From 1925’s “The Lost World”
to Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of
“King Kong,” audiences have enjoyed
watching dinosaurs as much as – if
not more than – reading and hearing
about them.
The prehistoric beasts have inspired
awe and terror across all age
groups, real-life monsters that just
happened to have died millions of
years before we got here.
But seeing one of these hulking
creatures faithfully re-created in
person can be even more powerful.
At least that’s what the creators of
“Walking With Dinosaurs – The
Live Experience” are counting on.
“I still have a morbid fascination
with watching the show and seeing
the T. rex screaming, then a whole
section of the audience screaming
and reeling back,” admitted company
manager Tanya Miles.
When “Walking with Dinosaurs”
plays Colorado Springs’ World Arena
Wednesday-Jan. 27, audiences will
have a chance to watch 15 dinosaurs
representing 10 species stalk the
arena with stunningly lifelike speed
and agility.
“It’s not an exhibition or a movie,
it’s a full, live theatrical show,” Miles
asserted.
Forget silver-screen claymation
or computer effects: These robots
walk, roar and can even respond to
whistles or calls from the audience.
The 96-minute program, bisected by an intermission, is led by fictional paleontologist Huxley, a character whose script was thoroughly vetted by real scientists and the BBC. That network produced the Emmy-winning 1999 television series of the same name, which inspired the live show and was watched by 770 million viewers worldwide.
And it’s all about accuracy.
“What we found when we started was that many of the dino geeks and nerds started coming out of the woodwork,” Miles said. “(Series creator) Tim Haynes is a consultant and a fantastic resource, and we used a lot of the research and knowledge that went into the series.”
The series purported to offer the most up-to-date take on dinosaurs’ history, and “Walking With Dinosaurs — The Live Experience” dared not diverge from that.
“There’s been a fine attention to detail,” Miles said. “Having their eyes glint, exploring how their legs move, having muscles ripple under the skin, basing them on the largest fossils found and going 1-to-1 scale — it’s a new step in animatronic puppeteering.”
Miles said the construction process involved loads of trial and error to mimic animal movement accurately, although producers knew from “skeletal facts” that creatures were built a certain way and had to move in accordance with those physics.
Of course, with robots this big and complex, the producers at Immersion Edutainment were compelled to explore every avenue, from puppeteers standing on each others’ backs to fully remote-controlled creatures. Ultimately they decided on a mix of elements that allowed the most mobility and adaptability.
Gigantic in every way
The $20 million show was conceived by Bruce Mactaggart in Melbourne, Australia, and will celebrate a year this month, with another 12-month tour commencing in March. Everything about it is the definition of “big.”
Feeling old lately? The time span of “Walking” covers roughly 245 million to 65 million years ago. Small? The brachiosaurus measures a whopping 56 feet long and stands 36 feet high, “about two buses,” as Huxley tells the audience.
How about bringing the big guns? James Brett (Metallica, San Francisco Symphony) composed a score that gives the show an epic, “Lord of the Rings” feel. The 65-person crew includes designers, engineers and others who have worked on the Olympic Games and such movies as “Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith” and “The Chronicles of Narnia.” And the dinosaurs travel in 26 trucks, spending their quiet time collapsed on their meaty haunches.
So is it ironic that the team behind “Walking With Dinosaurs — The Live Experience” uses cutting-edge technology to bring to life ancient creatures?
Perhaps, but Miles said it’s easy to forget about the hardware side of it.
“There’s a funny thing about that period of getting constructed in the workshop, where we were doing steel fabrication, layering the skin and adding the eyes and claws,” Miles said. “I remember one Friday night they got me down there facing the other way, then I turned and it was the first time I saw one charging at me. I actually ran away.”
We’ll roar to that.
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
“Walking with Dinosaurs – The Live Experience”
Educational arena show. World Arena, 3185 Venetucci Blvd. in Colorado Springs. Jan. 23-Jan. 27. Various times. $32-$65. 866-464-2626 or
