It’s not perfect but it’s an underrated gem.

@flightlesslord2688

4 ай бұрын

Agreed

I feel like the scene of the plesiosaur eating pods sister could have been handled so much better, imagine his sister just gets pulled into the water without any plesiosaur or creature being shown and the narrator just states something like "it will come back when it gets hungry again, but until then pod is safe" refering to the creature

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

THIS.

@speedracer2008

6 ай бұрын

If they had used a mosasaur, shown it knocking Pod’s sister off the log, like a killer whale knocks a seal off an ice flow, and had it kill Pod’s sister, it would have worked

I remember feeling like Dinosaur Planet was disappointing and "felt off" as a kid, and I think the anthropomorphism/Slater-isms are probably a reason as to why. I do think Pod's Travels was the episode that stuck with me the most though, it was the more interesting to me.

That Struthiomimus from land before time reference was absolute gold.

@thegreatprimevalshow

6 ай бұрын

Eeehhhhgggggssss 🪺

The location in White Tip's Journey is easily the most representative of what the prehistoric location actually looked like. However, Pod's Travels easily has my favorite filming location, despite the grass present.

I personally see Dinosaur Planet as an adventure series that happens to include elements of a documentary.

I feel Little Das’s hunt didn’t know what it wanted to be, because I feel like they could’ve just done Alpha’s Egg’s plot showing the differences between Maiasaura and Daspletosaurus growing up. But for a more original plot, I feel you could’ve explored the differences between the north and southern parts of the formation, especially since there were two species of Tyrannosaurs living together. As for Christian Slater, ngl I don’t mind his narration too much (Outside of little Das’s hunt) but it’s probably because he also narrated the Prehistoric planet cut of Walking with Beasts (Which sadly is lost to time.) and from memory serves he did a better job with that than Ben Stiller with the Prehistoric Planet cut of Walking with Dinosaurs, yes that was a thing.

What’s weird is that my DVD copy called the “Essential Dinosaur Pack” has them arranged as; White Tips Journey, Alpha’s Egg, Pod’s Travel, and Little Das’s Hunt. I wonder why they are all so drastically different in arrangement? Besides that I really enjoyed your video covering this classic documentary. I really wish they had made a second season since every episode covers the Campanian, which is a nice change of pace from the over represented Maastrichtian in dinosaur documentaries.

@tyrannotherium7873

5 ай бұрын

In that version they cut some scenes out. I don’t know why.

Ahh, Dinosaur Planet. For all its quirks and questionable choices, it was still the series that first introduced me to feathered dinosaurs. I was confused when I first saw the cover art with Whitetip haha. I was like what is this, a Velociraptor crossed with Falkor? It was cool to learn something new that day. And of course, Slater's narration was positively... 45:58

What is it with paleo docs and dinosaurs constantly tripping/falling (often with grave injuries)? Such things undoubtedly happened but the way it's portrayed in such media makes it out to be that any dino is perpetually one step away from pratfalling into the ground and breaking a leg. It's ESPECIALLY prevalent in this series too

This was my favorite dinosaur documentary growing up. It’s so interesting to look back and see how well some of it has aged and some of it hasn’t. But regardless it still serves as a fascinating time capsule into how much we knew about dinosaurs back in the early 2000’s and have taxa never depicted in media before seen on the small screen for people like seven year old me to find out about. Dinosaur Planet will always hold a special place in my heart.

Honestly, used to be my favorite dinosaur documentary and still is

1. i remember this show, was really cool when i was young 2. thanks for having the name meaning when an animal appears, i feel not enough people go that extra mile

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

Thank you, I'm glad you appreciate it!

@evodolka

6 ай бұрын

@@HodgePodge7 your welcome, and great work, this 2 hour video felt like 1 hour, it was fun

This TV show, Walking with Dinosaurs, and a National Geographic Video documentary during the early 2000's had a certain scene(s) that gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Walking with Dinosaurs in the case of having a bright ghostly white Diplodocus charging at me with just black eye sockets contrasting with the ghostly white skin and skull of the animal. Dinosaur Planet in the case of the sounds of the baby Saltasaurus being picked off by predators echoing at the end of that sequence and the pyroclastic flow killing the dinosaurs in its way. Another one was National Geographic Video's Eternal Enemies: Lions and Hyenas with the scene involving a cobra coming across a lioness and her cubs. The cobra temporarily blinds the mother and kills all three or four cubs. At night, the blinded mother is pestered by some hyenas who then come across a dead cub to then start tearing it apart before retreating into the darkness. But now as an adult, I don't really have those fears anymore though I have yet to enjoy Eternal Enemies having only seen that one a few times despite owning it on Apple TV+.

