Animatronic dinosaurs were no match for a vandal at “Jurassic World: The Exhibition” at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood on Memorial Day, three days after it opened for business.
Damage was estimated to exceed $250,000 including cut cables and torn dinosaur skin, forcing the exhibition to close for more than a week.
But the humans behind the dinosaurs made the proper fixes and the exhibition reopened Wednesday, June 7. (Most of the thousands of ticket buyers who had reservations for the nine days impacted by the closure have been accommodated, a spokesman said.) Ticket prices start at $21.99 for children and $29.99 for adults at jurassicworldexhibition.com. It’s open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Tuesdays and is expected to run through Nov. 12. (UPDATE: The show has been extended to Jan. 1, 2024.)
“I was disappointed that it happened,” said Michael Mattox, executive vice president for Nashville-based Animax Designs, which created the dinosaurs. “But we came back in full force. We built it once. Building it again was easy.”
Security, of course, has been beefed up 24/7 to prevent anybody from breaking in again, he noted.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rH
Credit: RODNEY HO/rH
So if the John Williams soundtrack from the original 1993 “Jurassic Park” film still gives you goosebumps, this exhibition is for you. It’s a celebration of that groundbreaking film, its five sequels and the Netflix kids show “Camp Cretaceous.”
Atlanta is the 17th city worldwide this exhibition has visited since 2016. It is scheduled to stay at Pullman Yards through August but could be extended up to six months.
“We wanted to bring Jurassic World into people’s back yards,” said Alexis Scalice, vice president of location-based entertainment for Universal Live Entertainment, which licensed “Jurassic World” to Neon, the Singapore-based company that created the experience. “We want them to feel like they are on the set of the movies. There are moments with gentle giants and there are moments of thrill and awe.”
Credit: RODNEY HO/
Credit: RODNEY HO/
Here are seven notable things to know about the exhibition:
1. Realism: The dinosaurs, in terms of movement, are more realistic than those at Dino Safari at North Point Mall, which opened in late 2021, or the 6-year-old Dinosaur Explore exhibit at Stone Mountain Park. “Oftentimes, they use pneumatic technology which is very much moving from a to b and that’s it,” Mattox said. “Our technology is far more complex and enables the dinosaurs to move in more random ways.”
2. Nostalgia: There are set pieces that are clear touchstones from the original movie including the Jeep Wrangler, the iconic gate entrance, and the gentle Brachiosaurus that had Laura Dern’s character gawking with awe. It can move at least 40 different ways. “She’s very inquisitive,” Mattox said. “She comes down and likes to look at guests.”
3. Animatronic puppets: Dinosaur trainers show up in two different rooms holding baby dinosaurs that open and close their eyes and can be petted. One is the beloved Bumpy, an ankylosaurus featured in the Netflix “Camp Cretaceous” show.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
4. The Velociraptor: One room features a slightly antsy trainer attempting to control a semi-compliant velociraptor, which is actually a human being dressed as the pesky dinosaur.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
5. The Indominus Rex: The violent hybrid theropod dinosaur introduced in the 2015 film “Jurassic World” is shown in another room aggressively grabbing a massive slab of meat but fortunately pays no attention to the park visitors outside the fence.
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
6. The laboratory: The creation lab where dino eggs are nurtured until the babies hatch in the various films is replicated with mini dinosaurs that look like they’re breathing. You also get to feel fake dino poo. “That was my idea,” Mattox said. “You have to be a big kid to dream up these things.”
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
7. A big-bang finale. The powerful and popular T. Rex makes an appearance at the very end in dramatic fashion because no dinosaur exhibit would be complete without this behemoth with big teeth and oddly tiny arms. “It took us 18 months to engineer, design and build the T. Rex,” Mattox said. “We’re constantly refining the technology to make him even more lifelike.”
The experience, which can accommodate more than 2,000 visitors a day, should take about 45 minutes to an hour and employs 20 to 30 people at a time depending on how busy the day is.
None of the actors such as Chris Pratt, Sam Neill and Bryce Dallas Howard from the movies are involved in this exhibit. “The core of Jurassic World and Jurassic Park is the dinosaurs,” Mattox said.
IF YOU GO
“Jurassic World: The Experience”
10 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Monday. Prices start at $21.99 for kids and $29.99 for adults. jurassicworldexhibition.com.
About the Author
