinosaurs
fascinate us because they represent a sort of safe danger. You can be scared of them but not too scared
because they are long gone. They’re not
going to come out from under the bed or pounce on you in the dark! And it is not just dinosaurs we are talking
about; it is The Age of Dinosaurs. It is
amazing to know that the world we now live in, the skies above us and the stars
we see were once their realm – incredible animals now lost to pre-history.”
“In
bringing WALKING WITH DINOSAURS to
the big screen, we wanted to transport audiences back to a real world, to meet
dinosaurs that truly existed and to immerse audiences in that world,” Nightingale
continues. “For a big motion picture
experience it’s also vital to have a strong and emotionally engaging
story. So we used what we know about
Late Cretaceous Alaskan dinosaurs as inspiration for a fictional,
character-driven story we knew would entertain families.”
Screenwriter
John Collee’s (Master and Commander: The
Far Side of the World) tale introduces us to the movies’ newest hero:
Patchi. Ever curious, always brave and
unfailingly optimistic, Patchi pretty much has us at “hello” – when we meet him
as a hatchling, and then share his adventures as he grows to adulthood.
Patchi
hails from a family and tribe of Pachyrhinosaurus
(from the Greek for “thick-nosed lizard”)
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| Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox |
“Patchi must survive an adventure that calls
on him to use all of his inner strength, tenacity and courage to become a hero,”
elaborates director Barry Cook. “In a
world that demands physical strength, Patchi’s physiognomy makes him the
quintessential long shot that everyone will root for.”
The
character’s creators gave him important qualities that add up to far more than brute
force. “Patchi has a unique personality
trait in that he seems to have the capacity to ‘see the big picture’ and
consider how his actions affect not only himself but those around him. He’s also endearing through his curiosity and
drive to never give up,” Cook adds.
“Patchi is a diminutive
outcast who faces all changes by believing in himself and trusting his inner
courage,” says Nightingale. “At its heart, WALKING
WITH DINOSAURS is a classic coming of age tale. You have two rival brothers, a love story and
an epic journey that presents a series of hurdles for Patchi to overcome.”
Patchi’s ability to think outside of the nest is evident
even as a hatchling, when he wanders from his home to explore his surroundings. These early forays can have wildly unexpected
consequences, like when Patchi is snatched by a hungry predator, which leaves him
with his defining physical trait – a bite-hole in his frill.
According to actor Justin
Long (Live Free or Die Hard), who
voices the role, Patchi has “an insatiable curiosity, as many runts do. It does get him into trouble, but in the long
run it helps him evolve and become the leader he was meant to be.”
The puny Pachyrhinosaurus’ intrepid spirit
captures the attention of Alex, a prehistoric bird whose default traits are
humor and ebullience. Alex is fascinated by Patchi and his adventures, and
isn’t shy about unexpectedly showing up on the scene and nudging Patchi in the
right direction. “He’s Patchi’s friend,
guide, conscience and mentor,” says Long.
John Leguizamo, having
voiced the role of the silly sloth Sid in the blockbuster Ice Age films, embraced the new challenges that came with finding a
voice for Alex. “Alex is a kind of
precursor to a parrot, so I adopted a Spanish accent for Alex because most
parrots come from Latin American countries,” he explains. “What was most difficult was finding the
right pitch, because Alex is a small bird, but he’s also the story’s narrator.
So he also had to sound paternal and patriarchal.”
Like many strong
friendships, Patchi’s and Alex’s is symbiotic.
“The Pachyrhinosaurus herd attracts a lot of insects, which Alex
regularly snacks on,” says Long. Adds Leguizamo: “Patchi’s basically a four-legged buffet for
Alex.”
Unlike Alex, Patchi’s older brother Scowler is less than
helpful in showing Patchi the path to survival and heroism. Big, strong and single-minded, Scowler will
take on any challenge – or challenger – to lead the herd. He is usually OK with his younger bro, but
Scowler’s goals often lead to some intense sibling rivalry.
sibling rivalry. Patchi’s always trying to impress Scowler,
but Scowler’s not easily impressed.”
Patchi’s heart and fearlessness are more than enough to
match Scowler’s size and strength. But Patchi
must summon a different kind of courage to approach a pretty (for a Pachyrhinosaurus, anyway) female named
Juniper. Juniper shares Patchi’s sense
of adventure, as well as his bravery and resilience. When she’s separated from both her family and
the herd, Juniper develops a real connection with Patchi, even though
she can’t always show it.
If love is in the air then so is the
continued presence of danger, mostly in the formidable form of a cunning and
relentless Gorgosauraus named Gorgon. Always on the lookout for his next meal, Gorgon
is like a turbo-charged T. rex, and
uses precise tactics and strategies to track his prey. “Gorgon is the baddest of the bad,” says
Long. He’s the Lucifer of the dinosaur
world.”
While the filmmakers hold special
affection for their young hero, a few confess to a special appreciation for the
film’s villain. “I loved Gorgon; I could
make an entire movie about this guy!” says Animation Director Marco Marenghi,
whose credits include Tim Burton’s Alice
in Wonderland, Steven Spielberg’s Minority
Report and the box-office hit, I Am
Legend.
Also playing a key role in Patchi’s
journeys is his father, Bulldust, the strong and respected leader of the Pachyrhinosaurus herd. While leading his
family in the annual migration, Bulldust, along with Scowler and Patchi, are
separated from the others in a forest fire.
Trapped by a Gorgosaurus,
Bulldust sacrifices himself to save his sons.
Patchi’s Mom also perishes in the fire.
Left alone after making it through
the inferno, the two brothers must fend for themselves. Their ominous situation heightens their
rivalry, and the tension continues to escalate as Patchi and Scowler grow into
powerful young adult males.
The herd’s migration leads the
brothers and Juniper to their greatest battle, where Patchi summons his inner
courage and strength to become the leader he was born to be.
Definitely a film worth seeing with the whole family.
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