In regards to 1:38:12 - I'm not exactly sure, but that plesiosaur model may have been initially designed for Discovery Channel's Journey to the Center of the Earth documentary, animated by Meteor Studios, the same team behind Dinosaur Planet (as well as, coincidentally, Brendan Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth). The plesiosaur vs. ichthyosaur scene from Verne's novel was reenacted through animation and the plesiosaur there looks and acts exactly like this one, to the point of craning its neck above the waves. That documentary is on KZread but information about it is scarce and the exact release date of that documentary varies depending on the source. However, given that Meteor Studios closed around 2007/2008, Dinosaur Planet aired in late 2003, and some sources list Discovery's Journey also as 2003, it's seems plausible the two docs were produced concurrently, resulting in model recycling. As a side note, Meteor brought this model up one last time before their closure, in 2006's guilty pleasure Dino Lab.

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

Oh very interesting! I wouldn't be surprised tbh.

Dinosaur Planet (2003) was one of my favorite documentaries growing up.

Personally for me, I think the reason the Pyroraptors on the log look the way they look is meant to show how the salty water has them quite dehydrated from accidentally swallowing it.

@newjojosupercutsandmore2489

5 ай бұрын

Given it’s the only practical effect on the show, I’m also gonna assume they didn’t have much budget in regards for more flexible puppets

@kylecollier7569

5 ай бұрын

@@newjojosupercutsandmore2489 That could very well be true, honestly for me though whether as a kid or an adult I didn't really care much if they used animatronics for the Pyroraptors on the log.

If I could remake the plesiosaur scene it would go something like this: We see the back of a marine reptile poking out of the water then the narrator tells us that it is a mosasaur and then it swims around the for a little bit then the camera cuts to the pyroraptors and then Pod's sister gets yoked in to the water by the mosasaur unseen, and then we see the mosasaur with Pod's sister clinched in its jaws as it turns and swim into the dark waters.

If you think Christian Slater’s narration was corny, wait until you see Prehistoric Planet. It was an edit of Walking with Dinosaurs (for the first season) and Walking with Beasts (in the second season) that aired on Discovery Kids. Ben Stiller narrated the first season and Christian Slater narrate the second season. Since season 2 hasn’t been recorded, I don’t remember exactly what Slater was like, but Stiller’s narration might be even goofier than what Slater says here.

1:18:27 The line "in combat, open ground draws heavy fire" does a great job of foreshadowing the arrival of the "carcharodontosaurs", too.

If we are talking purely on Entertainment, for me its the best by far out of all paleodocs

This was my first exposure to "accurate dinosaurs" and I remember particularly loving them which continues on now. Accurate depictions are just so aesthetically pleasing.

I absolutely loved this series. I kinda wish it was longer than 4 episodes

My biggest problem with Alpha's Egg is the editing. There are a few moments where the episode sets up drama, only to not build up on it and cut to something else. For example, in the scene where Dragonfly follows Alpha, they could have Alpha put up a fight against Dragonfly's attempt to bring her down as she falls behind the herd in order to explain why Dragonfly didn't kill her, rather than just cutting to Dragonfly walking around after building up a fight between him and Alpha.

There's been issue I've had with DP with White Tip's Journey - when White Tip gets thrown off Protoceratops, it looks like there's two of them there when it should of been one.

Excellent review for a somewhat questionable documentary for me. Pod's Travels was always my favourite because of the unique premise but overall I'm not a massive fan of the show. Could've been worse though, and your palaeo insights and accuracy analysis do wonders to shed new light on this documentary. Good stuff. Also your Christian Slaterisms are absolutely perfect 👌

Didn’t relies this was a 2 hour video until I was 01:35 threw and I have zero regrets

This and WDRA are my Favorite Dino Documentaries

1:36:26 Hodgepodge's most hilarious "WTF?!"-esque moment.

White Tip is my favorite episode of the show.

Back in the day I caught the first day of episodes, but I thought the second pair of episodes were going to air on a later date. So I missed them, and I never got to watch them on TV. I didn’t get to ever watch them until the DVD release in 2004.

I feel like the brazilian portuguese dub did wonders to this show. The lines are technically mostly the same, but the guy saying them just sounds a lot more sincere, rather than someone putting on a performance.

Love your vids!

Awesome review! The sacrifice was definitely worth it for your Slater-isms alone...although I will continue to challenge your perceptions of Little Das. Regarding the comment about predators as caring parents, I think I always interpreted it as referencing predatory dinosaurs/reptiles/lower vertebrates (do theropods still count as lower vertebrates given their avian lineages?). Mammalian predators like lions are associated with nurture, but crocodiles and komodo dragons not so much.

@speedracer2008

5 ай бұрын

It also could be that the show assumes casual viewers think predators are bloodthirsty monsters, so it mocks that perception with that line.

