Epic Megaseries Dinotopia Premieres Sunday, May 12, on the ABC Television Network - LaughingPlace.com: Disney World, Disneyland and More

Epic Megaseries Dinotopia Premieres Sunday, May 12, on the ABC Television Network

Epic Megaseries "Dinotopia" Premieres Sunday, May 12, on the ABC Television Network

“Dinotopia,” the epic story of a lost continent where dinosaurs and humans live together in an almost-utopian world, will air on Sunday, May 12 (7:00-9:00 p.m., ET), Monday, May 13 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) and Tuesday, May 14 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), as a special presentation of “The Wonderful World of Disney” on the ABC Television Network. The lavish ‘megaseries’ is based on the bestselling books by author/illustrator James Gurney.

The story begins when Frank Scott (Stuart Wilson), a wealthy American, crashes his plane into the Caribbean. He appears to perish, but his two teenaged sons, Karl (Tyron Leitso) and David (Wentworth Miller), survive -- only to find themselves castaways on Dinotopia, a fantastic lost continent where humans and dinosaurs peacefully co-exist. Karl and David are constantly at odds, even as they struggle to adjust to life in their strange new world.

Dinotopia’s colorful human inhabitants include resident rogue Cyrus Crabb (David Thewlis), a descendant of shipwrecked pirates who lives as an outlaw in the utopian society; smart, beautiful Marion (Katie Carr), who is in training to be a matriarch and leader of her people; Marion’s father, Mayor Waldo (Jim Carter), overseer of Dinotopia’s spectacular capital, Waterfall City; Marion’s mother, revered matriarch Rosemary (Alice Krige), and Oonu (Colin Salmon), commander of the Skybax Corps (humans who train to fly huge Pterosaurs with 30-foot wingspans).

Marion - who captures both Karl’s and David’s hearts - leads the brothers to Waterfall City where Mayor Waldo welcomes the “off-worlders” and has them enrolled in the capital’s academy so they can learn to become Dinotopians. They’re soon befriended by the talkative Zippo (voiced by British comedian Lee Evans), an academic Stenonychosaurus who speaks 17 human and Saurian languages. Upon receiving their Dinotopian assignments, cynical Karl is assigned to a Saurian “hatchery,” where he’s charged with overseeing the birth of an infant Chasmosaurus named 26. David - who is terrified of heights - is ordered to partake in Skybax training on the very frontier of Dinotopia, Canyon City.

The brothers soon discover that they’ve arrived at a critical moment in the history of this lost world. The sunstones, a force of life for Dinotopia, are mysteriously failing, and Dinotopia may soon be plunged into darkness and chaos. The boys are the keys to Dinotopia’s survival, but to save their new home they must journey to the World Beneath, a dark and dangerous territory forbidden to all the continent’s inhabitants.

“Dinotopia” was written by Simon Moore (the miniseries “Traffik,” “Gulliver’s Travels”). Marco Brambilla (“Excess Baggage,” “Demolition Man”) is the director. Robert Halmi, Sr. (“Merlin,” “Arabian Nights”) and Robert Halmi Jr. (“Cleopatra,” “Lonesome Dove”) are the executive producers. William P. Cartlidge (“Haunted,” “The Spy Who Loved Me”) and Dusty Symonds (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Little Shop of Horrors”) are the producers. “Dinotopia” is a Hallmark Entertainment and Mat I production.

In addition to the May megaseries, production is currently underway in Budapest, Hungary on 13 one-hour episodes of “Dinotopia: The Series.” The series will also be executive-produced by Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr.

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--Posted April 16, 2002

Formatted: LaughingPlace.com
Source: ABC Television Press Release