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. 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 include:
-
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."
Karl, David and Marion - Miniseries Cast of "Dinotopia"