I had White Tip’s Journey and Pod’s Travels on DVD as a kid, watched them almost every day for years. I feel like those two episodes work the best out of the series because they take themselves the most seriously, by that I mean the Slater-isms are kept to a minimum and it feels pretty sober and serious for the most part. Contrasted with Little Das’ Hunt which is like an MCU movie with jokes thrown in every five seconds

If I meet Christian Slater, I am SO sharing this video with him.

52:27-53:17 i call this music the Robert Winston theme, cause Hodgepodge used it every time Robert Winston did something weird in Walking with Cavemen.

I know some people have a real problem with anthropomorphism in Dino Docs, and I understand to a extend when it’s advertised as a “Documentary” but sometimes there is a point where I just look at them as “Dinosaur Show” than just “Dinosaur Documentaries” stuff like Dinosaur Revolution, March of the Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Planet here I can’t help but love the charm of following dinosaur characters, and even though I didn’t grow up with many other than Walking With and Planet Dinosaur (BBC), I know if I did watch these as a kid, I would love them, and I love being transported back into a younger feel, which dinosaurs can do in general but I have a soft spot for this presentation compared to the Walking with / Prehistoric Planet presentation

32:07 thats Montanazhdarcho which live in Two Medicine Formation

this one was informative

You didnt address how Velociraptor was shown living in the same hot desert environment when it didnt exist Foxes are older than the Gobi desert

How cool would a Mesozoic documentary of other non dinosaur creatures around during that era be? For example species of ancient crocodiles and monitor lizards and various fish species for example.

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

I LOVE this idea!!!

@TheSandwhichman108

6 ай бұрын

@@HodgePodge7 Yeah plus the various ancient mesozoic shark species alone could make up a documentary all on their own.

@speedracer2008

6 ай бұрын

I think this concept would be great, as long as there are scenes that show them interacting with dinosaurs. For example, if you show carnivorous mammals, show them eating baby dinosaurs, since the fossil record has shown evidence of this.

@TheSandwhichman108

6 ай бұрын

@@speedracer2008 Of course that would happen as it’s in the mesazoic. But non dinosaur creatures would still be the primary focus.

There are scenes of this show with Unpronated wrists

in Poland the order was Whitetip>Alpha>Pod>Das

Actually elasmosaurs had surprisingly robust jaws and teeth in spite of having relatively small skulls, and given that pinnipeds (even those with zero macropredatory adaptations) can and do eat prey too large to swallow whole by simply dismantling them with brute force it’s pretty likely elasmosaurs could do the same

I like that they show White Tip chasing after a lizard, as small prey, like them, would have DEFINITELY been on the menu for many small dromaeosaurids.

@HodgePodge7

5 ай бұрын

Agreed

@speedracer2008

5 ай бұрын

@@HodgePodge7 Any documentary reviews we can expect from you in 2024?

I can never look at the 'Tarascosaurs' without thinking of a grilled hamburger

This was my favorite show when I was little, I always thought the trex with the skull design was cool

Ever thought about reviewing the Dinosaur King anime? That crazy show introduced me to a lot of different dinosaurs when I was a little kid, but they took a lot of artistic licence with the dinosaurs' designs and a lot of the facts that they based them on are outdated now. You wouldn't have to review the whole show, just the dinosaurs themselves. 🦕🦖

As a documentary it won't be the best, but it still has its merits. After all, if it were a forgotten documentary, we wouldn't talk about the various positive aspects of the series. And then it has always been part of my childhood, so it seems right to leave it at least a space in my heart. Furthermore, I believe that it is among the few successful documentaries from an entertainment point of view, just look at Jurassic Fight Club or Monster Resurected, they were repetitive and also not very accurate.

1:05:23 I think the "carcharodontosaurs" killing prey by snapping the neck can be somewhat excused here, as the animal they were killing was much smaller than they were, so biting its neck to kill it probably wouldn't have taken much effort on its part.

Hodgepodge: Hay Pod who would win you or the Hatzegopteryx. Pod: Well if they hit me with their large beacks they could give me some trouble. Hodgepodge: But would you loose. Pod: Nah I'd win.

oh my god the nostalgia

The German dub of Dinosaur Planet (2003) has better narration that's more akin to what you'd expect from the Walking with... series.

@william3100

Ай бұрын

But I feel that takes a bit away from the show because it's not trying to be like Walking With Dinosaurs. I don't like how HodgePodge tries to hold this documentary up to the same standards and style of Walking With Dinosaurs and When Dinosaurs Roamed America, like as if that's what Dinosaur Planet was going for. It's not trying to be a true serious documentary and more of a dinosaur show with some education in it. So, the slight anthropomorphizism, slaterisms, and "childish" tone at times makes sense. Not every dinosaur documentary has to be as serious as Walking With Dinosaurs or When Dinosaurs Roamed America.

Pods story was my favorite followed by white tips

1:23:58 Once again, Kevin Macleod is there to provide the music to Hodgepodge's breakdown.

