JURASSIC WORLD: CAMP CRETACEOUS?

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

I watched this out of curiosity. For a children's show it wasn't quite as bad as I was expecting, but five minutes into the second episode I couldn't bear any more. So I scrolled through the rest of the series (there are only eight 20 minute episodes in total) to get the gist and see what all the dinosaurs looked like. I don't think I missed much. Kids might really like it, though.

This is exactly how i felt and did, too.

[Cretaceous Crab]

My main complaint was that the animation design and style of the human characters was lacking compared to that of everything else. I mean, the dinosaurs and the environments were very detailed, but the humans weren't much more advanced than what I saw on kid shows 25 years ago [remember Reboot? LOL).

For a studio that kicked butt with series like HTTYD: Race to the Edge, I think they spent too much time making the dinosaurs look detailed, and barely threw the human designs together at the last minute.

Beyond that, the show was okay IMO. I watched the whole season last night.

[Flaffy]

My main issue with the show is the stylistic clash between the sad lumps of clay they call human models, versus the highly detailed dinosaur models (and whatever cutesy style they went for "Bumpy"). With the humans being the emotional core of the series, its hard to form a proper connection when half the time they stray into the uncanny valley, and the other half where they look like plastic muppets being animated by a toddler.

Aaaand also the fact that they completely butchered the character designs from the original concept art.

[Sarapaurolophus]

the objectifying tempestuous Latina woman trope, it just feels offensive

You get all that from one image of a girl giving the Dreamworks brow? I don't see "sexy and seductive" when I look at this. Sassy maybe.
The reworked model looks much more sexualized, imo. You can get away with a Disney Princess wasp waist in 2D but make it 3D and put it next to realish dinosaurs and it gets uncanny. The new Jas is a perfect full hourglass who looks like she is wearing a push-up while the old one had more angular features with a smaller bust. So if you want to go down that route, let's take these changes into consideration.

I agree on the Asian kid. I like how they switched the jock and the nerd's ethnicity around to get a less stereotypical jock character. I am halfway into the show and right now he is my favorite. He's really funny in his arrogance and unexcpetedly friendly to the main character.

Otherwise I've gotta say the earlier designs look better to me. They are stronger. They could have played around with the style but kept these costumes and silhouettes. Something I noticed right away is how as a boy Sammy is broad and fat but as a girl she is a full hourglass.
All the female characters have same-face syndrome and three are full hourglasses, body-wise. Jas, Sammy and Roxy look related to me, no joke. This is something you get when you are using the same template for each character, morphing their features and height around. The biggest offender of this is Disney's Frozen, where two siblings who are years apart look exactly the same and their mother does, too. But just because it's not as extreme in this show doesn't mean it isn't there.
Look at these characters again, you will notice it.
They could have made Sammy broader and Jas more angular and fit. Also give one of them a faceshape that isn't a heart or an oval.

Like I said, I am halfway in. I like the human characters just fine and I also like how there is a little intrigue (not gonna spoil it) that ties into the movies. The designs clash a lot, imo, and exposing myself to them longer this disconnect isn't going away. Some of the humans just look like Sims to me. It's ok when they are shown together without the dinosaurs or even some of the environment textures. But as soon as dinos are there it looks weird again. Like somebody else mentioned, even Bumpy looks a little off interacting with the kids.

So far this show has more heart than the JW movies. You don't want these kids to die, you also want to like them all somehow. The main gets the most backstory of course, but that's expected. Each kid has something special about them, which is nice. Also way less annoying screaming than in the movies for some reason

[ItsTwentyBelow]

Well I have two episodes to go, and have been thoroughly entertained. I think the animation is overall fine, certainly nothing that is unwatchable.

The focus on the human characters, and the drama that unfolds between some of the kids is compelling enough for such short episodes of a kid's show. This season is definitely good at ending an episode RIGHT when you just have to start the next one to see what happens next.

I really like how some scenes show you right when and where events are happening in relation to the events seen in Jurassic World.

[Loon]

While I prefer the style of the concept art (I'm always a sucker for 2D animation), I honestly prefer most of the finalized designs. They're far less stereotypical. I think some people are just overeacting to the animation tbh, it's fine. Some of these comments are so hyperbolic, they may as well say "these characters look like hollow cgi zombies coming to suck my soul as I look into their dead eyes". It wasn't that bad and you know it.

Also, about Sammy.

Spoiler

I found it incredibly odd that she had a southern accent. I mean, I didn't even pick up on that til the second or third episode. Like, her family supposedly supplies all of the meat to the park, but why would Jurassic World import meat from so far away? I understand that most Americans are going to associate cattle ranching with the south, but wouldn't it have made more sense to have her be from Costa Rica? It's not like they don't have ranches.

[close]

[Takama]

I just Binged this Show last night, and i gotta say, I loved this show.   I liked it better then JW:FK which i thoght was the worst thing in the franchise so far.

I felt like a young Teen again watching this, and thats comeing from someone who misses his youth despite only being 28.

I did not mind the Chrectors Designs, and i felt like I connected with some of them. Again this is comeing from someone who missses his youth (Specificly his adolecenses)

One thing i noticed in one of the episodes was

Spoiler

A Red Sinoceratops just like the nanmu model. It was in the Gyrospehere one where the kids all got to drive alongside the herd

[close]

[Sarapaurolophus]

@Sarapaurolophus Latina women being "sassy" is a stereotype that objectifies them.
I didn't say anything about "sexy" or "seductive", saying that about an underaged character is extremely creepy.
I also have not watched the series and assumed that "Kate" is the prototype of Sammy Gutierrez.
I didn't see the South Asian character Yasmina Fadoula yet.

