T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous
Encyclopedia
T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous is a 1998 edu-tainment feature filmed for the IMAX 3D format. The film is directed by Brett Leonard
, renowned for his Computer-generated imagery
special effects productions. Executive producer/co-writer Andrew Gellis and producers Antoine Compin and Charis Horton also make up the production team. Actors Liz Stauber
and Peter Horton
star, alongside Kari Coleman
, Tuck Milligan and Laurie Murdoch. The film is among the few IMAX films that are considered "pure entertainment" though it still is considered rather educational by the mainstream audience.
and longs to be able to accompany him to one of the nearby paleontological digs, but her father thinks this is too dangerous and she has to settle for giving museum tours instead.
A mysterious accident at the lab revolving an oblong fossil rock happens while Ally's father is away at a dig site with his assistant (Coleman), and Ally is magically transported back in time. Among the various time periods she visits are the Cretaceous
, when the Tyrannosaurus
and Pteranodon
existed.
Ally is also transported to the early 20th Century where she meets renowned historical figures in the world of paleontology. These include dinosaur painter Charles R. Knight
(Milligan) and paleontologist Barnum Brown
(Murdoch), arguably one of the most famous paleontogists in early fossil-hunting history.
The shining moment of her trip to the past, however, is when Ally discovers a T.Rex nest and then defends the nest from an Ornithomimus
, earning the mother T.Rex's respect to the point where Ally actually strokes the T.Rex on its snout before the meteor is shown hitting the earth, blasting Ally back into the present day. There, she is reunited with her father.
At the very end, as Ally and her dad leave the museum, the fossil rock begins to shake and, with only the museum cat watching, the rock breaks apart, revealing a still living, baby Tyrannosaurus.
in the Badlands
region of Alberta
, Canada
, and near the town of Brooks. Filming began by capturing the scenes in which Ally Hayden time-travels back to the turn of the century to go on expedition with famous bone-hunter Barnum Brown.
Filming continued for two weeks on location in Dinosaur Provincial Park. Yet the filmmakers faced a challenge in finding a realistic environment to set the live-action filming portion for the Cretaceous period sequences when Ally finds herself wandering amidst the lush vegetation of 65 million years ago. The location used to film Cretaceous period scenes in the end was in the Olympia rain forest in upper Washington state
.
The special considerations that must be made when working with IMAX 3D presentation also made it crucial that the background features of the shooting locations were ideal.
Besides shooting locations, extensive computer-generated imagery was also employed to ensure the realism of the dinosaurs depicted in the film. Models had to be sculpted and digitized, with details such as texturing crucial to the process. The filmmakers of the next year's television documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs
also faced similar challenges.
Brett Leonard
Brett Leonard is an American film director, producer and music video director specializing in the science-fiction and horror genres. A few of his films such as The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity feature groundbreaking computer animation and visual effects...
, renowned for his Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
special effects productions. Executive producer/co-writer Andrew Gellis and producers Antoine Compin and Charis Horton also make up the production team. Actors Liz Stauber
Liz Stauber
Liz Stauber is an American actress. She attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana.-Selected filmography:Film*All Good Things as Sharon McCarthy*Shut Up and Sing as Michelle...
and Peter Horton
Peter Horton
Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:...
star, alongside Kari Coleman
Kari Coleman
-Career:Coleman has acted in recent television programs including Julie in Sons & Daughters, Mrs. Deborah Hauser in Veronica Mars, Mrs. Clark in According to Jim, Penny Hadcoate in Judging Amy, Woman in The Tick, Interviewer in Charmed, Mona in ER, Marcy Katz in JAG and Rebecca Wainwright in...
, Tuck Milligan and Laurie Murdoch. The film is among the few IMAX films that are considered "pure entertainment" though it still is considered rather educational by the mainstream audience.
Plot
The plot revolves around 16-year-old Ally Hayden (Stauber), the daughter of a world-famous paleontologist and museum curator (Horton). She loves dinosaursDinosaur
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...
and longs to be able to accompany him to one of the nearby paleontological digs, but her father thinks this is too dangerous and she has to settle for giving museum tours instead.
A mysterious accident at the lab revolving an oblong fossil rock happens while Ally's father is away at a dig site with his assistant (Coleman), and Ally is magically transported back in time. Among the various time periods she visits are the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, when the Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
and Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
existed.
Ally is also transported to the early 20th Century where she meets renowned historical figures in the world of paleontology. These include dinosaur painter Charles R. Knight
Charles R. Knight
Charles Robert Knight was an American artist best known for his influential paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals...
(Milligan) and paleontologist Barnum Brown
Barnum Brown
Barnum Brown , a paleontologist born in Carbondale, Kansas, and named after the circus showman P.T. Barnum, discovered the second fossil of Tyrannosaurus rex during a career that made him one of the most famous fossil hunters working from the late Victorian era into the early 20th century.Sponsored...
(Murdoch), arguably one of the most famous paleontogists in early fossil-hunting history.
The shining moment of her trip to the past, however, is when Ally discovers a T.Rex nest and then defends the nest from an Ornithomimus
Ornithomimus
Ornithomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America.In 1890 Ornithomimus velox was named by Othniel Charles Marsh on the basis of a foot and partial hand from the Maastrichtian Denver Formation. Another seventeen species have been named since...
, earning the mother T.Rex's respect to the point where Ally actually strokes the T.Rex on its snout before the meteor is shown hitting the earth, blasting Ally back into the present day. There, she is reunited with her father.
At the very end, as Ally and her dad leave the museum, the fossil rock begins to shake and, with only the museum cat watching, the rock breaks apart, revealing a still living, baby Tyrannosaurus.
Dinosaurs
- TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
- OrnithomimusOrnithomimusOrnithomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America.In 1890 Ornithomimus velox was named by Othniel Charles Marsh on the basis of a foot and partial hand from the Maastrichtian Denver Formation. Another seventeen species have been named since...
- PteranodonPteranodonPteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
- ParasaurolophusParasaurolophusParasaurolophus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago. It was an herbivore that walked both as a biped and a quadruped. Three species are recognized: P. walkeri , P. tubicen, and the...
- DeinonychusDeinonychusDeinonychus was a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid dinosaur. There is one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This 3.4 meter long dinosaur lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago . Fossils have been recovered from the U.S...
Production
Principal photography began on September 22, 1997, on location at Dinosaur Provincial ParkDinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about two and a half hours drive southeast of Calgary, Alberta, Canada or , about a half hour drive, northeast of Brooks....
in the Badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
region of Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and near the town of Brooks. Filming began by capturing the scenes in which Ally Hayden time-travels back to the turn of the century to go on expedition with famous bone-hunter Barnum Brown.
Filming continued for two weeks on location in Dinosaur Provincial Park. Yet the filmmakers faced a challenge in finding a realistic environment to set the live-action filming portion for the Cretaceous period sequences when Ally finds herself wandering amidst the lush vegetation of 65 million years ago. The location used to film Cretaceous period scenes in the end was in the Olympia rain forest in upper Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
.
The special considerations that must be made when working with IMAX 3D presentation also made it crucial that the background features of the shooting locations were ideal.
Besides shooting locations, extensive computer-generated imagery was also employed to ensure the realism of the dinosaurs depicted in the film. Models had to be sculpted and digitized, with details such as texturing crucial to the process. The filmmakers of the next year's television documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs is a six-part documentary television miniseries that was produced by BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the United Kingdom, in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2000, with Branagh's voice replaced with that...
also faced similar challenges.
External links
- http://www.imax.com/t-rex/main2.html The film's homepage
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163862/ T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous on imdb