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Dinosaur Train

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Dinosaur Train
Also known asJim Henson's Dinosaur Train
GenreEducational
Created byCraig Bartlett
Directed byCraig Bartlett
Terry Izumi
Presented byDr. Scott D. Sampson
Voices ofPhillip Corlett
Claire Corlett
Erika-Shaye Gair
Alexander Matthew Marr
Ian James Corlett
Natasha Calis
Colin Murdock
Ellen Kennedy
Sean Thomas
Laura Marr
Opening theme"Dinosaur Train"
Ending theme"Dinosaur Train"
ComposersJim Lang
Mike Himelstein
Michael Silversher
Country of origin
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes100 (+1 direct-to-TV movie)[1] (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersCraig Bartlett
Brian Henson
Lisa Henson
Halle Stanford
ProducerSue Bea Montgomery
Running time28 minutes
Production companiesInfocomm Media Development Authority
Sparky Animation
The Jim Henson Company
FableVision
Snee-Oosh, Inc. (uncredited)
Tail Waggin' Productions
Original release
NetworkPBS Kids
ReleaseSeptember 7, 2009 (2009-09-07) –
April 12, 2021 (2021-04-12)

Dinosaur Train is an animated television series aimed at preschoolers ages 3 to 6 and created by Craig Bartlett, who also created Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold!.[2] The series features a Tyrannosaurus rex named Buddy who, together with the rest of his family, who are all Pteranodons, takes the Dinosaur Train to explore the Mesozoic, and have adventures with a variety of dinosaurs. It is co-produced by The Jim Henson Company in association with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (formerly the Media Development Authority), Sparky Animation, FableVision, Snee-Oosh, Inc., Reel FX, and Sea to Sky Entertainment. As of September 2018, PBS Kids had ordered 11 more episodes, taking the total number of episodes to 100.[3][4][5] A film based on the series from Universal Pictures and Universal 1440 Entertainment titled, Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island premiered on April 12, 2021.[6]

Premise

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The show is set in a whimsical prehistoric world of jungles, swamps, active volcanoes and oceans, all filled with dinosaur and other prehistoric animal life, and connected by a train line known eponymously as the Dinosaur Train. This steam-engine train can be customized for dinosaurs of all kinds: windows accommodate long-necked sauropods, there is headroom in the Observation Car for the larger theropods, and the Aquacar is an aquarium for sea-going passengers. The train itself is run by Troodons, being one of the smartest dinosaurs in this fictional universe. The Dinosaur Train circles the whole world, crossing oceans and inland seas, with stops to visit undersea prehistoric animals. It can travel through the entire Mesozoic Era, the "Age of Dinosaurs", passing through magical Time Tunnels to the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods.[citation needed]

The world of Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy the Tyrannosaurus Rex. According to the show's main title song, Buddy was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon. He hatched at the same time as his Pteranodon siblings Tiny, Shiny, and Don.[7] By traveling in the Dinosaur Train around the Mesozoic, supplied with dinosaur facts by the train's Troodon Conductor,[3] Buddy learns that he is a Tyrannosaurus rex. As an adopted child in a mixed-species family, Buddy is curious about the differences between species and likes to learn about all the dinosaurs he can by riding the Dinosaur Train. The dinosaur species featured in the show are actual dinosaurs discovered by paleontologists.

Dinosaur Train is co-produced and animated by Sparky Animation in Singapore,[3] with casting by Vidaspark and voice-overs recorded at Kozmic Sound in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[citation needed] It premiered on Labor Day 2009[8][9] and airs daily on PBS Kids, and in various countries around the world.[3] 40 half-hour episodes were ordered by PBS Kids for the 1st season. After that 49 additional episodes were made.[citation needed] Each episode is followed by a live-action segment featuring Dinosaur Train educational consultant and paleontologist Dr. Scott D. Sampson, who appears onscreen to explain the show's dinosaur curriculum in greater detail.[7]

