Dinotopia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dinotopia is a fictitious utopian place created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is the setting for the book series with which it shares a name. Dinotopia is an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sentient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic society.
Since its original publication, over twenty Dinotopia books (including two more by Gurney himself) have been published by various authors to expand the series. Several video games, a mini series, a TV series, and a movie have also been released.
A fourth Dinotopia book by James Gurney is scheduled for publication in the autumn of 2007.
Contents |
[edit] The name
The name "Dinotopia" is a portmanteau of "dinosaur" and "utopia". Ironically, Dinotopia means (in Greek) "terrible place", as "dinosaur" means "terrible lizard" (dino-saur), while utopia means "good place" (eu-topia) or "no place" (u-topia) (The disillusioned character Lee Crabb mentions this discrepancy, claiming that humans on the island are slaves to dinosaurs).
[edit] The island
Upon the hidden island of Dinotopia humans and dinosaurs live and work together in harmony with one another and with the Earth itself (save for the few predators who roam the land). It is a place of beauty and wonder lost to the rest of the world. The island itself is surrounded by a storm and dangerous reefs that prevent safe travel to or from the island.
Aside from a highly diverse ecosystem (ranging from deserts to mountains to swamps), Dinotopia also has an extensive system of natural and man-made caves.
The dinosaurs, according to their own legends, have inhabited the island for millions of years, having sought shelter there during the climate changes that caused the extinction of dinosaurs elsewhere on the planet.
The human population, on the other hand, consists of shipwrecked travelers called Dolphinbacks (who are often rescued and brought to shore by dolphins) and the descendants of such arrivals.
Both halves of the society share responsibility equally and live under a common set of laws known as the Code of Dinotopia. The society is highly communal, lacking a monetary system or even a concrete concept of ownership. Individuals are educated from youth to be compassionate, cooperative, and generally conscious of others' needs. For example: food on the island is provided at no cost, but citizens take only what they need and leave the rest for others.
[edit] Series overview
Dinotopia began as an illustrated children's book called Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time. It was a huge success which led James Gurney to write and illustrate two more books called Dinotopia: The World Beneath and Dinotopia: First Flight. A children's flip-up version of Dinotopia was also issued.
Dinotopia: Land Apart From Time, Dinotopia: The World Beneath, and Dinotopia: First Flight all deal with the adventures of Arthur and Will Denison to one degree or another. All are illustrated and authored directly by James Gurney. These are considered the main books of the series and establish the fictional world in which the others are set.
The Dinotopia Digest series consists of sixteen young adult novels penned by several different authors. These books feature other characters who are not specifically involved with the events of the main books.
Two full-length adult fantasy novels were also issued with Gurney's authority, written by Alan Dean Foster: Dinotopia Lost and Hand of Dinotopia.
Several video games, as well as a mini series, a TV series, and a children’s movie, were also produced. These are also set in the Dinotopia universe, but do not tie in directly with the main series.
[edit] Main books
The plot of the main Dinotopia books concerns Arthur Denison and his son, Will, and the various people they meet in their travels in Dinotopia. The book is written as if it was Arthur's journal, with Gurney going so far as to explain in the introduction how he happened to come across the old, waterlogged volume.
In Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time, the Denisons are shipwrecked near Dinotopia and, after making it ashore, are found by the people of the Hatchery. The Hatchery is a place where dinosaurs are born, tended by both dinosaurs and humans. The Denisons then set out to explore the island, hoping to find a means of returning to their old lives.
Arthur and Will undergo a broad journey, circling the island, as they endeavour to learn the customs and culture. Arthur in particular develops an interest in the scientific accomplishments of the natives, which far exceed that of any human culture. Among the subjects he studies are the flora of the island, the partnership of its inhabitants, and the existence of a place known as the World Beneath. This World Beneath is an explanation for Dinotopians surviving the saurian extinction; according to the story, most of the Earth's dinosaurs were destroyed, whilst a few hid in vast underground caverns. These few became the original Dinotopians. No one has entered the World Beneath for centuries, but Arthur intends to.
His son Will, on the other hand, has chosen to train as a messenger of the sky; a Skybax rider, who lives in symbiosis with his mount, the great Quetzalcoatlus, a species of pterosaur. Training alongside Will is a girl called Sylvia, with whom Will falls in love. The natives refer this and any other profound bond as Cumspiritik which means literally "together-breathing." (Romana Denison of the later Dinotopia film series is said to be Will's daughter.)
Arthur, for his part, travels into the World Beneath, at the same time that Will and Sylvia are learning to fly with the Skybax. When he returns, he is fascinated by the ancient relics found there and convinced that they may be key in enabling him to leave the island.
Meanwhile, Will and Sylvia learn and master Skybax flight. When at last they have been accepted as Riders, they travel to meet Arthur and his Protoceratopsian guide Bix, but are distracted on the way by a thunderstorm. Luckily, they survive and arrive on time to meet their kin. Will is at the time too young to marry Sylvia, but it is promised that they will. Arthur recognizes that his son has grown up, and they each accept the changes that are results of their new lives on the island.
[edit] Other books in the series
From 1995, James Gurney worked with a number of other authors on a series of short novels for children using the Dinotopia characters and themes, published by Random House:
- Windchaser by Scott Ciencin
- River Quest by John Vornholt
- Hatchling by Midori Snyder
- Lost City by Scott Ciencin
- Sabertooth Mountain by John Vornholt
- Thunder Falls by Scott Ciencin
- Firestorm by Gene De Weese
- The Maze by Peter David
- The Rescue Party by Mark A. Garland
- Skydance by Scott Ciencin
- Chomper by Don Glut
- Return to Lost City by Scott Ciencin
- Survive! by Brad Strickland
- The Explorers by Scott Ciencin
- Dolphin Watch by John Vornholt
- Oasis by Cathy Hapka
Two full-length adult fantasy novels were also issued with Gurney's authority, written by Alan Dean Foster: Dinotopia Lost (1996) and Hand of Dinotopia (1999).
As of 2006, a fourth installment James Gurney's main series, titled Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, is reportedly in the works. Sixteen paintings from the upcoming book were displayed in the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in early 2006. This book is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2007. Journey to Chandara will follow Arthur Denison and Bix as they explore Chandara.
[edit] Other media
A 2002 four-hour TV mini-series produced by Hallmark Entertainment was also based on James Gurney's work, featuring new characters such as Zippo, a struthiomimus who is said to have worked with Sylvia, and a new plot device, the sunstones, which are described as a source of power and protection originating in the World Beneath. This in turn became the pilot for a short-lived series. In the TV series, there are a group of people known as Outsiders (led by LeSage (Lisa Zane) who is an old friend of Rosemary Waldo) that live outside the laws of Dinotopia. They are one of the dangers of Dinotopia outside of the featured Carnivorous Dinosaurs (including Pteranodons, T-Rex, and crocodile-like Mosasaurus). Though thirteen episodes were produced, only five were aired on ABC. The entire thirteen were aired the following year in Europe. Sci-fi veteran David Winning directed two episodes of the series, location shooting for three months in Budapest, Hungary.
There is also a 2005 traditionally-animated movie called Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone.
A number of Dinotopia computer games have been produced, including Dinotopia: Living The Adventure (PC), Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates (Game Boy Advance), Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey (XBox & GameCube), and Dinotopia Game Land Activity Center (PC).
[edit] Trivia
The Tyrannosaurus in the show is very similar to the one that attacked the prehistoric dragon in Animal Planet's special Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real.
