First Look: Dinosaur TV Project Reign Of The Dinosaurs

By Peter Sciretta/July 13, 2010 9:00 am EST

Update: Discovery wanted us to post the following correction

Reign of the Dinosaurs is being produced by Creative Differences for Discovery Channel. While we are privileged to have incredible artists who have worked with Pixar and Disney on the upcoming 2011 Discovery Channel series, Reign of the Dinosaurs, the production is not a Pixar project.

Artists at Pixar Animation Studios have been working with Discovery Channel on a new television series called Reign of the Dinosaurs. The network is describing the project as "Avatar meets Jurassic Park". What does this upcoming television special look like? Photo after the jump.

First Look Photo:

Official Synopsis:

Avatar meets Jurassic Park as the latest paleontological research meets Hollywood story telling. Discovery Channel teams with the top creative talent from Disney and Pixar to create an unparalleled television event. New creatures abound in a wondrous new world – giant dinos with Freddy Krueger style clawed hands, pygmy T-rex, frogs so big they can eat dinosaurs. Learn the latest in understanding of dinosaur behaviors with exotic mating dances, the inner workings of the T-rex's nuclear family, dinosaurs drunk on fermenting fruit, dinosaurs in apocalyptic events, the underwater birthing of mosasaurs, and prehistory's angriest mammals. A daring and provocative new chapter in television, REIGN OF THE DINOSAURS is bound to be the benchmark for all future dinosaur natural history programming.

Discovery Channel will be presenting a panel for Reign of the Dinosaurs at Comic Con on Friday night at7:30pm in room 6BCF. Here is the description from the Comic-Con catalog:

For the first time ever, Discovery Channel will launch a new television series at San Diego Comic-Con. The REIGN OF THE DINOSAURS panel, scheduled for Friday, July 23 at 7:30PM in Room 6BCF, will provide a rare and unparalleled behind-the-scenes look at the current artistic development of the 2011 series. Destined to reset the benchmark previously set by Discovery's WALKING WITH DINOSAURS for dinosaur natural history programming, REIGN OF THE DINOSAURS combines the latest paleontological research with Hollywood storytelling and the talent of the world's best dinosaur illustrators and animators. In the series, new creatures like giant dinos with Freddy Krueger-style clawed hands, a Jurassic flying squirrel, pygmy T-Rex and frogs so big they can eat dinosaurs, are combined with the latest understanding of dinosaur behaviors. During the panel, renowned artists Ricardo Delgado (Dark Horse Comics' Age of Reptiles), Tom deRosier (Lilo and Stitch, Mulan), David Krentz (Disney's Dinosaur, John Carter of Mars), Iain McCaig (Star Wars Ep. 1, 2, 3), Mishi McCaig (Iron Man), Pete Von Sholly (The Mask, Darkman) will provide a once-in-a-decade opportunity to be present at the creation of an epic series. Moderated by Producer Erik Nelson (Grizzly Man), the panel will reveal the secrets behind this journey back to the Prehistoric era, by showing how they're creating the stories, characters and digital models for the new standard in realistic dinosaur storytelling.

Panelists will also sign autographs in the Sails Pavilion on Saturday, July 24 from 1-2PM.

Comic-Con Panelist Bios

Ricardo Delgado is the creator of Age of Reptiles, an influential dinosaur comic book that has been published all over the world by Dark Horse Comics. Ricardo has also worked on such films as X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Eagle Eye, The Matrix Sequels, Men In Black, Star Trek- First Contact and the forthcoming Gulliver's Travels. In animation, Delgado's credits are The Incredibles, Wall-e, Avatar- The Last Airbender, Atlantis- The Lost Empire and How to Train your Dragon. Ricardo is the author of two recently released novels, Sam Specter and the Book of Spells and Warhead. He also teaches at the prestigious Art Center College of Design.

Tom deRosier has worked for more than a decade in animation on such projects as Brother Bear, Lilo and Stitch, Mulan, where he was one of the animators on Shan-Yu, as well as the forthcoming Rango. Tom cites Reign of the Dinosaurs as a passion project that will be a mixture of "hot-off-the-presses" dinosaur information and immersive, emotionally engaging storytelling.

David Krentz is one of the world's leading dinosaur artists. Krentz held a lead character designer position on Disney's Dinosaur, where his love for dinosaurs, anatomy and character proved a valuable asset to that benchmark CG film. David has contributed to such movies as Fantasia 2000, Treasure Planet, Spiderman 2, Valiant, The Ant Bully, Spiderwick, Outlander and three separate versions of John Carter of Mars including the one currently in production as well as many other live-action and animated films currently in preproduction.

Iain McCaig is an internationally renowned and award-winning illustrator and conceptual designer. McCaig is best known for his work as a principal designer on the three Star Wars prequels, including the iconic characters Queen Amidala and Darth Maul, as well as his work on many major motion pictures, television, and video games. His work can be seen in such acclaimed films as Terminator 2, Hook, Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, Interview with a Vampire, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His book Shadowline, published in 2008, presents a stunning portfolio of more than two decades of McCaig's masterful concept designs and storyboards, cover art and illustrations, as well as his private sketchbooks and personal paintings, all woven together within the confines of an engrossing, otherworldly tale.

Mishi McCaig has contributed art, design, and production services on several major feature films, including Pixar/Disney's John Carter of Mars and Marvel's Iron Man. She also collaborated on the costume design for the Hugo and Nebula nominated short, World Enough and Time and has shot and directed numerous short films of her own. Currently, she is contributing to art and story on several projects with Ninth Ray Studios, as well as developing her own film and publishing projects.

Pete Von Sholly has storyboarded and/or designed for over 100 feature films including The Shawshank Redemption, Mars Attacks!, Disney's James and the Giant Peach, Darkman, The Mask, The Blob, Nightmare on Elm Street III and IV, The Waterdance, The Green Mile, Click, and The Mist. Pete has written and illustrated three graphic novels for Dark Horse Comics and three satiric magazines for TwoMorrows. Self-published titles from Vonshollywood Press include Sergeantstein and his Maraudin' Monsters, Dinosaur Circus and Spinecrawler. He also created and co-directed the Prehysteria feature film trilogy.