Production of the series began in spring of 2009 (after several months of
pre-production) and took three years in total. Each episode was to be instead followed by one of a companion series, called
Science of Reign of the Dinosaurs, which would feature scientists explaining the basis for the preceding story, and pointing out which parts were speculative or imaginary. Due to cuts and changes in marketing strategy by the network and production company, the series was eventually renamed
Dinosaur Revolution, and divided into a more traditional format inter-cut with "
talking heads," or brief explanations from scientists. The series was also cut from the planned six hours to four. Scenes featuring
Cryolophosaurus and
Glacialisaurus were shot in
Tenerife. The second episode, titled "The Watering Hole," was originally intended to highlight the
Jurassic Morrison Formation of western North America, which has been featured in numerous dinosaur documentaries. At the suggestion of science consultant
Tom Holtz, the setting was changed to the contemporary
Lourinhã Formation of
Portugal, and like the first episode, some species were swapped for equivalents in the new location. This resulted in televised appearances of dinosaurs such as
Draconyx. Most species in this show were scientifically reported to Portugal by the Portuguese paleontologist
Octávio Mateus. Not all animals featured in the finished program were based on specific species from the fossil record. Some, like the aquatic
crocodyliform in the
Utahraptor sequence and the carnivorous
notosuchian in the
Anhanguera sequence (both aired during the third episode), were left intentionally unnamed. Tom de Rosier (who had worked on
Lilo & Stitch and
Mulan), Miniature sets, along with physical special effects were designed and filmed by, Los Angeles based, Tindall Vision Laboratories by director John Tindall. The sets include the dramatic
Troodon segment staged on a post asteroid-impacted world. A press release by the Discovery Channel initially led to some confusion about the production of the series, leading some to believe that the project had been produced by
Pixar rather than Creative Differences.
Original airing The first two episodes of
Dinosaur Revolution aired on Discovery Channel on September 4, 2011. The final two episodes were scheduled to air September 11, 2011, on Discovery Channel. However, out of respect for the tenth anniversary of the
September 11 attacks, a last-minute schedule change replaced them with 9/11-related programming. These two episodes were rescheduled to air on
Science on September 13, 2011.
Incomplete segments and errors Stories which were cut or not completed during production were to have featured animals such as
Spinosaurus,
Megapnosaurus,
Placodus,
Mixosaurus,
Nothosaurus,
Iguanodon,
Agilisaurus and
Prenocephale. A segment featuring an unknown
pterosaur (which was suggested by biology professor Michael Habib) was also planned but could not be prepared in time for the Discovery Channel airing. Artist Pete Von Sholly, who was involved in the production, expressed regret over the way the production was handled and cuts were made. In Von Sholly's opinion, some of the best sequences were left unproduced; cuts were made not based on the quality of the story, he claimed, but on how far along in the production process the segments were. However, director David Krentz has stated that sequences were cut based on story quality. (Note that this CGI model is referred to as the genus
Mosasaurus by the web site for the program, while Krentz has stated it was a
Tylosaurus. Finally, on September 14, Von Sholly commented on another
Dinosaur Revolution review, confirming the existence of a new version consisting of the material from the show, without any narration, that would be released on
Blu-ray. This marked the basis for the film version of the series,
Dinotasia. == List of episodes ==