For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Walking with Dinosaurs, this adventure film has bright, colourful visuals, breathtaking outdoor locales as backdrop.
The crew filmed footage on locations in the U.S. state of Alaska and then in New Zealand. These particular locations were chosen for their similarities to the dinosaurs’ surroundings millions of years ago. Computer-animated dinosaurs were then created and added to the live-action backdrop.
One gets to know dinosaurs more real than you’ve ever seen as you take off on a thrilling prehistoric adventure, where Patchi, an underdog dinosaur – the protagonist triumphs against all odds to become a hero for the ages.
A small bright bird with teeth, Alex (an Alexornis bird) is our other guide to the Late Cretaceous. Alexornis is an extinct, prehistoric bird, which lived at the time of the dinosaurs. It was a small, sparrow-like animal with feathers and a toothed beak.
In the movie, these birds have a symbiotic relationship with the Pachyrhinosaurus – they eat the ticks and other insects that bother them and in turn get a free meal and a safe place to perch. Alex becomes Patchi’s unlikely friend and ally and has a tendency to show up at the right place at the right time to nudge him in the right direction. Funny and maybe a bit sarcastic, he’s fascinated by Patchi and his adventures.
Back to our Pachyrhinosaurus protagonist Patchi. Patchi’s Mom is a mature female Pachyrhinosaurus who’s successfully raised a family. She perishes while trying to save Patchi’s siblings from a raging forest fire, leaving Patchi and Scowler orphaned and on their own.
Curious and optimistic, Patchi is the hero of our movie. Patchi, a Pachyrhinosaurus, is one of our guides to the Late Cretaceous, the prehistoric period during which our story takes place. We fall in love with him as a tiny hatchling and share his adventures and challenges as he grows to adulthood. He is not the biggest or the toughest guy in the herd, but he uses his head and his heart to do the right thing. He survives some very dramatic situations on his way to becoming leader of the herd and to winning the affections of Juniper. He’s not an aggressive guy by nature, but he will dig deep within himself and even risk his own safety to save Juniper or Scowler, his brother. He is the classic underdog hero, who finds his inner strength to prove his worth.
Courageous and resilent, Juniper is Patchi’s best friend. She is the key female in the story. She’s very pretty (for a Pachyrhinosaurus) and has a strong character. As a youngster, she shares adventures with Patchi with courage and resilience, separated from both her family and the herd. She develops a real connection with Patchi, even though she can’t always show it. She always obeys her mother, but she really wishes she could ignore herd protocol and choose her own mate (Patchi), instead of having to be part of the herd leader’s harem. She shares Patch’s happiness when he has proved himself as leader of the herd.
Patchi’s older brother Scowler, may lack in smarts, but he more than makes up for it in courage. Big and strong and very single-minded, Scowler is absolutely focused on becoming the new leader of the herd. He’s OK with his little brother, Patchi, but often forgets that when his goal is in sight. Whatever he may lack in smarts, he makes up for in courage.
Walking with Dinosaurs is an awesome film, a thriller-adventure in 3 D. It has emotions, pranks and lessons in teamwork and leadership
For all of you under 12, or those grown ups who have children who are curious about dinosaurs, give them a 3D experience!
Then, we are introduced to the other species of those times:
GORGON
Simply put, the villain of our movie. A smart, fast and terrifying Gorgosaurus, he’s always on the lookout for the next kill. He is like a super-charged T. rex, and will stop at nothing to feed his extended family. He is cunning and relentless, and uses precise tactics and strategies to round up the next meal. Patchi’s father was killed by a Gorgosaurus, so the looming threat of the Gorgon is very poignant for our hero.
HESPERONYCHUS
Sometimes called “killer chickens”. In the movie, these small, feathered predators hunt in packs and give both the Alphadon and Patchi a bit of trouble.
CHIROSTENOTES
Definitely a runner – not a fighter, Chirostenotes was a bird-like dinosaur with a toothless beak, slender claws and long, powerful legs that could propel it to impressive speeds.
TROODON
A mischievous mid-size predator, Troodon are obsessed with food, and have a reputation as cowards, preying on baby Pachyrhinosaurus who are too young to defend themselves. Patchi has a close call with a Troodon and makes a lucky escape!
PTEROSAURS
A group of flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs. In the Late Cretaceous, when the movie is set, one group of pterosaurs, the Azhdarchids (Azhdarchs for short) dominates the skies over land. Many Azhdarchs have enormous wingspans and sharp beaks, which they use to peck at both crabs and Patchi alike. Though they soar over the prehistoric landscape, even they fall prey to the occasional voracious Gorgosaurus.
ANKYLOSAUR
Even Gorgon would avoid ankylosaurs like the two-metre-tall, tank-like Edmontonia with its spiky, bony armour.
EDMONTOSAURUS
Duck-billed dinosaurs, gentle giants. They are vegetarians, biting off leaves and branches from shrubs and low-lying boughs using their horny jaws. These animals have many teeth behind their beak to grind and chew their food. The nostrils of Edmontosaurus were large and led into a huge, hollow nasal cavity. They might have been covered with loose skin that the animal could have filled with air and used to make loud bellowing sounds.
Released in India – 27 December 2013
Credits of Walking with Dinosaurs:
Voiceovers for prehistoric creatures :
Alex (the bird) – John Leguizamo
Patchi (Pachyrhinosaurus) – Justin Long
Juniper (Patchi’s friend) Tiya Sircar
Scowler (Patchi’s brother) Skyler Stone
Other Credits of Walking with Dinosaurs:
Studio – BBC Earth, Evergreen Films
Produced by Mike Devlin, Luke Hetherington, Amanda Hill, Deepak Nayar
Directed by Neil Nightingale, Barry Cook
Written by John Collee
Music – Paul Leonard-Morgan
Cinematography – John Brooks
Editing – John Carnochan, Jeremiah O’Driscoll
