Fascinating Facts And Secret Details About The Jurassic Park Saga

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."

Elana

• Published in Interesting
• July 4, 2021

For over a quarter of a century the Jurassic Park saga, the creative masterpiece of author Michael Crichton, has been entertaining millions upon millions of fans. When the first movie hit theaters in 1993, the world's devotion to terrifying dinosaur stories was permanently ignited for all ages.

In less than the first decade since the stories lifted off, they generated over $5 billion in revenue. Today, there are 5 moves and a 6th is not far off, so what better time than right now to take a walk down memory lane and use a fine-tooth comb to glance at the fun facts and lesser known details of the fascinating franchise?

1. In “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, The Random Citizen Who Gets Eaten By The T-Rex Is Named “Unlucky Bastard” In The Credits

Truly, unlucky.

2. Jeff Goldblum Is More Heroic Than Dr. Ian Malcolm

Dr. Malcom was written to run away but Goldblum had better ideas that changed the way his character would be perceived.

3. In Jurassic Park (1993), The Insect Trapped In Amber (Copal) Is An Elephant Mosquito, The Only Mosquito That Doesn't Suck Blood; Therefore, It Couldn't Contain Any Dino DNA

Whoops!

4. Although The Scientists In Jurassic Park, 1993 Were Skilled Geneticists, They Misspelled Stegosaurus And Tyrannosaurus On The Cryogenic Storage Containers

Spelling is not in their skill set.

5. In Jurassic Park, Hammond Says Multiple Times He "Spared No Expense", Dennis Nedry (Newman) Is The Only Part Of The Park That Was Underpaid And Was The Reason The Park Failed

He spared one expense and it cost him everything.

6. Steven Spielberg Wanted The Velociraptors To Be About 10 Feet Tall, Which Was Taller Than They Were Known To Be. However, During Filming, Paleontologists Uncovered 10-Foot-Tall Specimens Of Raptors Called Utahraptors

Conveniently timed discoveries.

7. Films In The Franchise Reference Another Spielberg Film

Because why the heck not?

8. T. Rex Occasionally Malfunctioned, Due To The Rain

There could be nothing terrifying about that, right?

9. Grant Fashioning A Functioning Seat-Belt With Only Two Latches And No Latch Plate Foreshadows A Later Scene Where The Dinosaurs Are Suddenly Able To Breed, Despite That They Were All Originally Female

Wink-Wink

10. The Spinosaurus In 'Jurassic Park III' Was The Largest Animatronic Ever Built

"It weighed 12 tons and was operated by hydraulics, which allowed it to operate while completely submerged in water. According to an interview with William H. Macy, the film's animatronic Spinosaurus had a 1,000-horsepower motor and could turn its head at twice the force of gravity, with the tip of its nose moving at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour."

11. The T-Rex In Jurassic World Is The Same T-Rex From Jurassic Park

Why wouldn't you re-use that masterpiece?

12. At The Time Of Its Release, Jurassic Park Was Breaking All Of The Records

O Friday, June 11, 1993, Jurassic Park hit theaters and broke box office records its first weekend, bringing in $47 million. It eventually made more than $900 million worldwide.

13. All Of The Cast Members Were Given A Raptor Model Signed By Steven Spielberg As A Gift Once The Film Had Wrapped

An incredible gift.

14. Jack Horner Was So Vital To The Lost World, They Based A Character Off Of Not Just Him But Also On His Rival

Alan Grant, the main character from the original Jurassic Park, was based on paleontologist Jack Horner (pictured). Both Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg consulted with Horner about dinosaur behavior.

15. The Guests' Encounter With The Sick Triceratops Ends Without Any Clear Explanation As To Why The Animal Is Sick. Michael Crichton's Original Novel And The Screenplay, However, Includes An Explanation

"The Triceratops lacked suitable teeth for grinding food and so, like birds, would swallow rocks and use them as gizzard stones. In the digestive tract, these rocks would grind the food to aid in digestion. After six weeks, the rocks would become too smooth to be useful, and the animal would regurgitate them. When finding and eating new rocks to use, the animal would also swallow West Indian Lilac berries. The fact that the berries and stones are regurgitated explains why Dr. Ellie Sattler never finds traces of them in the animal's excrement."

16. Dennis Nedry From Jurassic Park Wearing Similar Outfits To Characters In The Goonies. Kathleen Kennedy Was The Producer On Both

She's got a type.

17. The Establishing Wide Shot Of The Dig Site In Jurassic Park III Was Actual Footage Of Jack Horner's Excavation, Filmed In Early Summer 2001. The Site Contained Several Large Fossils Of Tyrannosaurs And Some Hadrosaurs

Now that's what I call cool asf

18. Ariana Richards Got The Part Of Lex In Jurassic Park Because Of Her Scream

An iconic 90's scream if we've ever heard one.

19. In Jurassic World The Jeep Used To Escape Was The Same Jeep That Brought People In Jurassic Park

Another thing you just gotta do if you're making sequels in the future.

20. The Lost World Had An Intentional Godzilla Moment

You simply have to pay homage to the master of lizard-inspired thrills.

21. In The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Ship That Brings The T-Rex To San Diego Is Called The S.s Venture, Which Is A Reference To King Kong, In Which A Ship Called The S.s Venture Brought King Kong To New York

King Kong: almost as cool as dinosaurs, cool enough to have a tribute.

22. At The End Of Jurassic Park When The Remaining Crew Is About To Get Into The Heilcopter, The JP Logo Is Covered With Mud To Read "Your Ass Park". Condemning The Park In A Hilariously Brilliant Move

Teenagers everywhere said, "nice."

23. Jurassic Park Became The Permenant Perception Of What Many Dinosaurs Looked Like

The spitting ability of the Dilophosaurus as made up by Michael Critchton and the fancy frills around his face was the brain child of Spielberg.

We have no clue what dinosaurs actually looked like but sometimes artists will draw animals today the way we draw dinosaurs and it's amazing.

24. In Jurassic Park When The T. Rex Comes Through The Glass Roof Of The Van In The First Attack, The Glass Was Not Meant To Break. It's No Wonder Those Kids' Screams Sounded So Genuine

You can't always manufacture genuine terror.

25. In Jurassic World When Bryce Dallas Howard Rolls Up Her Sleeves And Ties Her Shirt At The Bottom To Say “I’m Ready”, She’s Wearing It The Same Way Laura Dern Did In Jurassic Park

Girl Power.

26. The Crew Had To Have Safety Meetings About The T. Rex

"Yes, we know it's not real, but the danger definitely is." The T.rex weighed 12,000 pounds!

27. In Jurassic Park, You Can See Dr. Wu Erasing A Data Sheet In The Lab

Naughty, naughty Dr. Wu!

28. The Tyrannosaurus's Roars Were A Combination Of Dog, Penguin, Tiger, Alligator, And Elephant Sounds

Angry Animal Sounds

29. In Jurassic Park III, Mr. Kirby Pees Upstream From Where Billy Is Drinking

Delicious and nutritious.

30. In Jurassic Park, The Dinosaur Is Heard Through Roars And Most Memorably, A Plastic Cup Of Water, Which Vibrates As The Predator Stomps Along

That plastic cup of rippling water is embedded in our minds forever.

Elana