Walking with Dinosaurs: Difference between revisions

==== It received several equally succesful continuations, specials, and spin-offs: ====

 

* ''Walking with Beasts'' (2001), focusing on mammal evolution which came after the dinosaurs in the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary Periods.

* ''Chased by Dinosaurs'' (2002), two specials focusing on two striking dinosaurs, the gigantic ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Argentinosaurus]]'' and the odd ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life - Birdlike Theropods|Therizinosaurus]]''. This was the first in the ''Walking with...'' series to feature a visible presenter (in this case, Nigel Marven).

''[[Prehistoric Park]]'' (2006) and ''[[Planet Dinosaur]]'' (2011) can be regarded either as [[Spiritual Successor|spiritual successors]] to the later Nigel Marven specials and the original WWD, respectively, or as actual [[Spin-Off|spin offs]].

 

----

=== General tropes used throughout the franchise: ===

* [[Carnivore Confusion]]: The "predation is just a fact of life" approach, as most predators are treated as any documentary animals should be treated, not as villains. There are a few exceptions though, mainly in the two spinoffs ending with "Monsters".

* [[Downer Ending]]: A given, since every animal featured in the program goes extinct eventually.

* [[Good Bad Translation]]: The Italian and Spanish versions. For example, the Spanish changes ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Utahraptor]]'' to ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Velociraptor]]'', ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Diplodocus]]'' to ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Hadrosaurs|Saurolophus]]'', ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Postosuchus]]'' to a postosuchid,<ref> If you want to get techincal, it should be "rauisuchid"</ref> and ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Megaloceras]]'' to ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Megalosaurus]]''!

** The Hungarian translation, too.

* [[Roger Rabbit Effect]]: Some CGI animals share a scene or two with live-acted ones (including ancient humans), but this is used more greatly for comedic effect in all the various ''Making of'' specials.

* [[Rule of Cool]]: Several examples throughout the series, especially about speculative animal behaviour. Another example is the fact that only the most spectacular animals of each taxonomic group are usually portrayed in almost all the shows of the series, despite they were probably less common in their environments that their smaller relatives (like what happens among modern animals as well). However, we can see many small-sized prehistoric animals too. Still another example is that many animals are more or less ''oversized'' in the program: the two most striking examples are the swimming ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Liopleurodon]]'' and the flying ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Ornithocheirus]]''.

* [[Science Marches On]]: Many new discoveries have been made after this series, which changed our perception about prehistoric wildlife. These discoveries regard animal behaviour, taxonomy, or other issues. See [[Science Marches On/Walking With Dinosaurs|here]] for examples.

* [[Sexy Discretion Shot]]: No way, oh no. You get a clear view of ''everything'', including the [[Squick|giant paleo-penises]].

* [[Small Taxonomy Pools]]: Averted - the series did feature several creatures that weren't well-known among the general public before.

* [[Speculative Documentary]]: Maybe a bit too much on the speculative side.

 

=== ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' provides examples of: ===

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The book is far more brutal than the television series.

* [[Eats Babies]]: The ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Coelophysis]]'', [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|cynodonts]], ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Allosaurus]]'', ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Didelphodon]]'', andc[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life - Birdlike Theropods|Hell Creek dromaeosaurids]] all get to feed on babies and juveniles. In some cases, [[I Am a Humanitarian|those of their own kind]]. (Or even ''their own''.)

* [[Feathered Fiend]]: The primitive bird ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|Iberomesornis]]'' in ''Giant of the Skies'' fit the [[Zerg Rush]] type of this.

** Technically also ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Small Theropods|Ornitholestes]]'', ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Utahraptor]]'', and the [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life - Birdlike Theropods|Late Cretaceous dromaeosaurids]], even though many of them were depicted as [[Science Marches On|unfeathered]] or [[Somewhere a Paleontologist Is Crying|only sparsely feathered]].

** Every post-WWD toy of ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Liopleurodon]]'' has been given the colour scheme it had in WWD.

* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: The dinosaurs did go extinct and the episode is called "Death of a Dynasty" after all.

* [[Gasshole]]: One of the ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Diplodocus]]'' is heard farting during the digestion of plant matter, while the narrator says "[[Crowning Moment of Funny|The activity in its gut produces a lot of excess gas]]".

* [[Giant Flyer]]: Several giant [[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|pterosaurs]] (the correct name instead of "pterodactyl"). From the first series, both ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Ornithocheirus]]'' (oversized) and ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Quetzalcoatlus]]'' (not oversized) had a wingspan of 45 feet.

* [[Hemisphere Bias]]: The end of ''Dinosaurs'', where Montana somehow transforms into the ''African savanna''.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: Averted on a ''grand'' scale.

** "Time of the Titans" obviously with all the ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Diplodocus]]'' youngsters (called "sauropodlets" in the show). So many are alive at the beginning but as the episode goes on {{spoiler|most of them die off. In the series only 2 or even 3 survive everything to join a herd, if you read the book ''only ONE survived''}}

** "Cruel Sea" just might be the only part of the series {{spoiler|(Except for "Giant of the Skies", which didn't contain much young characters. That focused on old mortality if anything...)}} where this trope is put into use. As although there may have been implied deaths of the young ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Opthalmosaurus]]'' (a fish-like marine reptile belonging to the ichthyosaur group), the main one manages to avoid death by storms, sharks, and drowning.

