Summary
Since 1993,Jurassic Parkhas been at the forefront of dinosaur content, but this year, a new dinosaur series has hit Paramount+,Ark: The Animated Series, and its menagerie of creatures may finally give the iconic franchise a run for its money.Ark: The Animated Seriesis a 2024 adult animated show based onARK: Survival Evolvedthat follows Helena Walker, a paleontologist who wakes up on an island of dinosaurs. At first glance,ArkandJurassic Parkseem quite similar, however, their shared use of dinosaurs is just one commonality. In reality,Arkhas more to offer beyond reptiles.
It is no secret thattheJurassic Parkmoviesare the blueprint for dinosaur-centric content. Although the franchise began thirty years ago, it remains a highly profitable and beloved film series. In fact,Jurassic World 4is currently in development. But, despite its fame,Jurassic Parkis not the end-all-be-all of dinosaur content,andArk: The Animated Seriesis proving that.Arknot only has an amazing collection of dinosaurs, but it also offers deep, human plotlines and, unlikeJurassic Park,offers a glimpse at prehistoric mammals as well as reptiles.
9 Dinosaurs We’re Surprised Haven’t Been In A Jurassic Park Movie Yet
Throughout the years, Jurassic Park’s movies featured numerous interesting and unique dinosaur species, but some didn’t make it to the big screen.
Ark: The Animated Series Has Prehistoric Mammals (Jurassic Park Doesn’t)
Jurassic Park has only focused on dinosaurs
Jurassic Parkmay be the champion of dinosaur movies, but this fact only makes sense.Jurassic Park’sdinosaursare its main draw. Although the title includes the term “jurassic,” referring to a 54 million-year geological period during the Mesozoic Era, the films only center on a small part of the overall population at that time via dinosaurs and reptiles. Sure, dinosaurs were roaming Earth during the jurassic period, but so were countless other mammals society no longer sees today. That is whereArk: The Animated Seriescomes in, and does whatJurassic Parknever has before.
Ark: The Animated Seriesnot only includes dinosaurs and reptiles, but other prehistoric mammals as well. For example,one of thefirst interactions Helena has on The Island iswith a Dodo, a flightless bird that is now extinct but lived during the jurassic perioduntil the 17th century. Via the Dodo, Helena comes into contact with another human on the island called Bob.Ark: The Animated Seriesalso includes creatures like the saber-tooth tiger. Ultimately,Arkis shining a light on prehistoric mammals thatJurassic Parkhas historically ignored.
Ark: The Animated Seriesis based on a 2015 video game calledARK: Survival Evolved.
Prehistoric Mammals That Would Look Great In Live Action
Prehistoric mammals as interesting as dinosaurs
Now thatArk: The Animated Serieshas given certain prehistoric mammals a slice of the limelight, it may be time forJurassic Parkto do the same. This would be a particularly cool step up fromArkbecauseJurassic Parkis a live-action film series rather than an animated one, so the animals would be portrayed just as they would have been in the jurassic era. LikeArk,Jurassic Parkshould include mammals like the saber-tooth tiger, the mastodon, the giant sloth, the giant beaver, arctotherium, and more. There are mammals both familiar and unique to mammals known today.
Aside from how the mammals themselves would look, including prehistoric mammals inJurassic Parkwould be an amazing addition because it would make the movies better.
Although the park itself is scientifically controlled, with certain individuals picking and choosing its animal inhabitants,it would feel much more accurate to history if the park included as many mammals as dinosaurs. As previously mentioned, dinosaurs were not the only animals roaming around at that time, and therefore, if more mammals were included, then Jurassic Park/World would be much closer to representing the real habitat of the real jurassic era.
Why Prehistoric Mammals Wouldn’t Break Jurassic Park’s Rules
Jurassic Park already has flexible rules
One concern with adding more mammals toJurassic Parkis that these animals may not have been around in the specific period that the film franchise is going for. Furthermore, maybeJurassic Parkthrives from just centering on dinosaurs. However,Jurassic Park’srules are far more slippery than they seem. Throughout the franchise,Jurassic Parkhas managed to include animals that are not technically dinosaurs, such as the Dimetredon. On top of that, the timeframe for certain dinos or reptiles isn’t always precise either. Therefore,Jurassic Parkcould easily add mammals, regardless of era or species.
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Overall, ifJurassic Parktook a page out of the book ofArk: The Animated Series,then it could truly enter a new level for the iconic film franchise. Since the 90s,Jurassic Parkhas successfully brought dinosaurs to movie theaters, and now, it is time to introduce more extinct creatures that viewers may not even know about. This is also a sign forJurassic Parkfans to watchArk: The Animated Series.Though the two are different in many ways, they certainly share a love of dinosaurs and the prehistoric era.
