When I was a small child I was completely enamored with dinosaurs and even to this day I still am. You could then probably guess how excited I was when I got the opportunity to review Walking With Dinosaurs the arena spectacular presented by BBC. After a worldwide tour of 217 cities and seven years later they have returned to the Tacoma Dome.
The show follows Huxley, a paleontologist who takes audiences on a 200 million year journey through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods Some of the dinosaurs that Huxley will introduce audiences to are the: Plateosaurus, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Ornithocheirus, Ankylosaurus, Torosaurus and of coarse a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex. Operation for each dinosaur is done by three people. One operates the head and tale motion, one operates the movement of the mouth along with blinking and audio and one driver. The perfection of detail not only can be seen in each and every dinosaur but also in the different landscapes and plants. To be able to feel the thunder, see the lightening, hear rain and watch plants grow before your eyes is way out of this world.
The moment the very first dinosaur came out I instantly got goosebumps. These giant puppets are so lifelike it is unbelievable. There is so much information that Huxley teaches along with great jokes that adults will pick up on. The show is outstanding in and of itself but what also was great to see was the reactions of the kids whom are enamored and a little frightened by the sheer size and lifelike qualities of each creature. One very young boy sitting next to me was upset that a baby dinosaur was provided as a meal to another and screamed out “put the baby back.”
The theatrical show is about 96 minutes long with one 20 minute intermission. It is perfect for the entire family and provides the audience an exciting and very realistic view into the world of these creatures that once ruled this planet. The ticket for the show is well worth it and should not be missed.
