Fin…note
A Miniseries based off of the Dinotopia books and co-produced by Walt Disney Television & Hallmark Entertainment. It first appeared installments of The Wonderful World Of Disney May 2002. The Miniseries served as a sequel to the books Dinotopia (1992) and Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995) and takes place in the modern day note as opposed to 19th century like in the books. The miniseries was quickly followed by a short lived Series and aspects of the miniseries were later used for the animated movie Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone. A version of the miniseries called Adventures In Dinotopis also exists on Prime Video, where several sections of it have been removed.
The Miniseries follows two half brothers that end up in Dinotopia after a plane crash with their father and how they try to adapt to the land they're now in. Unfortunately they get in a lot of trouble while living there and are later forced to try and save it from destruction.
This miniseries provides examples of:
- Actual Pacifist:
- Much like in the books most Dinotopians, human and saurian alike, abhor the use of violence. There is even a passage in the Code of Dinotopia that says "Weapons are enemies, even to their owners". Not all on the island strictly adhere to this rule, though. Many of the carnivore inhabitants subvert this though.
- Protagonists David and Karl Scott get physical with each other multiple times, which is looked down on by native Dinotopians. Cyrus Crabb later turns up with a pair of flintlock pistols, which he uses.
- Adaptation Distillation: The original novels were set during the Victorian era, but the miniseries takes place in a more modern setting and seems to be a sequel of sorts to the books, as characters like Arthur Dennison and Lee Crabb are mentioned and confirmed to exist but are long dead by the time the miniseries' events take place. The only character from the books to physically show up in the series, Oriana, only appears at the Distant Prologue of the first chapter, writing a letter to her niece Marion.
- Adaptational Dumbass: In the books, the Dinotopians were very enlightened and fully aware of outside events. In the mini-series, they are rather naive and completely ignorant of anything happening outside their land.
- Adaptational Jerkass: The Dinotopians are noticeably more disapproving and distrustful of outsiders, like Karl and David, and while the two brothers try to tell the Dinotopians they are the only ones who can put a stop to the catastrophe they unwillingly caused, the population angrily shuns them and brands them as pariahs before Mayor Waldo imprisons them.
- Adapted Out: As shown in the books, Dinotopia is not only inhabited by dinosaurs and pterosaurs, but also by many other prehistoric animals from Earth's past, such as Permian synapsids and Pleistocene mammals. In the miniseries, any prehistoric animals that aren't from the Mesozoic are nowhere to be seen. (With the only possible exception of the giant fish which many fans believe is a Dunkleosteus.)
- However, it should be noted that the prehistoric mammals that inhabit Dinotopia in the books are tend to live in the colder regions, such as the mountains of the island. Since the miniseries only covers Waterfall City and the Rainy Basin, the mammals did not have a chance to appear.
- Adipose Rex: Mayor Waldo, the mayor of Waterfall City, is a pretty hefty, cheerful fellow with a prodigious appetite. Just try not to piss him off.
- Artistic License – Biology: For whatever reason the group of Tyrannosaurus that appears is stated to be a "herd" as opposed to a "pack".
- Artistic License – Paleontology:
- The mosasaurs can walk on land and look like crocodiles.
- 26, a baby Chasmosaur, is referred to as a Hadrosaur.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Karl and David in the miniseries constantly bicker and quarrel with each other a lot. The fact that they have radically different stances on Dinotopia (Karl wants to leave as soon as possible, David prefers to stay and is more than happy to be part of the island's culture) and that they both seem to have feelings for Marion don't make things any easier. Nonetheless, they are highly devoted to each other and Karl will always do everything in his power to keep David safe. Likewise, Mayor Waldo and his wife Rosemary have been estranged for quite some time, and their relationship seems kinda rocky, but their love for Marion will always bring them together in the end.
- Dated History: The mayor says that their last arrival from the outside world came in 1944, so they ask David and Karl to fill them in on what's happened since. When David says that someone walked on the moon, the Dinotopian Senate laughs it off.
- Dead Hat Shot: After Cyrus Crabb is Eaten Alive by a Dunkleosteous, his wooden leg is shown floating to the surface.
- Evil Versus Oblivion: Cyrus Crabb is an amoral thief and con artist who hates the entire Dinotopian way of life. He joins with the protagonists to save the island, "not because I like it, but because I'm trying to save me own skin."
- Expelled from Every Other School: David tries to explain his brother Karl disobeying a curfew to Matriarch Rosemary this way."Karl has a little problem with authority. He's been kicked out of eleven schools."
- Fantastic Slurs: Scaly (pl.: scalies) is one towards the dinosaurs.
- Flanderization: The TV miniseries turned Dinotopian society from "peaceful, wise and enlightened" to "naive, stubborn and ignorant". Also, the carnivores of the Rainy Basin went from intelligent Barbarian Tribe to standard Prehistoric Monsters.
- Head-in-the-Sand Management: Mayor Waldo and the Senate. When presented with evidence that the sunstones are failing, he decides to discuss it at the next meeting, in one month's time. Even later, when it becomes clear that they face an existential threat to their civilization, they decide to just bow their heads and die, rather than try to find new sunstones.
- MacGuffin Guardian: Zipeau states that entrances to the World Beneath; which is where the valuable sun stones are from, are stated to be guarded by carnivores. Considering that this information was shared shortly before a group of mosasaurs living at an entrance attack, we can safely assume that the mosasaurs are an example of this trope.
- The giant fish might also be an example of this trope seeing as how it also revealed to live near an entrance to the World Beneath.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: The mosasaurs are portrayed as being very crocodile like.
- Non-Malicious Monster: Much like in the books the dinotopians believe this for all if not most carnivores."The carnivores aren't evil. They're just hungry by nature."
- Shining City: Waterfall City, which is usually very peaceful and beautiful, if fact during the day it even appears to glow.
- Prehistoric Monster: Despite the Dinotopians' claims, all carnivorous species are portrayed as this, notable examples of this are the giant fish (Believed by many to be a Dunkleosteous.), the mosasaurs, the pteranodons and T. rex.
- Profound by Pop Song: In the 2002 miniseries, Karl answers the graduation question "How are we to live?" by quoting the first 6 lines of "Bohemian Rhapsody".note The Dinotopians find this inspiring and the best answer they've ever had to that question. Karl's brother is incensed and regards it as cheating.
- Terror-dactyl: Pteranodon are portrayed as dangerous and aggressive.
- Terrifying Tyrannosaur: The Tyrannosaurus Rex are portrayed as dangerous and aggressive, made even worse with the early reveal that they're traveling in a "herd". They're even shown to be aggressive to each other.
- The Tooth Hurts: An Ankylosaurus is shown to going on a rampage due to having a toothache, thankfully it gets some help from Marion.
- Utopia: Downplayed, since even though Dinotopia and its citizens still hold on to many of the same values as in the books, unfortunately many of these values are now very detrimental to the citizens due to some the changes made from in the books. A great example of this would be how their pacifist nature now can easily get them killed with how the carnivores are no longer a Barbarian Tribe at worse or Noble Savage at best, but Prehistoric Monsters. Not to say nothing of Adaptational Dumbass and Adaptational Jerkass of many of the citizens.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: A boy is grabbed and carried away by Pteranodon. Whether he survived or died is not shown.
Find the light.
