Steven Spielberg Didn't Want Netflix's JURASSIC WORLD Animated Series To Be a "Kiddy" Show
While Netflix’s upcoming Jurassic World animated series, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, centers around a group of young teens, producer Steven Spielberg did not want this to be a kiddy show. He specifically told the creators, “Don’t do the kiddy version”.
Showrunner Scott Kreamer explained to io9, that Spielberg told him “‘It needs to feel like it’s Jurassic Park. It needs to feel like it’s Jurassic World.’ And we went for it.” He went on to add:
“In all the films, the kids are the side characters who need to be rescued by Alan Grant, Owen Grady, or an adult. So the whole idea is: Let’s put kids in the center of the story. Let’s cut off adult help. Let’s make them have no one to count on but each other. And really, that’s just the entire impetus for this story, is let’s empower the kids and see what happens.”
So, the team behind the series made sure to stay true to Spielberg’s vision when developing the series. You won’t see any blood and gore, but people will be eaten by dinosaurs and the characters will find themselves in intense situations. Showrunner Aaron Hammersley added:
“I think that we may not do kids a service by sheltering them from all of those things. And I think it actually opens up your world in allowing for more stories to be told if you can incorporate those themes into your stories.”
The series consists of eight episodes, and I guess it will have to tide fans over until the next Jurassic World movie is released. Here’s the official synopsis of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous:
“Set against the timeline of the blockbuster film Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous follows a group of six teenagers trapped at a new adventure camp on the opposite side of Isla Nublar. When the events of the film unfold and dinosaurs are unleashed across the island, each kid realizes their very survival rests on the shoulders of themselves and their fellow campers. Unable to reach the outside world, our six teens will go from strangers to friends to family as they band together to survive the dinosaurs and uncover hidden secrets so deep they threaten the world itself.”
The voice cast for the series includes Paul-Mikél Williams as Darius, Jenna Ortega as Brooklynn, and Ryan Potter as Kenji in addition to Raini Rodriguez as Sammy, Sean Giambrone as Ben, Kausar Mohammed as Yaz, Jameela Jamil as Roxie, and Glen Powell as Dave.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous will premiere on Netflix on September 18th. Watch the most recent trailer for the series here.