Dinotopia - A mysterious utopian island civilization that appeared on the three-part ABC miniseries DINOTOPIA on May 12-14 2002, and the short-lived sequel series that aired from November 28 to December 26 of that year.

Karl, David and Marion - Miniseries Cast of "Dinotopia"

The story of Dinotopia begins when the plane of Frank Scott, a wealthy American, crashes in the Caribbean seas. Surviving the crash are Scott's two sons, Karl and David who manage to maneuver their rubber raft to a strange island called Dinotopia.

The island contains a bizarre blend of humans and talking dinosaurs who coexist in an uneasy alliance. Dinosaurs are used as beast of burdens to operate farms and industry (ever see a brachiosaurus drive a taxi cab?). Their civilization is powered by sunstones which come deep from beneath the earth.

Frank Scott, the boy's father later appears, and together, he and his sons adjust to their new lives in the fantastic lost continent of Dinotopia.

Inhabitants of Dinotopia included:

• Zippo, a verbose herbivore (Stenonychosaurus) who works in a library and speaks 17 human and Saurian languages.
• 26, a baby Chasmosaurus whom Karl cared for/delivered .

• Cyrus Crabb, a descendant of shipwrecked pirates who lives as an outlaw in Dinotopian society.

• Marion, a smart, beautiful girl who trains to be a matriarch/leader of her people. Both David & Karl seek her affections.

• Rosemary, Marion's mother, a revered matriarch.

• Mayor Waldo, Marion's father, the overseer of Dinotopia's capital, Waterfall City. Mayor Waldo arranged for Karl and David to enroll in the capital's academy to become full-fledged Dinotopians. Karl and Scott later volunteer to travel to the World Beneath on an expedition to replace the dwindling supply of sunstones that powered their world.

• Oonue, commander of the Skybax Corps who trains humans to fly huge Pterosaurs in the frontier area of Canyon City. David enrolled in the Skybax, despite his fear of heights.

In a symbolic depiction of good and evil, the herbivore dinosaurs on the island were the mannered, peaceful creatures, while the carnivores (T-Rex) were the violent, vicious animals who lived on the fringe of society and threatened chaos.

Dinosaurs and Humans Run a Farm

The six-hour miniseries, DINOTOPIA is based on the best-selling books by author/illustrator James Gurney. Unfortunately, due to low ratings, the sequel series spawned by the miniseries headed to extinction after six low-rated episodes.

There were 13 episodes filmed. The six episodes that aired included "Marooned," "Making Good," "A Handful of Dust," "Contact," "Matriarch," and "Big Fight."

The following episodes did not air on ABC: "Lost and Found," "Le Sage," "Car Wars," "Night of the Wartosa," "The Cure: Part 1," "The Cure: Part 2," and "Crossroads."

Erik Von Detten and Shiloh Strong from TV Series

External Links

• Dinotopia - Miniseries (IMDb)
• Dinotopia - TV Series (IMDb)

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