By Laura Lopez, MWN
Few premises are as exciting as entering an island full of dinosaurs. The Netflix Jurassic World youth series, “Camp Cretaceous,” is a story that follows the lives of six friends who will have to face the unexpected when the prehistoric beasts keep proving, once again, that they cannot be tamed by any human.
Producers of the series, Scott Kreamer and Colin Trevorrow, discussed this new adventure in detail:
What do you think is the reason why Jurassic World remains relevant and still appeals to the younger generation?
Trevorrow: I think it has everything to do with dinosaurs. I think there’s a new fan every day and every minute in different parts of the world and so it’s not like we have to create new ones, all we have to do is tell stories that those fans will find authentic and scary, that will give them that satisfaction that Jurassic Park gives them with all the movies we’ve made. It’s not an easy job but it’s never ceased to interest us.
What would you say is the spirit of Jurassic?
Trevorrow: These films talk a lot about family, about people who often work together to survive, and what attracts me most about the whole franchise is the reminder that the dinosaurs bring us that we are really new to this planet, we are recent, we are just guests. If we don’t work to coexist with each other and with the animals of the planet, we could become extinct like the dinosaurs. I think this is a powerful reminder of that whole idea.
Will there be another season? Will it be about the same time as Fallen Kingdom?
Kreamer: Well, people enjoy the series, so we think there will be more stories related to these characters. What can be tricky is that Fallen Kingdom happens three years after Jurassic World, so that could be a challenge just talking from the production side.
Was it a challenge to create series that would be appealing to children without being too childish?
Kreamer.: That was very exciting, I’ve been writing children’s animation for a long time. It was very exciting for me and the writers to be able to tell a real story with real themes. Starting with Darius, who has to deal with a loss and the feelings of all these kids with problems and feelings that you can identify with. It was definitely a challenge for us but at the same time, it was very exciting and liberating for the writers, who not only had to give their best, but also in the long run enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to write this story.
What is it about dinosaur stories that we always want more?
Kreamer: I’m not quite sure. I think that dinosaurs are the closest thing we have to mythological figures, the difference is that we have the certainty that these animals did live. We were talking to my eight-year-old son and he was talking about how dinosaurs have a mythological quality and how the idea of being next to something this big, an animal of these proportions, is a dream. I think it’s something that naturally appeals to all of us.
Do you have a favorite dinosaur from your childhood that you would like to include in the series?
Kreamer: Yes, it’s a bit of a cliché, but since I was a kid there was nothing like a T-Rex for me and one of the challenges of making this series for me was that, given the events in Jurassic World, there weren’t enough T-Rexes in history and I would like there to be more. I was very grateful that Colin had the idea to put one in this series. For me, it is perfect to see this animal in every episode.
Trevorrow: I would say that one of the things I am most grateful for is the fact that I was able to choose my favorite dinosaurs from all the movies. I was careful and I chose only a few, for me they are the main characters, and even though there are still some missing, it is very exciting.
