Line #8 Series/DinoLab


1	''Dino Lab'' is a two-part TVDocumentary produced by Quiet Motion Inc from the Creator/DiscoveryChannel. Both hour-long episodes share the basic premise: a bunch of scientists working at the "Dino Lab" bring ancient dinosaurs back to life to conduct experiments on them. Humans [[RogerRabbitEffect interact]] with {{CGI}} dinosaurs in scenes taking place at the lab, while inserted clips of ''real'' scientists explain why the dinosaurs behave the way the do. Basically, it's like ''Series/PrehistoricPark'' but without an ongoing plot and more science and [[{{Narm}} cheese]].
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3	The first episode aired in 2006 and relied heavily on StockFootage taken from ''WesternAnimation/WhenDinosaursRoamedAmerica'', ''Series/ValleyOfTheTRex'', and ''Series/DinosaurPlanet''. In fact, several of the animals themselves were simply reused CGI models from those shows.
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5	The second episode (''Dino Lab II'') debuted in 2009. Here, the animals' CGI received a total makeover.
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7	!!Contains examples of:
8	* AnimalsNotToScale: ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is smaller than in real life.
9	* ArtisticLicensePaleontology:
10	** When discussing the horns of ''Triceratops'', the program shows copious amounts of StockFootage of ''Zuniceratops'' animations. While the animals were similar, ''Zuni'' was smaller and lacked the famous nose-horn of its famous cousin. This results in the narration not making ''any'' sense.[[note]]And they had damn good stock footage of ''Triceratops'' available.[[/note]]
11	** When Nelly the ''Apatosaurus'' is introduced in the original, she is billed as "the largest dinosaur". The sequel fixes it by using ''Argentinosaurus'', which actually ''is'' the largest dinosaur.
12	** Instead of the relatively accurate ''Quetzalcoatlus'' model from ''WesternAnimation/WhenDinosaursRoamedAmerica'', they use the ''Series/DinosaurPlanet'' one. It has an overall body size and head-shape that looks as if someone beat it halfway into a ''Pteranodon''. Oh, and they call it a "flying dinosaur".
13	* CarnivoreConfusion: Plant-eaters are treated as relatively safe-to-work-with creatures, no matter how many deadly spikes and horns they have. That said, the workers still approach them with caution. Predators are locked away ''Film/JurassicPark''-style.
14	** It should be noted that it's only the ''T. rex'' who is kept locked up. The also-carnivorous ''Troodon'' is allowed to roam free, and ''Microraptor'' is kept in a cat carrier.
15	** Additionally, in the second episode, the ''Stegosaurus'' are depicted as skittish and easily-startled, and the ''Hypacrosaurus'' are fiercely protective parents.
16	* DangerousWorkplace: The definition of the trope. Dinosaurs walk around freely inside and outside the Lab (save for the more ferocious carnivores, of course), as do humans. At times, they barely escape getting killed by the uncooperative reptiles. You'd think a facility such as this would be better guarded and staffed.
17	* {{Hologram}}: They use a ''T. rex'' hologram to test the ''Argentinosaurus'' and ''Stegosaurus''' fighting abilities.
18	* FeatheredFiend: Averted with ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeDinosaurs Microraptor]]'', which is a docile little creature that can be trasported by pet carrier.
19	%%* TheMakeover: On the creatures between the two episodes.
20	%%* MamaBear: ''Hypacrosaurus''.
21	* NoisyNature: The dinosaurs can't even blink without making loud, synthesized roars.
22	* RaptorAttack: "''Troodon''". There are no words. They had those nifty ''Troodon'' models from ''Series/DinosaurPlanet'', in two different colorations to boot. They make a return in this show, right? Ha-ha. ''No, they recycled the ''Coelophysis'' model from ''WesternAnimation/WhenDinosaursRoamedAmerica'' instead!'' Sure, people unfamiliar with dinosaurs may confuse them, but there are many differences: the Late Triassic ''Coelophysis'' had a much longer neck, four fingers instead of three, a flexible tail, no sickle-claw, and probably no feathers. ''Troodon'', which was a much more advanced dinosaur that hailed from the Late Cretaceous, had a fluffy coating, stiff tail and raptor-esque claws on its feet. What the animators did is the equivalent of trying to sell a grizzly bear as a gorilla, basically. Oh, and they mispronounce it "True-don", as opposed to the correct "Troh-uh-don". That said, the sequel's ''Microraptor'' nicely averts this.
23	* RuleOfCool: The Dino Lab itself. In fact, if nearly all of the lab scenes were cut, the scientific value would still stay intact (but not so much the entertainment value).
24	* RuleOfFunny: The trucker from the first episode. Lab workers tell him he has to go, yet he remains at the lab to ensue hilarity!
25	* SeaMonster: The lab's plesiosaur in the original.
26	%%* SpeculativeDocumentary
27	* StockFootage: Ridiculous amounts in the first episode, coupled with StockFootageFailure.
28	* SuperPersistentPredator: The plesiosaur to Mark.

Context Series / DinoLab