14 Earth-Shaking Facts About The Jurassic Park Movies

Jurassic Park got sued, and almost killed someone.
14 Earth-Shaking Facts About The Jurassic Park Movies

Another Jurassic movie comes out this weekend, so we've been taking a close look at the franchise. Jurassic Park was a surprisingly controversial movie from a surprisingly nutty author. It led to bunch of sequels filled with creative deaths, and also revived interest in science. We can make dinosaurs today (claim some people), and can also make real dinosaur parks (with animatronics). 

These last few years, we've had the reboot series, which has mainly useful as a target for our mockery. And of course, we've had Jeff Goldblum, who sometimes mocks us

Here's a look back at the facts we learned this week. The links all lead to full articles with much more info, so click every one that interests you, or a T. Rex will eat you when you're on the toilet

1. Jurassic Park's technical advisor wants to make real dinosaurs from chickens. 

Jack Horner, paleontologist and advisor to four Jurassic movies, thinks he can reawaken genes in chickens to give them dinosaur tails and hands. 

2. Jurassic World deleted a scene where Claire rubs dinosaur poop over her chest and legs. 

This scene is supposed to be sexy and is notable for being the only scene of sexual tension between her and Chris Pratt before they eventually kiss amid the carnage. 

3. Michael Crichton once plagiarized Orwell to make a point. 

The author of Jurassic Park, after getting bad grades in college English, lost faith in his professors and submitted an essay by Orwell under his own name as an experiment. The professor gave it a B-, so Crichton left the program and shifted to studying science

4. Jurassic Park and Schindler's List both came out in 1993. 

So that was one heck of a year for Steven Spielberg. Later, he quietly reenrolled in California State University, and to get his B.A. in Film and Video Production, Spielberg submitted Schindler's List.

5. Don't blame the writers for Claire running in heels in Jurassic World

For more, read 20 Roaring Facts About the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World Franchise

6. Finding every collectible in the Lost World: Jurassic Park video game unlocks a video from Jeff Goldblum. 

In addition to congratulating you for your accomplishment, he urges you to go outside and "get the stink blown off you."  

7. Those were real margaritas in Jurassic World

Jimmy Buffet cameos in the park's Margaritaville restaurant, struggling to save his margarita. That was a fully operational store built in the parking lot of the former Six Flags New Orleans, and those are real customers drinking real booze

8. James Cameron almost directed Jurassic Park

He says his version of the film would have been "further, nastier, much nastier," "Aliens with dinosaurs"—though we can also see the direction he'd have taken by looking at his Avatar

9. A fake dino park fooled scientists.

A billionaire labeled a development "dino park" in architectural plans to avoid revealing details, and he received actual inquiries from hundreds of scientists who thought he was trying to clone dinosaurs. 

10. Jeff Goldblum has been subject to internet death hoaxes, fooling his actual family. 

For more, read 18 Facts About Jeff Goldblum We Could And Should Share With the World

11. The most interesting part of Jurassic World's trailers really wasn't a part of the film. 

The trailers teased dinosaurs escaping into the wider world, including a scene of the giant Mosasaurus attacking surfers. This actually came from a montage at the very end of the film, which only teased the premise of a possible sequel. 

12. Jurassic Park's science actually works (to make beer). 

Scientists revived 45-million-year-old microbes preserved in amber, and when years of research failed to yield any medical applications, they used the yeast to make beer. 

13. There's one unrealistic part of the original story that no one talks about.

How did Hammond keep the park totally secret before showing it off to the characters? You might never have wondered about this, but when you consider how many people must have worked on the park, its construction, and its merchandise, it's wild that word didn't get out. 

14. Another movie came out in 1993 about a dinosaur zoo: Lost in Dinosaur World.

This wasn't a knock-off of Jurassic Park. In fact, it was based on a book that predated Michael Crichton's, leading its author to (unsuccessfully) sue. 

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