Planet of Life (1995 Mini Series)

[Gwangi]

Is there anyone else here familiar with the Planet of Life series that aired on the Discovery Channel in 1995? It was a 7 part series and each episode was 45 minutes long. The episodes were...

The Birth of Earth
Ancient Oceans
When Dinosaurs Ruled
Creatures of the Skies
The Insect World
Apes to Man
Evolution's Next Step



I had recorded them all on VHS tapes and re-watched them constantly. I still have them somewhere, but they might not work. The shows were largely CGI and as you can imagine, 1995 TV CGI wasn't great, but it was revolutionary at the time. My favorite episode was Ancient Oceans which introduced me to the Cambrian explosion and it absolutely captivated 11 year old me. This would have been the first time I had ever heard of things like Anomalocaris, Hallucigenia, Opabinia and the like. The "dinosaur" episode on the other hand I found disappointing because from what I remember it talked more about the evolution of angiosperms than actual dinosaurs. Anyway, I was just curious if anyone else had seen it or if it was an influential part of anyone else's lives.

All of the episodes are on this playlist on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSqNQaVZea-CDUzUZelSqi-hwD3ii2v1P

[Faelrin]

Never heard of this one before. You had me at Cambrian period tbh.

Was this like WWD in a way before WWD, or more like those documentaries that came later?

[Gwangi]

Never heard of this one before. You had me at Cambrian period tbh.

Was this like WWD in a way before WWD, or more like those documentaries that came later?

I wouldn't say that it's like WWD, it's more your traditional style documentary. Talking heads, and footage of fossils and dig sites, broken up by brief CGI sequences that illustrate what the show is talking about. 

[Faelrin]

Yeah I quickly found that out after I started watching the Ancient Oceans episode. Come to think, I've definitely seen some of the footage of this particular one, a few years back. I definitely recall the scene of them testing the model of Anomalocaris. Was really fascinating learning some of the history and people behind putting puzzle together of two of my favorite prehistoric animals (Anomalocaris and Opabinia respectively). I didn't quite finish it last night, but I'll pick up where I left off and finish it later today.

It also amazes me seeing how little of their reconstructions have changed since this was made, and their CGI models didn't look bad at all. Perhaps early aquatic invertebrate animals can get away with early CGI, in comparison to land animals like dinosaurs (although JP's hold up in some ways, namely their movement having much more weight compared with the later JW films).

[Gwangi]

Yeah I quickly found that out after I started watching the Ancient Oceans episode. Come to think, I've definitely seen some of the footage of this particular one, a few years back. I definitely recall the scene of them testing the model of Anomalocaris. Was really fascinating learning some of the history and people behind putting puzzle together of two of my favorite prehistoric animals (Anomalocaris and Opabinia respectively). I didn't quite finish it last night, but I'll pick up where I left off and finish it later today.

It also amazes me seeing how little of their reconstructions have changed since this was made, and their CGI models didn't look bad at all. Perhaps early aquatic invertebrate animals can get away with early CGI, in comparison to land animals like dinosaurs (although JP's hold up in some ways, namely their movement having much more weight compared with the later JW films).

Glad to hear that you checked out one of the episodes, and that's definitely the best one to start with if you're not interested in watching them all in order. Yes, the CGI is quite good for the time, especially in that episode. The dinosaur episode not so much, no where close to Jurassic Park, but you know... TV budget vs. Hollywood film. 

[Halichoeres]

I was not aware of this series, thanks for bringing it to our attention!

[Gwangi]

I was not aware of this series, thanks for bringing it to our attention!

No problem, let me know what you think of it should you ever decide to watch it.