Nice review, but I just feel so vindicated by you pointing out the obvious elephant sounds. It always annoyed me, since it’s so obviously an elephant… I don’t imagine a Daspletosaurus or any other large theropod when I hear it: I just picture an elephant. It really takes me out of the experience. Jurassic Park did a much better job of blending animal sounds together to make something distinct and new. … I’m sorry if this is a bit of a rant, I just have to express how much I dislike the use of obvious elephant trumpets for dinosaurs.

“Paaawds Tray-valls.”

I'm gonna label the carcharodontosaurs as Tyrannotitans

I loved dinosaur planet so much ❤

Why do the Alverasaurids remind me of Gigan from the Godzilla series

Ah one of the paleo classics of the early 2000s. Sure its flawed, be it narrartion, the intigration of the cgi with the background in some cases, or the slight human personality touches, and ofcourse dated science. But theres lots of things to like as well, the designs are memorable, the soundeffects while ones that are re used alot, are nulstagic, and ofcourse the music is fantastic. And well Doctor Scott is a delgiht. Personally I always had a soft spot for White Tip's Journey, something about the story, the fantastic music and the landscape just drew me in more than the other ones. Looking back Im quite fond of the way they show the Velociraptor pack dynamics, they seem fickle and very flexible. Which is fitting given that we know that the inner ear structure of Velociraptors is similar to gregarious birds. So they were likely social, but if they hunted in packs or not is up to interpertation. Even the fauna here check out, given that in terms of their stratigraphic time range, for the Nemegt,Djadochta, Brun Gayot, we have no direct knowledge of any of their age aside from been Campanian-Maastrichtian, and how all of them have a vertical (=time ) component and some likely preserve multiple sucessive environments, but are also lateral equivalents and likely existed at the same time Tho nothing is correlated currently, its all a bit of a mess and we just need more studies and methods to figure things out.

1:51:41 omg I remember watching it as a kid

Big question about Walking with Cavemen for you. I remember when you did a video of your top 5 dinosaur documentaries and mentioned that series, you said that Robert Winston was a treat, so I was thrown for a loop when I saw how much you put him through the wringer in that review. What changed?

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

Upon rewatching it, found him really creepy and weird. Idk what I was thinking back then XD

@speedracer2008

6 ай бұрын

@@HodgePodge7 Ah. I personally like Robert Winston as a host, even if he's no Nigel Marven. I find I can relate to him, in terms of how he reacts among our ancestors. I'd certainly love to sit among Neanderthals and Homo ergaster to see how they lived.

52:27-53:17 Any time Hodgepodge uses Move Forward from Kevin MacLeod, you know that means he’s cracked.

The troodons following Pod has some basis in real life predatory behavior. Hyenas and wolves have been observed hunting and living together in the Middle East, groupers and moray eels, and African wild dogs and jackals.

1:19:10 you missed an opportunity to call them CharcharoNOTosauruses.

40:12 Honestly, they could have just had Buck and Blaze stray away from herd without making it a game. Animals of all types do this all the time.

Even granting that they probably didn't want to do another nest-centered episode for "Little Das' Hunt", they could have still said that the Maiasaura were on their way to nesting grounds, even without showing them, as an Easter egg for paleontology fans.

They don't conflate djodchta and nemegt formation; to the same degree as so many programs do. I want to give them credit.

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

Agreed

@sevenidols607

6 ай бұрын

​@@HodgePodge7even the magic school bus got this wrong in their pc game in the 90s. It wasn't till college I realized this was a problem. It's so irritating and now I check formations on Wikipedia like the paranoid OCD ridden man I am. Lol

@speedracer2008

5 ай бұрын

True. As a kid, I used to think they missed an opportunity in not featuring Tarbosaurus in that episode of Dinosaur Planet, like Chased by Dinosaurs did. Now, I realize they dodged a bullet.

21:25-21:36 If I had a nickel for every time Hodgepodge used this meme in a paleodoc review, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

Could you do planet dinosaur or dinosaur revolution?

Could the dwarf dromeosaurs supposed to represent Balaur?

I liked the standing in the field joke but then he made it not funny. Some of the jokes are ok imo. But some r lame. I dont like the colors of this dino doc. But i still like the documentary. Also id like to say the raptors in this series dont slash as much as they stab thier prey. But that isnt that much bettr

Pod my boi :D

53:17 Somebody call Ronald McDonald, cause I’m mclosin’ my (beep) mind right now!

Prequel Dinosaur revolution

did you just say ornimegalonyx?

The green raptors are balaur

@HodgePodge7

6 ай бұрын

That is a possibility!

@miquelescribanoivars5049

6 ай бұрын

And this, boys and girls, is the reason why the term "balauring" is used.

Rather watch the movie then listen to him narrate

Dinosurs