Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #265 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-05-15
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 230 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Walking with Dinosaurs, which must have surprised even its makers by reaching the viewing figures usually reserved for royal weddings, was the undoubted television event of 1999. (The companion book and soundtrack album became bestsellers, too.) Extending the computer animation techniques developed for Jurassic Park (1993) these six 30-minute programmes, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, became the first blockbuster special-effects documentary. Here was natural history with a difference, recreating "the lost world" of the Cretaceous and Mesozoic with modern technology, the remarkable visuals enabling the programme-makers to show what life may have been like during the estimated 160 million years "when dinosaurs ruled the Earth".

As well as the dinosaurs, the series investigates the plants, insects, climate and geography of the distant past, and considers the mystery of why the creatures became extinct so suddenly. There has been some argument over how much is scientific fact, and how much is entertaining speculation--after all, Life on Earth (1978) and The Living Planet (1984) had the advantage of living subjects to film--but for the moment this series must stand as the definitive visual chronicle of the life and times of the fascinating "terrible lizards". A year later the BBC followed this with the surprisingly sympathetic The Ballad of Big Al (about a youthful Allosaurus), before the equally ambitious, and equally enthralling Walking with Beasts (2001).

On the DVD: Those interested in special effects techniques will appreciate the inclusion of a 50-minute "making of" documentary (which is also on the VHS). There's also an informative director's commentary, plus some behind-the-scenes picture sequences and additional graphics. The sound is vivid Dolby stereo and the picture is anamorphic 16:9 widescreen.--Gary S Dalkin

Video Description
DVD Special Features

Exclusive behind the scenes picture in picture sequences
Additional graphics
Director's commentary
Animated menu

Synopsis
Learn all about the dinosaurs and how they ate, fought, mated, and more. High-tech animatronics and computer graphics are used to bring the world of the dinosaurs to life, in this popular documentary series. Includes six episodes featuring the most up-to-date discoveries, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. Made in association with The Discovery Channel.

Customer Reviews

Now we see what we could only imagine before...
"See what you could only imagine before" is how we should take this BBC series. No matter what the paleontologists and critics say, this is a most up-to-date work on this Lost World.

These 6 Episodes take us, the viewers through the Life and Times of these creatures that walked the earth before us. The special effects, with or without footprints, with or without thumping earth-shaking sounds show us enough, with the latest scientific findings, to give us what we could not picture before.

More than that, they have taken pains in their research to "put to Life" the creatures in terrain that were nearest to what the Dinosaurs were roaming in.

The narration by Kenneth Branagh is authoritative and the material is entertaining and educational. No matter that the producers admit to some guess-work, but we know no more than mere fossils and skeletons found anyway. Even some of the Scientists and Paleontologists agree that with the animation, they have new theories of how some of the dinosaurs moved!

A plus for DVD is the picture-in-picture feature that shows some of the behind-the-scenes and explanatory footage. Also on DVD is a second disc of 50-mins documentary showing the "making of".

This is a typical BBC documentary - brilliant. Altogether, a must-buy documentary feature.

One of a kind!
The BBC's 'Walking With Dinosaurs' totally defies classification: a first glance it seems to be a natural history series, with carefully filmed footage and Attenborough-esque narration (provided here by Kenneth Branagh). But there are no live creatures in the series - just models and computer-generated prehistoric animals! The animation gets better with each era covered, and overall the concept can't really be faulted. Watching this video, you realise how far computer technology has come even in the few years since 'Jurassic Park'. Very impressive.

Brilliant introduction to the world of Dinosaurs
I watched this series on TV when it came out and remembered it as an enjoyable documentary series with CGI dinosaurs and landscapes that looked very real. I recently wanted to get something that would interest my young children so I bought this DVD. My decision has turned out a very good one as "my brood" is completely hooked on dinosaurs and want to watch the series over and over again. It has also prompted me to read up more on some of the different species. There appears to be some controversy over size of the different dinosaurs, such as Liopleurodon, but that's not a really big deal for casual enthusiasts like myself. Therefore it is highly recommended for people of similar background in the subject.