Walking with Dinosaurs − The Arena Spectacular
Walking with Dinosaurs − The Arena Spectacular was a live adaptation of the award-winning television series Walking with Dinosaurs. The show played its last show on 22 December 2019 at the Taipei Arena.[1]
Production
Walking with Dinosaurs − The Arena Spectacular was created by Australian live entertainment company Global Creatures, with puppet design by The Creature Technology Company.[2] Artistic director William May is credited as the live show's creator.[3] The production cost $20 million to stage and used puppetry, suits, and animatronics to create 16 Mesozoic era creatures representing 10 species.[4] Each large dinosaur weighs several tons, and is operated by two "voodoo puppeteers" and a driver beneath the dinosaur who also monitors the hydraulics and batteries.[5] The smaller dinosaurs (marked by an *) are suits operated by the person in it, each weighing from 20–30 kg (44-66 lbs).[5] There are six puppeteers for these suits, which only have side views.[2] The nine prehistoric creatures featured are:
- Allosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Brachiosaurus (1 adult, 1 adolescent)
- Liliensternus*
- Ornithocheirus also appeared as an animatronic in earlier versions of the tour, before being replaced with a CGI video sequence
- Plateosaurus (1 adult, 3 hatchlings)
- Stegosaurus
- Torosaurus (2x)
- Tyrannosaurus (1 adult, 1 juvenile*)
- Utahraptor (3x)*
There was also the carcass of an ornithopod and a video sequence about the Ornithocheirus. Some of the dinosaurs initially did not have feathers, but they were later added after new research showed dinosaurs possessed plumage.[2] This also necessitated rewrites of the script, which were added to later iterations of the show as well as improvements in the animatronics, making them more responsive to puppeteers and giving them the ability to "eat" food and spray water vapor as "breath".[2]
Tours
Walking with Dinosaurs − The Arena Spectacular originated in Australia in January 2007 (as Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience), and toured North America in 2007–10, Europe in 2010, and returned to North America until 2011. It also toured Asia beginning in December 2010. In 2011 the show came to its final destination of its first tour, New Zealand. In 2012, the show toured the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands.
Tour dates
North America
UK
| Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular tour dates | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue | City | ||
| 20–22 July 2018 | Metro Radio Arena | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| 26–28 July 2018 | Arena Birmingham | Birmingham | ||
| 31 Jul–1 Aug 2018 | Echo Arena | Liverpool | ||
| 3–4 August 2018 | Manchester Arena | Manchester | ||
| 7–8 August 2018 | Motorpoint Arena | Nottingham | ||
| 10–11 August 2018 | FlyDSA Arena | Sheffield | ||
| 14–19 August 2018 | O2 Arena | London | ||
| 22–23 August 2018 | First Direct Arena | Leeds | ||
| 25–28 August 2018 | SSE Hydro | Glasgow | ||
| 29 Aug–2 Sept 2018 | SSE Arena | SSE Hydro | Belfast | Glasgow |
| 3–26 September 2018 | SSE Hydro | Glasgow | ||
| 19–23 December 2018 | 3Arena | Dublin | ||
| 27–30 December 2018 | SSE Arena, Wembley | London | ||
Reception
Elliot Wagland from Huffington Post UK called the show "an enchanting way to spend an afternoon", saying that it "stunned" his son into silence.[6]
In other media
Promotion
The soundtrack of the show, composed by James Seymour Brett, was first released by ABC Classics in 2007.
In the United Kingdom, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun, released 'Walking with Dinosaurs: The Making of the Live Experience' on DVD for free, when the show was touring the country in June 2009. In addition to The Making of the Live Experience, the original 1999 series and follow-up series, Walking with Beasts, were also distributed by The Sun.
When the show was touring, various forms of merchandise were made, such as toys, cups, clothes and posters.
TV Shows
In 2009, three of the animatronic dinosaurs appeared on Top Gear series 13, episode 6.
While in the United States, the adaptation appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation season 11 episode 6.
The Arena Spectacular also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show season 12, episode 4.
References
- ^ "Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular". British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "245 million years of history on stage". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ Griffin, Michelle (6 January 2010). "William May, dinosaur creator, dies". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ ""Stepping into the world of dinosaurs:" Sneak peek of "Walking with Dinosaurs" arena spectacular!". FOX6Now.com. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Behind-the-Scenes of 'Walking with Dinosaurs' | BBC America". BBC America. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Walking With Dinosaurs (REVIEW): Prehistoric Monsters Roar Into The 02 In Spectacular Style". HuffPost UK. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
External links
- Tour website Archived 23 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine