The original "Jurassic Park" was released in 1993 and since then, dinosaur fever has refused to die.
"Jurassic Park" was followed by two sequels that were greeted with mixed reception. This year, "Jurassic World" came out and took the box office by storm. So far, it has grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide and reignited the public's interest in the franchise.
However, not every "Jurassic Park" project became a reality.
Recently on his blog, artist William Stout shared some original advertising and concept art for a "Jurassic Park" animated series that never saw the light of day.
The ads themselves set an incredibly ominous tone:
Some fan favorite characters would return. In case you were wondering, this is what Jeff Goldblum looks like in animated form:
William Stout was recruited for the series for a very specific reason.
"At that time in the L.A. art scene I was known as 'The Dinosaur Guy' because of 'The Dinosaurs - A Fantastic New View of a Lost Era,' a 1981 book I wrote and illustrated." Stout told Tech Insider.
Based on some of the illustrations Stout posted, it is no surprise that he had this reputation.
Some of his drawings, such as this one with the Plesiosaur, capture the terror of the park:
Others, meanwhile, capture the more pleasant side of human and dinosaur co-existence:
Stout described the show to Tech Insider as a "a very smart, hip dinosaur-oriented 'Jonny Quest' for the current hip, cartoon-loving generation."
Unfortunately, it never made it to air. It might have just been a victim of poor timing.
"We had a top notch team of designers, writers and animators. We made a terrific trailer that included an example of the CG imagery we intended for the show. The problem was, that by the time we got our trailer to Steven Spielberg, he had been so inundated with great gobs of 'Jurassic Park' exploitation and merchandising that I understand he was sick of all of it. From what I heard, he never even watched our trailer. He just passed on the project and that was it." Stout said.
And while Stout had no involvement with "Jurassic World," his influence can be felt on the movie in many ways.
For instance, he drew a Mosasaurus to have on the show. It ended up in "Jurassic World" instead.
While there are no plans to ever make this animated show a reality, perhaps the huge success of "Jurassic World" could finally make it happen.
You can buy any of these pieces of original art on Stout's website.