** "Spirits of the Ice Forest" has young that are mostly implied to have died in the book, mentioning that although many of the ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Hadrosaur Predecessors|Leaellynasaura]]'' clan mate and lay eggs usually the only young that will survive is the Dominant Pair's children. (''Leaellynasaura'' was a tiny bipedal herbivorous dinosaur from Cretaceous Australia)

** "Death of a Dynasty" has, (besides the ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Tyrannosaurus]]'' young killed by the meteor at the end anyway) the ''Triceratops''-like ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Ceratopsids|Torosaurus]]'' young killed by [[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|dromaeosaurids]] (commonly known as "raptors") and an implied death of a picked on ''Tyrannosaurus''. And if it counts: the small mammal ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Didelphodon]]'' eating the eggs.

* [[Tyrannosaurus Rex]]: Not just ''rex'', but its Asian relative ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Large Theropods|Tarbosaurus]]'' shows up as well.

* [[The Worf Effect]]: A good way to show that an animal is a [[Badass]] is have it drive off, beat up, or ''kill'' the top predator of the episode, as was the case with ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Stegosaurus]]'' (to ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Allosaurus]]'') and ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Ankylosaurus]]'' (to ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Tyrannosaurus]]'').

* [[Zerg Rush]]: The ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|Coelophysis]]'' against the dying ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Postosuchus]]''.

** A defensive variant is used by ''[[Feathered Fiend|Ibero]][[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|mesornis]]'' on the old ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Ornithocheirus]]''.

* [[Dumb Muscle]]: ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Megatherium]]''.

* [[Eats Babies]]: The [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Extinct Creatures|giant ants]] and ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Basilosaurus]]''. The ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Hyaenodon]]'', ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|Phorusrhacos]]'', and [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|cave lion]] try to, but fail.

* [[Feathered Fiend]]: ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|Phorusrhacos]]'' and ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|Gastornis]]''.

* [[Full Boar Action]]: The [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|entelodonts]], even though strictly speaking they aren't pigs.

* [[Sexy Discretion Shot]]: The scene of the mating ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Australopithecus]]'' even had to be censored with a ''huge'' blur for the American release (but strangely did't cut it entirely, like in Australia), because it looked exactly like the way humans do it.

** Damn, it's subverted practically [[Once an Episode]] in ''Beasts''.

* [[The Worf Effect]]: In ''Land of Giants'', a mob of [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|entelodonts]] have this on a lone ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Mammals|Hyaenodon]]'', but a lone entelodont is then scared away by the indricothere calf. Meanwhile in the book, it's a pair of ''Hyaenodon'' that drive off a single entelodont.

** In the episode ''Saber Tooth'', a ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Megatherium]]'' shatters the dominance of the antagonistic ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Smilodon]]'' brothers by killing one of them, and later on Half-Tooth ([[The Hero]]) completes the effect by killing the remaining brother.

* [[Anachronism Stew]]: ''[[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|T. rex]]'' appearing in a [[Cameo]] role 75 million years ago, whereas the oldest known ''rex'' dates from "only" about 68 million years ago. And it's clearly confirmed to be a real ''T. rex'' in the book, not one of its ancestors.<ref> ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Large Theropods|Daspletosaurus]]'' would have been more appropriate.</ref>

* [[Death World]]: While nearly all the seas could counts, the Creataceous Western Interior Seaway, which is actually called ''Hell's Aquarium'' to signify its dangers, particularly stands out.

* [[Feathered Fiend]]: Subverted with ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Birds|Hesperornis]]'', which look agressive but only serve to get eaten by other predators. Played straight in the book, which lists [[Stock Dinosaurs True Dinosaurs|dromaeosaurs]] as Cretaceous land menaces.

* [[Giant Flyer]]: The ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Pteranodon]]''s.

* [[Prehistoric Monster]]: Played straight, but that's kind of the point.

* [[Schmuck Bait]]: Nigel repeatedly states that there's no way he would go into "Hell's Aquarium" - but decides to dive in anyway to ride a giant sea turtle.

* [[Seldom-Seen Species]]:

** '''The Seventh Most Dangerous Sea:''' ''Cameroceras'', ''Megalograptus'', ''Astraspis'', ''Isotelus''

* [[Always a Bigger Fish]]: The huge eurypterid ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Extinct Creatures|Pterygotus]]'' killing the alleged [[Big Bad]] of the episode, ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Extinct Creatures|Brontoscorpio]]''.

** Literally with the huge fish ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Extinct Creatures|Hyneria]]'' swallowing a [[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Other Extinct Creatures|prehistoric shark]] whole.

* [[Book Ends]]: See above.

* [[Crapsack World]]: The late Permian.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: Has a scarier edge to the fight for survival than Dinosaurs and Beasts.

* [[Eats Babies]]: The ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Dimetrodon]]''s.

* [[Eye Scream]]: A female ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Dimetrodon]]'''s eye is knocked out of her head while defending her nest.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: Yet more aversions. A juvenile ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Edaphosaurus]]'' gets eaten by a ''[[Stock Dinosaurs Non Dinosaurs|Dimetrodon]]'', a bunch of baby ''Dimetrodon'' get eaten by the adults, and a mesothelae spider butchers an entire nest of ''[[Useful Notes/Prehistoric Life Non Dinosaurian Reptiles|Petrolacosaurus]]'', save for the few that got away.

** '''Late Permian Period:''' ''Rhinesuchus'' and ''Gorgonops'' are unknown from Russia and probably were restricted to the Southern hemisphere.

** '''Early Triassic Period:''' ''Euchambersia'', ''Proterosuchus'', and ''Euparkeria'' are all unknown from Antarctica.

* [[Seldom-Seen Species]]:

** '''Cambrian Period:''' ''Haikouichthys'', ''Anomalocaris''