50 Fun Facts About Jurassic Park

Who directed the 1993 film 'Jurassic Park'?

Steven Spielberg helmed the critically acclaimed 1993 adaptation of 'Jurassic Park', bringing Michael Crichton's novel to life on the big screen.

Which author wrote the original novel 'Jurassic Park'?

Michael Crichton wrote the novel; he had first conceived the idea in 1983 as a screenplay about a graduate student who recreates a dinosaur.

In Jurassic Park, which animal's DNA fills the gaps in the dinosaur genome, with the unforeseen result that the dinosaurs can breed?

Frog DNA completes the fragmented genomes, and because some frogs can change sex, the all-female park does not stay that way.

On which fictional island off Costa Rica does John Hammond build the original Jurassic Park?

Isla Nublar, described in the film as 120 miles west of Costa Rica, is the island Hammond leases for the park.

Which character famously states the line 'Life, uh, finds a way' in 'Jurassic Park'?

Dr. Ian Malcolm, the chaotician portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, delivers this iconic line, emphasizing his belief in the unpredictable and resilient nature of life.

What brand of vehicle was used for the main park tour in the 1993 'Jurassic Park' film?

Ford Explorer XLTs, repainted in park livery, carried visitors on the automated tour; a hidden driver in the back steered by video monitor. The novel used electric Toyota Land Cruisers.

Which dinosaur is first seen attacking a park worker at the beginning of the 1993 'Jurassic Park' film?

The film opens with a tense scene where a Velociraptor attacks and kills a park worker during its transfer, setting the tone for the dangers to come.

What is the bioengineering company, founded by John Hammond, that clones the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park?

InGen, short for International Genetic Technologies, is Hammond's company and the owner of the park.

Which actor played paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 Jurassic Park after Harrison Ford turned the role down?

Sam Neill was cast as Alan Grant only about four weeks before shooting began, after Harrison Ford and William Hurt both passed on the role.

What is Dr. Ellie Sattler's scientific specialization in the 1993 'Jurassic Park' film?

Dr. Ellie Sattler, played by Laura Dern, is a paleobotanist, an expert in ancient plant life, whose knowledge proves crucial in understanding the park's ecosystem and identifying poisonous plants.

In what year was Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novel published?

Jurassic Park was published in 1990, three years before Spielberg's film; Crichton's sequel novel The Lost World followed in 1995.

Which effects house created the film's groundbreaking computer-generated dinosaurs?

Industrial Light & Magic, under Dennis Muren, built the computer-generated dinosaurs for the wide shots, while Stan Winston's animatronics handled close contact with the actors.

Jurassic Park held the record as highest-grossing film ever for four years. Which 1997 blockbuster took the crown?

Titanic ended the reign in 1997; Jurassic Park had itself displaced E.T. at the top.

According to the American Museum of Natural History, Velociraptor chased down prey using what?

It had those curved claws on both hands and feet, plus hollow bones and long legs for speed across the dunes.

In which country have Velociraptor fossils been found?

Velociraptor fossils come from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and neighbouring Inner Mongolia; the first skull was found at the Flaming Cliffs by a 1923 American Museum expedition.

Compared with the real animal, how big are the Velociraptors in the films?

The film's raptors stand about 6 feet tall, roughly twice actual size; a real Velociraptor was about 2 metres long and weighed around 15 kilograms.

Which real dinosaur were the films' raptors actually modelled on?

Deinonychus, a larger North American relative, was the model; Crichton followed Gregory S. Paul's 1988 classification, which folded Deinonychus into the genus Velociraptor.

Soon after the first film came out, the discovery of which dinosaur vindicated its oversized raptors?

Utahraptor, named in 1993, the year the film opened, came from fossils found in Utah and reached some 6 to 7 metres long, larger even than the film's raptors.

In which year was Jurassic Park added to the National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress added Jurassic Park to the National Film Registry in 2018, its 25th anniversary year, in the same class as The Shining.

Counting every theatrical release and reissue, roughly how much has Jurassic Park grossed worldwide?

Jurassic Park has grossed about $1.1 billion worldwide across all releases; the 2013 3D reissue first pushed it past the $1 billion mark.

Roughly how much of Jurassic Park's worldwide gross came from North America?

Jurassic Park's North American gross is about $407 million, just under 37% of its worldwide total; the rest came from international markets.

Which animal's scream, slowed down, forms the core of the film's T. rex roar?

Sound designer Gary Rydstrom built the T. rex roar around a baby elephant's scream, slowed down and layered with a tiger's snarl and an alligator's gurgle.

The T. rex's low grunts were recorded from which animal?

Male koalas produce a startlingly deep bellow for their size, and sound designer Gary Rydstrom recorded one for the T. rex's low grunts.

Which two features of the film's Dilophosaurus were invented for the screen?

Neither the flaring neck frill nor the venom-spitting has any support in the fossil record.

Rather than start a bidding war, Crichton offered the film rights at a fixed price. How much?

He cared more about the film actually getting made than about extracting the highest possible offer.

How long before the novel was even published did Universal buy the film rights?