Episodes

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Main article: List of Dinosaur Train episodes
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 40 September 7, 2009 (2009-09-07) May 6, 2011 (2011-05-06)
2 26 August 22, 2011 (2011-08-22) February 22, 2013 (2013-02-22)
3 13 January 20, 2014 (2014-01-20) June 15, 2015 (2015-06-15)
4 10 December 7, 2015 (2015-12-07) February 20, 2017 (2017-02-20)
5 11 August 26, 2019 (2019-08-26) June 15, 2020 (2020-06-15)
Film April 12, 2021 (2021-04-12)


Voice cast

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Left to right: Shiny, Buddy, Tiny, Don

Main cast

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Additional voices

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UK voice cast

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The UK dub only aired the first two seasons on Nick Jr. in the UK and Ireland from 2012 to 2015.

Production

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Development

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In early 2008, after the successful first run of Hey Arnold! on Nickelodeon, Craig Bartlett decided to create another children series, this one set during the era of the dinosaurs, including the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Bartlett conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script. Bartlett said he got the idea of the show after he saw one of his kids put a toy dinosaur in a toy train.[8]

Episode segments

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  • Time for a Tiny Ditty – Tiny either tries singing about something she learned on the show or about her favorite dish (fish).
  • Buddy has a Hypothesis – Children learn from Buddy and Tiny what a hypothesis means.
  • Dr. Scott the Paleontologist – Scott Sampson is a paleontologist who appears on the show to teach children about the dinosaurs which have appeared in each episode, and how dinosaurs compare to present-day animals (including humans).[9] He received his PhD in zoology from the University of Toronto in 1993[10] and, as of August 2019, is the CEO for Science World at TELUS World of Science in Vancouver, BC.[11]

Songs

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  • "Theme Song" – The opening theme, which is about a mom named Mrs. Pteranodon and her children, including a T. Rex whose egg landed in her nest, revealed to be written by King in his debut episode.
  • "Hungry Hungry Herbivore" – An adult Brachiosaurus (judging by his deep voice) shows up to sing a song about how herbivores love to eat green food.
  • "I'm a T-Rex" – Buddy sings that he finally realizes that he is T-Rex, and sings about living in the Cretaceous Forest.
  • "Dinosaurs A-Z" – Mr. Conductor sings the Dinosaur Alphabet that his mother taught him. The second version, Buddy and Tiny sings the song to keep track of 26 different dinosaur species in the song to pick up on the train for a picnic at Troodon Town.
  • "Cryolophosaurus Crests" – King sings about his crest.
  • "My Tiny Place" – Tiny sings about her "Tiny Place", which is actually her hideout in the form of a small hole in a tree. She sometimes shares it with Cindy Cimolestes.
  • "Nice to Meet You (My Name is Tiny)" – Tiny's song she sings to Leslie to tell her how she can talk to other dinosaurs without getting scared.
  • "All Aboard" – The original theme song before the official Dinosaur Train theme song.
  • "Tiny Loves Fish" – Tiny sings a song about how she loves fish.
  • "I Love Trains" – The Conductor sings about his love for trains.[12]
  • "I'll Always Be Your Mom" – Mrs. Pteranodon sings to her kids on how much she loves them.
  • "Dinosaur Feet" – Daphne Daspletosaurus and the gang sings about their great big stomping dinosaur feet.
  • "Sleep Little Dinosaur" – Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Mrs. Pteranodon and Tank Triceratops sing Tank's lullaby that his mom sings to him every night.
  • "I Learned a New Way to Improvise" – Shiny sings in a concert with Buddy, Tiny, Don, Cory Corythosaurus and Cory's cousin, Perry.[12]
  • "Ecosystem" – Mr. Conductor sings about living in an ecosystem.
  • "Get into Nature Song" – Song about the Nature Trackers club and getting into nature.
  • "That's Not a Dinosaur" – Tiny and the gang sings about how not every animal in the Mesozoic Era is or is not a dinosaur.
  • "No Place Like Our Nest" – The Pteranodon family sings about how their nest is the only home for them.
  • "The Biggest Dinosaurs" – Over several episodes the Pteranodon family go on trips to see the biggest sauropods, and this song is specific to those episodes.
  • "The Prettiest Pteranodon" – Mr. Pteranodon sing it to his wife while on date night.
  • "Taking the Zeppelin Home" – Mr. Conductor, Thurston, Mr. Pteranodon and Larry sing as they fly home to Pteranodon Terrace.
  • "What's at the Center of the Earth?" – The Pteranodon Family, Mr. Conductor, and Gilbert sing about the center of the Earth as they venture in it.[13][14]
  • "The Dinosaur Train Zeppelin" – The Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor sing as they travel in the zeppelin.
  • "Laramidia (The Dinosaur Big City)" – All the dinosaurs get together and sing about Laramidia, also known as the Dinosaur Big City. In the first version, the Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor sing the song.[citation needed] In the second version, King Cryolophosaurus and Mayor Kosmoceratops sing the song.[15]

