Using the latest digital technology, the era between the dinosaurs and man is superbly recreated by the BBC and Discovery Channel in another winning production from the coalition.Using the latest digital technology, the era between the dinosaurs and man is superbly recreated by the BBC and Discovery Channel in another winning production from the coalition.Using the latest digital technology, the era between the dinosaurs and man is superbly recreated by the BBC and Discovery Channel in another winning production from the coalition.
- Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 5 wins & 4 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe great flightless bird Gastornis, which is presented as a fierce top-predator in the show's first episode, was actually omnivorous, eating mostly plants and nuts. Its portrayal as a fearsome carnivore is unsubstantiated. The filmmakers were aware of the debate about the bird's diet, but chose to go with the predatory hypothesis, reasoning that its beak was far too robust and strong for just eating nuts. However, Gastornis' beak was not hooked like the beaks of most predatory birds and it also lacked sharp claws. Chemical analysis of its fossil bones post-2010 also found no trace of meat in its diet.
- Quotes
[Last lines.]
Kenneth Branagh: [narrating] We have since built museums to celebrate the past, and spend decades studying prehistoric lives. And if all this has taught us anything, it is this: no species lasts forever.
- Alternate versionsThe Discovery Channel broadcast edits all six episodes into one program, splicing in the documentaries Triumph of the Beasts (2001) and The Beasts Within (2001), and is narrated by Stockard Channing. In addition, many scenes of gore and sex have been removed.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Triumph of the Beasts (2001)
The story begins in the early Eocene (~55 million years ago). Why the Paleozoic (the 10 million years between the Cretaceous and the Eocene) have been left out I don't know. This was also a quite exciting time in Earth's history, just after the fall of the dinosaurs.
The series give a nice overlook of the animals that lived during the specified time. These are just short windows however, sometimes just single days within an epoch, which doesn't give much insight into the development of animals.
The amount of speculation in this series seems to be even greater than in "Walking with Dinosaurs". While we still don't know if the animals of the Eocene were single-coloured, or had spots or stars or stripes, most animals in this series had very distinct markings on their fur or feathers. But this goes even further with information about social behavior among early primates and tales of gases trapped within the local pond. These things all MIGHT have been, but watching the series gives you the impression that someone went back in time to study these animals (for a few years).
There are a few animals that have left us not only bones, but also fur and dung, like the mammoth, some sabre toothed cats and the giant ground sloth (megatherium). These creatures were recreated wonderfully.
This is another edutainment documentation from the BBC where the emphasis was put a little to much on the entertainment side. Just the same, it's not really bad (just not as good as "Life on Earth" was for example), a lot of fun to watch and it also contains a nice insight into the world of mammals.
- Gullytrotter
- May 9, 2003
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Walking with Beasts
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1