Product Details
- Starring: André Dussollier, Avery Brooks
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- Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
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- Binding: VHS Tape
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- EAN: 9780790757438
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- Format: Box set, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
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- ISBN: 0790757435
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- Label: Bbc Video
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- Manufacturer: Bbc Video
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- Number of Items: 2
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- Product Group: Video
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- Publisher: Bbc Video
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- Release Date: 2002-02-12
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- Studio: Bbc Video
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- Theatrical Release Date: 2000-04-16
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- Title: Walking With Dinosaurs
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- UPC: 794051150431
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Avg Customer Rating: 
Product Description: Dinosaurs may be extinct, but they still rule the world. When the first episode of the six-part BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs originally aired, an estimated one out of every four Britons tuned in. What they witnessed was dinosaurs brought to life, not in the modern world as in Jurassic Park, but in their original habitats millions of years ago. Revived using computer-generated effects that cost close to $5 million and sophisticated animatronic models, the dinosaurs look barely a day over 150 million years old. The creators present the series in classic nature-documentary style, complete with an authoritative narrator (Kenneth Branagh) to guide the viewer through the footage of dinosaurs mating, fighting, raising their young, grazing, or, in the case of carnivores, hunting. Each episode focuses on a theme, whether it is a particular era, such as the Mesozoic, or a particular type of dinosaur, like those that ruled the oceans. Each part also focuses in on the life of an individual dinosaur or family of dinosaurs. The result is a series of short dramas that both inform and entertain. The show is so realistic that some scientists and viewers have criticized its seamless blending of fact and speculation. Those who wish to maintain a healthy skepticism about the theories set forth should watch the exclusive footage from The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs included on the DVD and available via mail-in on the VHS. In it, the scientists freely admit that some educated guesswork was involved and explain how they arrived at the dinosaurs' appearances and behavior. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with every detail of the re-creation, it is difficult to deny that Walking with Dinosaurs succeeds in providing dinosaur lovers with an experience that can't be matched by mere images of paleontologists and fossils. There's an extra 15 minutes of footage on the video that wasn't broadcast on TV, much of it dinosaurs attacking each other. With the violence, plus explanations of mating, cannibalism, and other terrifying things, young kids should skip it. Dinosaur enthusiasts of age 6 and up should be fine; it's far less violent than anything from the Jurassic Park films. --Eugene Wei
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Customer Reviews
Back in time, enjoyable to view
I enjoyed viewing the tape, and then passed it on to my grandchildren to view.
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Extremely Interesting and Educational too!
Walking with Dinosaurs is an extremely interesting take on dinosaurs. The DVD makes them seem very real-to-life.
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Formulaic and Predictable
This series had always intrigued me since it came out, but I had not seen it until the price on the DVDs came down and I purchased a copy. However, upon watching the series I was a little disappointed. The stories are very formulaic and predictable, portraying recurring themes, such as hunting, fighting and death. Each session shows only a small number of characters/dinosaurs rather than a prehistoric world teeming with all kinds of life. The imagery is good, taken from superb scenic locations, and allow for much of the narrative filler. Also, there seems to be an extreme amount of scientific guesswork and creative license throughout - which might be expected in a documentary of this nature. Overall the production seems to fall a little flat and become boring. Perhaps in this era of special effects, I was expecting something a little more spectacular. Although the computer animation and animatronics are quite good, they don't seem to quite compare to what can be done in the entertainment industry and thus perhaps my less enthusiastic review.
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Walking with Dinosaurs
I have used this video in my classroom for years. I replaced it recently due to sticky fingers of a student. That tells you that children - 10-12 love the video too.
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Excellent Production Values
The quality of this production is second to none. This video triggered a huge interest in dinosaurs by my 5-year old and even my 2-year old asks to see it often. The making of the video documentary is also very interesting.
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