Disc Details
Special Features:	Full frame. Chapter selection. Featurette: "Evolution: The Making of Dinotopia. Interview with Music composer Trevor Jones. Storyboard to film comparison: The T-Rex attack. Dinosaur encyclopedia:Dinosaur data, Saurian alphabet, Tour through Dinotopia. Animated photo gallery. Trailers for Dinotopia and other Hallmark films. Cast and crew info. Two deleted scenes. Gameboy Advance preview and game tips: Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates. 26's Maze Game. DVD ROM Features: Download production storyboard. Dinotopian trivia game. Skybax Pilot Game. Download printable Suarian alphabet. Internet links.
Video Format:	Full Frame (1.33:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles:	None.
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	2-Disc Keep Case

Karl (Tyron Leitso) and David Scott (Wentworth Miller) have travelled to Antigua for their father Frank's (Stuart Wilson) birthday. The young men are half-brothers who rarely see each other. David is bookish and sensitive while Karl is outgoing and athletic. Frank takes his sons on a ride in his small plane. They hit a storm and crash into the ocean. Despite Karl's best efforts to free his father, Frank sinks to the bottom of the sea. The two brothers break for the surface. They do not see the large aqautic dinosaur that follows the plane into the murky depths.

The brothers wash up on the shore of a lush island. They have become the first outsiders to wash up on Dinotopia since 1944. What they find is a utopian society in which mammals and reptiles live in harmony with each other. David wants to learn as much as he can about the new society, while Karl's main concern is getting off the island to look for his father. Dinotopia is ruled by a senate with the Mayor of Waterfall City, Mayor Waldo (Jim Carter) as it's head. Waldo's duaghter Marion (Katie Carr) is being groomed for leadership.

Dinotopia is powered by Sunstones. Unfortunately, the sunstones are starting to fail. Also, there are those in Dinotopian society who have malice in their hearts toward the ruling class. Karl and David spend their time learning about Dinotopia, wooing Marion and going on a grand adventure to save the land.

Dinotopia showcases an excellent combination of CGI dinosaurs and Stan Winston's models. There are sweeping scenes of numerous dinosaurs interacting with humans. There are several big dinosaur battle scenes. One of the best comes early in the movie as a herd of T-Rexes attack a village. It would have taken Ray Harryhausen a year just to animate this scene alone! Several more spectacular scenes follow including the climatic battle involving Pteronodons.

This isn't just a special effects film though. Unlike many of the great films of Ray Harryhausen, the story keeps the audience's attention. The special effects further the story. As the dinosaurs can communicate with the humans, they are major characters in the story. Dinotopia is an epic family film which will enthrall viewers of all ages.

Picture Quality: 10/10
I only wish the movie was shown in widescreen format. There were no artifacts present. This is quite an accomplishment considering the length of the film. Excellent delineation of light and dark colors. Excellent flesh tones. There are a few times in which the CGI dinosaurs don't perfectly match their surroundings, but this is rare and doesn't detract from the movie viewing experience.

Sound Quality: 10/10
The 2.0 surround sound is great. The film's several dinosaur battles are as aurally exciting as they are visually. No distortion in the lower ranges. This makes for crisp, clear roars from the various reptilian characters.

Menu: 10/10
Nice design. I really appreciate the way the filmmakers incorporated the look of Gurney's illustrations into the movie. The menu is easy to navigate.

Extra Features: 10/10
The making of featurette is funny and informative. Nice look into the creation of the various creatures and sets.

There are lots of goodies for the kids on this DVD. There is a maze game which my 4 year old daughter enjoyed. My son and I have enjoyed the Skybax pilot game found on the DVD-ROM features.

The storyboard to film comparison of the T-Rex attack is quite good. There are also downloadable storyboards on the DVD-ROM.

The cast and crew bio only focuses on the younger stars. This is a shame when you consider that the cast includes several great British actors including Jim Carter from "Shakespere in Love" and the dark, demented David Thewles.

The Dinosaur encyclopedia includes detailed information about nine different dinosaurs that appearing the film.

The Final Word:
This is a must have DVD. Great family entertainment from Hallmark. This film continues in the vein of their other great made for TV films such as Merlin, Snow White, Stranded and Jason and the Argonauts.

Rusty White