Reception

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Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave this a show a rate four stars out of five, describing as a "Young dino's travels teach kids about science and diversity."[16]

Home media

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DVDs of the series from PBS Distribution were produced from 2010 to 2019. It also became part of PBS Kids compilation DVDs until 2021, when Elinor Wonders Why took over.

StudioCanal UK and StudioCanal Germany released the series on DVD in their respective countries.[17]

In other media

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Live show

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A live show, "Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train Live: Buddy's Big Adventure", toured the United States and Canada from September 2013 to June 2014.[18]

Film

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In July 2020, Craig Bartlett announced an 85-minute musical film based on the series on Instagram.[6]

The film, titled Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island, premiered on April 12, 2021, serving as the series finale.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Henson Moving Forward with "Dinosaur Train" and "The Skumps"". Muppet News Flash. September 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 156–157. ISBN 978-1-5381-0373-9.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Jim Henson Company Celebrates 100-Episode Milestone For Award-Winning Preschool Animated Series Dinosaur Train™ With New Season Five Episodes For PBS KIDS®" (Press release). Jim Henson Company. September 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "r/IAmA - This is Craig Bartlett, animation creator of Ready Jet Go!, Hey Arnold!, and Dinosaur Train – ask me anything!". reddit. April 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  5. ^ Hobson, Jane (September 26, 2018). "Henson roars for more Dinosaur Train". kidscreen. Brunico Communications Ltd. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Craig Bartlett on Instagram: "I'm thrilled to be mixing the Dinosaur Train movie today! 85 minutes of thrills and spills! Tons of songs! All aboard!! #dinosaurtrain"". Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "About Dinosaur Train". PBS KIDS for Parents. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Keogh, Tom (September 6, 2009). "All aboard the "Dinosaur Train," a new kids' show created by Seattle native Craig Bartlett". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Owen, Rob (September 4, 2009). "'Dinosaur Train' combines two popular routes". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Archived from the original on July 29, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  10. ^ "Scott D. Sampson". June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Senior Leadership Team". Science World at TELUS World of Science. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Hootin' Hadrosaurs!/Surprise Party". Dinosaur Train. Season 1. Episode 113. November 9, 2009. PBS Kids.
  13. ^ "What's at the Center of the Earth? Layers!/What's at The Center of The Earth? Fossils!". Dinosaur Train. Season 4. Episode 409. February 20, 2017. PBS Kids.
  14. ^ "What's at the Center of the Earth? Troglobites!/What's at The Center of The Earth? Minerals!". Dinosaur Train. Season 4. Episode 410. February 20, 2017. PBS Kids.
  15. ^ "Dinosaur Big City, Part 4". Dinosaur Train. Season 2. Episode 202. August 22, 2011. PBS Kids.
  16. ^ Ashby, Emily (August 21, 2023). "Dinosaur Train TV Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Jim Henson Company sells series and movie to global broadcasters". Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "North American Tour Dates". Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train LIVE: Buddy's Big Adventure. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014.
  19. ^ "Dinosaur Train: Adventure Island: Episode 0 | Schedules | WGTE". www.wgte.org. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
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