Dinosaurs Alive! was an animatronic dinosaur themed area which formerly operated at several amusement parks and zoos, but has since been closed.
The exhibits were created by Dinosaurs Unearthed. Some markets, like Toronto, previously staged their touring exhibit at other venues. Some reviewers noted that seeing a roller coaster in the background was an "incongruity". A sand pit allowed children to "dig" for dinosaurs at an area near the end of the attraction.
Dinosaurs The exhibits featured dinosaurs that were built to scale and depicted various habitats they would have likely encountered. Among the variety of species present throughout the attraction, the dinosaurs themselves could range from several feet in height and length to the much larger Ruyangosaurus, which stood more than tall. Each amusement park configuration was unique, with some featuring exhibits not present at the others:
Park DinosaursBrookfield Zoo2009 Ruyangosaurus, Protoceratops, Pteranodon, Yangchuanosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Metriacanthosaurus, Omeisaurus, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Deinonychus, Parasaurolophus, Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Plus, juveniles of Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus. 2013Shantungosaurus, Styracosaurus, Kosmoceratops, Olorotitan, Gigantoraptor, Alxasaurus, Confuciusornis, Sinosauropteryx, Velociraptor, Microraptor, Stegosaurus, Amargasaurus, Spinosaurus, Omeisaurus, Triceratops, Parasaurolophus, Dyoplosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, Carnotaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Dilophosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Calgary Zoo The same animatronic dinosaurs from Brookfield Zoo from 2009 were moved here for 2010 minus the Ruyangosaurus. Three new dinosaurs were added that were discovered in Alberta, Canada: Albertosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, and Euoplocephalus. Canada's Wonderland Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Huayangosaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Maiasaura, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus Carowinds Tsintaosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Triceratops, and more Cedar Point Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Anhanguera, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Olorotitan, Omeisaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Saltasaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Torosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus Dorney Park Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus Kings Dominion Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus Kings Island Albertosaurus, Allosaurus, Amargasaurus, Angustinaripterus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Deinonychus, Dilophosaurus, Dyoplosaurus, Eotyrannus, Herrerasaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Metriacanthosaurus, Mojoceratops, Monoclonius, Monolophosaurus, Olorotitan, Omeisaurus, Ouranosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pinacosaurus, Psittacosaurus, Ruyangosaurus, Saltasaurus, Sauroposeidon, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Styracosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Torosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus and Yangchuanosaurus Toronto Zoo Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex Valleyfair Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Baryonyx, Dilophosaurus, Huayangosaurus, Mamenchisaurus, Omeisaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Yangchuanosaurus Woodbine Fantasy Fair Spinosaurus Worlds of Fun Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Chasmosaurus, Dacentrurus, Deinonychus, Herrerasaurus, Irritator, Kosmoceratops, Mamenchisaurus, Mojoceratops, Olorotitan, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Ruyangosaurus, Saichania, Saltasaurus, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Tenontosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus rex
In addition to being life-sized, many of the dinosaurs were animatronic. Models featured moving skin, with no visible joints or seams. Some were interactive, that allowed visitors to press buttons on the exhibit's sign to control the movement of various body parts depending on where the button was located (e.g., button on snout opens jaws, button on throat thrashes neck and button on rear makes the tail sway). The non-interactive animatronic dinosaurs were activated when motion sensors detect movement by guests walking by. Sound effects from hidden speakers also accompanied the various movements including roaring, bellowing and/or shrieking.
Size
Location Park Dinosaurs Trail length Area Calgary, Alberta Calgary Zoo 20 Vaughan, Ontario Canada's Wonderland 40 Charlotte, North Carolina Carowinds 32 Sandusky, Ohio Cedar Point 50 Allentown, Pennsylvania Dorney Park 37 Doswell, Virginia Kings Dominion 36 Mason, Ohio Kings Island 60 Scarborough, Ontario Toronto Zoo 16 Shakopee, Minnesota Valleyfair Kansas City, Missouri Worlds of Fun 35
Movie A dinosaur-related 3D movie was shown at Carowinds in their respective Action Theater with the motion seats removed. It was also shown at King Dominion and Canada's Wonderland as well. The film was included with park admission at most parks,Kings Island. "E-Newsletter — Dinosaurs Alive! 3D an Adventure With Teeth!" VisitKingsIsland.com. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. May 10, 2011, accessed May 10, 2011. while admission to both the attraction and film cost $6 at Canada's Wonderland. At Wonderland, the film shown in the theater is the 11-minute Monsters of the Deep, while Dinosaurs: Monsters of Patagonia was shown at Carowinds and Kings Island.
Kings Island, Cedar Point and Carowinds charged an additional $5 admission per person over the age of 2. However, Carowinds did offer special Dinosaurs Alive! endorsement stickers that could be attached to season passes for $15, granting the passholder unlimited trips through the exhibit for that season.
Reception The added admission fee was the target of criticism. Cedar Point representatives have stated that the fee is to avoid overcrowding in the section. A writer for Wired.com suggested that, given the cost of admission, parking and food at Canada's Wonderland, the added cost of Dinosaurs Alive! was trivial. Some theme park enthusiasts suggested in advance of opening that the attraction would not be "repeatable", in advance of its Cedar Point opening.
Many dinosaurs in the Canada's Wonderland attraction were juveniles, causing one reviewer to speculate this was "a cost-saving measure." The reviewer also noted that in some instances, the info panels didn't match the depiction in the exhibit. For example, the Canada's Wonderland Eotyrannus lacked feathers despite the nearby illustration suggesting otherwise.
See also 2011 in amusement parks 2012 in amusement parks 2013 in amusement parks Dinosaur Island (Sea World) Dinosaurs Alive!, an IMAX film
References
External links Dinosaurs Alive! at Canada's Wonderland Dinosaurs Alive! at Carowinds Dinosaurs Alive! at Cedar Point Dinosaurs Alive! at Dorney Park Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Dominion Dinosaurs Alive! at Kings Island Dinosaurs Alive! at Valleyfair Dinosaurs Alive! at Worlds of Fun