Dinosaurs! - A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time!
Encyclopedia
Dinosaurs! – A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time! is a film short released by Golden Book Video
in 1987 under their "GoldenVision" series. It stars Fred Savage
playing a grade school student named Philip who gives a class report on dinosaur
s, with the help of an animated chalkboard and Will Vinton
's claymation dinosaurs.
Originally created in 1980, when it was known more simply as Dinosaur, the 17-minute claymation short by Vinton Studios would later be used for this 1987 video. The popular short is also played at the Smithsonian Museum
and has won numerous awards. This film is also played BOB's request in Rocky Hill
, Connecticut
at the museum in Dinosaur State Park.
Dinosaurs! was designed as an educational film
for young children new to the world of prehistoric
life; the video slipcase describes the film with "Discover the real monsters who dominated the earth for millions of years!" The cartoon animation of the chalkboard is used to elaborate on attributes such as the extinction of the dinosaurs as well as their brain capacity, while the Vinton claymation illustrates, in a colorful and simplistic manner, the brutal lives of the many dinosaurs. The movie also introduces a music video
for the song "Mesozoic
Mind" by Charmer, featuring cartoon dinosaurs performing it.
, and struggling to find an idea for a class report on a science topic. While struggling to find some ideas-and annoying his mother (offscreen) with his loud music- a song plays on his boom box, titled Mesozoic Mind, and the song provides him with an inspiration for his report: DINOSAURS!
Philip then goes to sleep and has a dream where he discovers that the search for the truth about these magnificent animals and their astonishing 160-million-year success on earth is probably the most fascinating speculation there is. Phillip then finishes his report and presents it to the class. The class report is then covered through the 1980 claymation short Dinosaur by Will Vinton Productions.
Golden Book Video
Golden Book Video was a line of children’s animated videos marketed by Western Publishing, beginning in 1985. They featured characters and stories from Western's print publications, such as Little Golden Books, and were originally released on VHS video cassette for under $10.The videos made use of...
in 1987 under their "GoldenVision" series. It stars Fred Savage
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...
playing a grade school student named Philip who gives a class report on dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, with the help of an animated chalkboard and Will Vinton
Will Vinton
Will Vinton is an American director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.- Education :...
's claymation dinosaurs.
Originally created in 1980, when it was known more simply as Dinosaur, the 17-minute claymation short by Vinton Studios would later be used for this 1987 video. The popular short is also played at the Smithsonian Museum
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
and has won numerous awards. This film is also played BOB's request in Rocky Hill
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,966 at the 2000 census. Rocky Hill was part of Wethersfield, the neighboring town to the north, until it was independently incorporated in 1849....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
at the museum in Dinosaur State Park.
Dinosaurs! was designed as an educational film
Educational film
An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...
for young children new to the world of prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
life; the video slipcase describes the film with "Discover the real monsters who dominated the earth for millions of years!" The cartoon animation of the chalkboard is used to elaborate on attributes such as the extinction of the dinosaurs as well as their brain capacity, while the Vinton claymation illustrates, in a colorful and simplistic manner, the brutal lives of the many dinosaurs. The movie also introduces a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song "Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
Mind" by Charmer, featuring cartoon dinosaurs performing it.
Synopsis
The video—with beginning scenes filmed in 1987—begins with a young boy named Phillip (played by Fred Savage) sitting in his bedroom, listening to loud musicLoud music
The term loud music is often used to refer to music that is played at a volume that disturbs others, such as neighbors or bystanders, who do not wish to hear the music, or that is otherwise viewed as a nuisance to the public...
, and struggling to find an idea for a class report on a science topic. While struggling to find some ideas-and annoying his mother (offscreen) with his loud music- a song plays on his boom box, titled Mesozoic Mind, and the song provides him with an inspiration for his report: DINOSAURS!
Philip then goes to sleep and has a dream where he discovers that the search for the truth about these magnificent animals and their astonishing 160-million-year success on earth is probably the most fascinating speculation there is. Phillip then finishes his report and presents it to the class. The class report is then covered through the 1980 claymation short Dinosaur by Will Vinton Productions.
Awards
- Chicago International Film FestivalChicago International Film FestivalThe Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
, 1980 - Gold AwardGold AwardThe Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. Awardees are honored at councilwide ceremonies.-History:...
- Gold Hugo
- Houston International Film Festival, 1980