Universal bought the rights in May 1990, six months before the novel's November 1990 publication, beating rival bids fronted by Tim Burton, Richard Donner and Joe Dante.

What was Crichton paid on top of the rights fee to adapt his own novel for the screen?

Universal paid Crichton a further $500,000 to write the first screenplay draft, which later writers reworked before shooting.

Who wrote the final draft of the screenplay, trimming much of the novel's exposition and violence?

David Koepp wrote the final draft after Malia Scotch Marmo's pass, cutting much of the novel's exposition and violence and turning Hammond into a kindly showman.

Which character says 'Clever girl' just before the raptors kill him?

Game warden Robert Muldoon, played by Bob Peck, says 'Clever girl' when he realises a second raptor has flanked him in the undergrowth.

Why was Barbasol picked as the brand for the can hiding the stolen embryos?

The script left the brand unspecified, so a crew member went shopping and chose the can that looked best on camera.

Which publisher released Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park novel?

Alfred A. Knopf published Jurassic Park in November 1990; Knopf had also published Crichton's The Andromeda Strain and Congo.

How many Academy Awards did Stan Winston win over his career?

Stan Winston won four Academy Awards: one for Aliens, two for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (visual effects and makeup) and one for Jurassic Park.

Stan Winston's creature work covered how many of the Jurassic Park films?

Stan Winston Studio built the animatronics for the first three films, through Jurassic Park III in 2001; Winston died in 2008, before Jurassic World.

Who directed Jurassic World, the 2015 relaunch of the series?

Trevorrow co-wrote the screenplay as well, working from a story by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

How much had the Jurassic Park film series earned worldwide as of 2022?

By the end of 2022 the six films, from Jurassic Park to Jurassic World Dominion, had grossed just over $6 billion worldwide, led by Jurassic World's $1.67 billion.

In which city did Jurassic Park hold its premiere on June 9, 1993?

Jurassic Park premiered at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C. on June 9, 1993, two days before its nationwide release on June 11.

Which hurricane hit Kauaʻi on the last scheduled day of location filming in September 1992?

Hurricane Iniki struck Kauaʻi on September 11, 1992; the cast and crew sheltered in their hotel, and brief storm footage Spielberg shot that day appears in the film.

Listening to which band in his car gave Spielberg the idea for the rippling water glass?

Spielberg got the idea listening to Earth, Wind & Fire in his car, where the bass made the mirror vibrate; the ripples announce the approaching T. rex.

Universal had no stage big enough for the T. rex breakout, so it was shot on Stage 16 at which studio?

Warner Bros.' Stage 16, one of Hollywood's largest sound stages, housed the T. rex paddock set because none of Universal's own stages could hold it.

Besides Jeff Goldblum, which comic actor auditioned for the role of Ian Malcolm?

Casting director Janet Hirshenson called Carrey 'terrific' but said everyone quickly loved the idea of Goldblum.

Which actor, cast after Spielberg saw him in Basic Instinct, plays the saboteur Dennis Nedry?

Wayne Knight was cast as Nedry without an audition after Spielberg saw him sweating through the interrogation scene in Basic Instinct (1992).

Playing John Hammond was Richard Attenborough's first acting role in how many years?

Richard Attenborough had not acted since The Human Factor in 1979, 14 years earlier, having concentrated on directing films such as Gandhi; Spielberg persuaded him to return.

Which regular Spielberg collaborator composed the Jurassic Park score?

John Williams, Spielberg's composer since The Sugarland Express (1974), wrote the score while Spielberg oversaw post-production from Poland, where he was shooting Schindler's List.

How many Academy Awards did the 1993 film win?

Jurassic Park won 3 Oscars, for Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects; it also pioneered digital face replacement when Lex's stunt double glanced at the camera.

In The Lost World (1997), InGen's second island, known as 'Site B', is called what?

It was where the dinosaurs were bred before being shipped to the park, then abandoned after a hurricane. The film is loosely based on Crichton's 1995 sequel novel.

In The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Hammond's nephew Peter Ludlow plans a new dinosaur park in which Californian city?

San Diego is where Ludlow, on the verge of bankruptcy, plans to exploit dinosaurs from InGen's second island, Isla Sorna.

Which dinosaur replaced the T. rex as the lead predator in Jurassic Park III (2001)?

Spinosaurus, the sail-backed predator, is the film's main antagonist and kills a Tyrannosaurus in their fight early on; the script was still being rewritten during shooting.

Who directed Jurassic Park III (2001), the first in the series not made by Spielberg?

Joe Johnston, director of The Rocketeer and Jumanji, took over while Spielberg stayed on as executive producer; the film grossed $368.8 million, the lowest of the series to that point.

What is the transgenic dinosaur that escapes its paddock in Jurassic World (2015)?

Indominus rex, Dr. Henry Wu's hybrid built from T. rex, raptor, cuttlefish and tree-frog DNA among others, can camouflage itself and mask its heat signature.

Which Spanish director made Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)?

J. A. Bayona, the Barcelona-born director of The Orphanage and The Impossible, made Fallen Kingdom, which grossed over $1.3 billion, the third Jurassic film past $1 billion.