Dinotopia is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is set in the titular Dinotopia, an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sentient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic society. The first book was published in 1992 and has "appeared in 18 languages in more than 30 countries and sold two million copies." Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time and Dinotopia: The World Beneath both won Hugo Awards for best original artwork. The original work won the Locus Award for Best Non-fiction in 1993, a point at which the Locus Awards did not have a category for illustrated works.

Since its original publication, over twenty Dinotopia books have been published by various authors to expand the series.

A live-action television miniseries, a short-lived live-action TV series, a 2005 animated film, and several video games have also been released.

Background

Gurney's assignments for National Geographic required him to work with archaeologists to envision and paint ancient cities that no one alive today has ever seen. This inspired him to imagine his own, so he painted "Waterfall City" and "Dinosaur parade". These were originally done as art prints for collectors.

Gurney used "plein-air studies, thumbnail sketches, models photographed in costume and original cardboard or clay maquettes" He called "Dinotopia" a portmanteau of "dinosaur" and "utopia". 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 endeavor to learn the customs and culture of their new neighbors. 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 caverns. These few became the original Dinotopians. No one has entered the World Beneath for centuries, but Arthur intends to do so.

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 (nicknamed Skybax), a species of pterosaur. Training alongside Will is a girl called Sylvia, with whom Will falls in love. 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 is convinced that they may be key in enabling him to leave or explore the island. 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.

The World Beneath

thumb|Cover of Dinotopia: The World Beneath.

The first sequel, Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995) opens with Will fly testing an invention of his father, the Dragoncopter – a steam engine ornithopter modeled on the dragonfly. The Dragoncopter fails and Will is narrowly saved by Cirrus, his Skybax mount, before the Dragoncopter plummets into a waterfall. Frustrated by the Dragoncopter's failure and determined to bring the Industrial Revolution to Dinotopia, Arthur decides to mount a return expedition to the World Beneath. Joined by Bix, Lee Crabb, and newcomer Oriana, who has her own mysterious connection to the caves, Arthur hopes to find a power greater than steam.

Meanwhile, Will and Sylvia join a more conventional expedition to the Rainy Basin and learn that the territorial tyrannosaurids who live there are protecting something - perhaps the very thing that Arthur seeks below the surface. As the two expeditions press on, both learn that Dinotopia's history is more complex than it appears, and regardless of how you view technology, there are some secrets that are best left buried.

First Flight

thumb|Cover of Dinotopia: First Flight.

Dinotopia: First Flight (1999) was a prequel published by Gurney and included a board game.

Thousands of years ago, the city of Poseidos harnessed the power of the Sunstones to create mechanical replacements for all organic life (except humans). After discovering an injured Scaphognathus named Razzamult, a flight school student named Gideon Altair learned that the city planned to launch an attack on the mainland and conquer all of Dinotopia. Worse, Poseidos had stolen the Ruby Sunstone, the most powerful and dangerous of all Sunstones, from the pterosaur home of Highnest. Working to stop the city's march of mechanized conquest and restore balance between humans and dinosaurs, Gideon eventually becomes the first ever Skybax rider (although his partner, Avatar, seems to be a different species of Quetzalcoatlus).

Journey to Chandara

thumb|Cover of Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.

A fourth Dinotopia book by James Gurney, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, was published in October 2007. Gurney acknowledges the resemblance but has remained positive about it. The series was finally canceled in December. Only six of the thirteen episodes were aired on ABC, but all thirteen were broadcast the following year in Europe and were released onto a three-disc DVD box set.

Science-fiction veteran David Winning directed two episodes of the series, and location shooting lasted for three months near Budapest, Hungary. Georgina Rylance played Marion Waldo, and Lisa Zane portrayed her old friend LeSage, the leader of the Outsiders. Michael Brandon, Jonathan Hyde, and Erik von Detten also star in the series. The series ended with a cliffhanger.

Artisan Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time on 20 January 2004. This release has been discontinued and is out of print. On 15 March 2016, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the complete series on DVD in Region 1.

Video games

A number of Dinotopia video games have been produced:

  • Dinotopia (PC: 1995)
  • Dinotopia Game Land Activity Center (PC/Mac: 2002)
  • Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates (Game Boy Advance: 2002)
  • Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey (GameCube/Xbox: 2003)

References

  • Dinotopia official website
  • James Gurney's blog
  • Dinotopia Journey to Chandara publisher's website