No, "Katie" in the proto art is who became Jasmina/Yasmina on the show. Sammy is Sammy, they kept the name but changed the sex.

"Sexy and seductive" is merely the stereotype I think of when someone says "stereotypical Latina". "Sporty and spunky/sassy" is not. The proto art did not imply the former but the latter.
You really can't know how they would have written that character originally, all you can do is judge the character's facial expression. So saying she would have just been a Latina stereotype is quite a large leap.

That being said, the final version is extremely different from anything we talked about. She doesn't seem to like being competetive that much, but saying more would be a spoiler.

Back to the show, I am now on the episode with the Parasaurolophus and had a little chuckle when in the German dub Darius said "Paralaurosophus". Probably a little flub nobody in the studio caught, so it stayed. Reminded me of my nickname

[ITdactyl]

I'm glad this was released (despite knowing it wasn't made for my age group) and I partially got my wish (a bit of island survival with dinosaurs - still waiting for full survival horror in the JP franchise with adults).

Some questions for the group:
- Did you see the character of "Dave" as necessary at all? Is it a requirement for kid oriented shows to have an oafish adult? 'Feels condescending to me.
- Was Dr. Wu always written as classic villain? I only read him as an over-eager scientist in JP, and even related a bit in JW about how scared he was at the thought of losing his life's work.

'Will complete the season today. A friend already spoiled the ending though, so I finally understood the need for a 2nd season.

[Flaffy]

My point about the final show butchering the designs has less to do with an expectation that the final designs should've stuck to the concepts 1:1, but rather how the show could've been a LOT more effective in regards to conveying character.

Notice how every character in the concept art is incredibly distinct from each other in both design and personality. While in the show, it gets a lot more muddled. Like Sarapaurolophus said, the show definitely could've played with shapes, silhouettes, posture, mannerisms etc a lot better.

Some of these comments are so hyperbolic, they may as well say "these characters look like hollow cgi zombies coming to suck my soul as I look into their dead eyes". It wasn't that bad and you know it.

I don't like to settle for mediocrity. Dreamworks is capable of doing much better (animation and artstyle wise), as shown in Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia. Even something as simple as lighting was for some reason downgraded in Camp Cretaceous.
Seems like they blew most of their budget on over-detailed dinosaur models, and neglected most other visual aspects of the show.

Is the animation fine? Maybe, for a low budget show made by a small animation company. But this is Dreamworks, Universal and the freaking Jurassic Franchise we're talking about. Surely they could've spared a bigger budget on the art department. Guess marketing and toy sales are what people care about nowadays rather than the actual quality of the show itself.

[DinoToyForum]

- Was Dr. Wu always written as classic villain? I only read him as an over-eager scientist in JP...

You're right. Post-JP Wu is Wu by name only.

[DinoToyForum]

But this is Dreamworks, Universal and the freaking Jurassic Franchise we're talking about. Surely they could've spared a bigger budget on the art department. Guess marketing and toy sales are what people care about nowadays rather than the actual quality of the show itself.

[CityRaptor]

- Was Dr. Wu always written as classic villain? I only read him as an over-eager scientist in JP...

You're right. Post-JP Wu is Wu by name only.

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Makes you wonder what happened to him in those years.

Hmm, interesting that Sammy's original design outfit-wise seems to kinda recall Alan Grant,

Spoiler

but with maybe a dash of Dennis Nedry, whose sesond outfit also was a blue shirt and brown pants.

[close]

[Einherjar]

The final designs have a clear issue with misogyny and body image but the initial designs have their own issues with racist stereotypes and going back to these older designs doesn't solve the problem, neither of the results are completely good and a complete overhaul would be required although it is now too late for that.

Eh, no, they do not. This cast is very varied with various ethnicities and body shapes. Misogyny implies a hostile agenda from the creators, and there is nothing to suggest anything like that here.

Show me where the hatred of women is present in these designs. Then show me how the designs of women is worse than design of men.

[DinoToyForum]

The final designs have a clear issue with misogyny and body image but the initial designs have their own issues with racist stereotypes and going back to these older designs doesn't solve the problem, neither of the results are completely good and a complete overhaul would be required although it is now too late for that.

Eh, no, they do not. This cast is very varied with various ethnicities and body shapes, and if that qualifies as misogyny to you, then I think you need to school yourself before watering down serious terms until they mean nothing.

Show me where the hatred of women is present in these designs. Then show me how the designs of women is worse than design of men.

Please abide by the forum rules, including Rule 1. No intentional personal attacks, rudeness, or personal provocation.
That post was unnecessarily hostile and contained personal provocation. Telling someone to "school yourself" in that way is rude and provocative. Think how you'd feel and how you might respond if someone spoke to you like that. Thanks - Admin 

[DinoToyForum]

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
Makes you wonder what happened to him in those years.

Bad writers happened to him.

[Einherjar]

The final designs have a clear issue with misogyny and body image but the initial designs have their own issues with racist stereotypes and going back to these older designs doesn't solve the problem, neither of the results are completely good and a complete overhaul would be required although it is now too late for that.

Eh, no, they do not. This cast is very varied with various ethnicities and body shapes, and if that qualifies as misogyny to you, then I think you need to school yourself before watering down serious terms until they mean nothing.

Show me where the hatred of women is present in these designs. Then show me how the designs of women is worse than design of men.

Please abide by the forum rules, including Rule 1. No intentional personal attacks, rudeness, or personal provocation.
That post was unnecessarily hostile and contained personal provocation. Telling someone to "school yourself" in that way is rude and provocative. Think how you'd feel and how you might respond if someone spoke to you like that. Thanks - Admin 

It wasn't intended as such, and I disagree, but I've edited my post. Hope it's to your liking. Not looking to antagonize anyone here.

[DinoToyForum]

The final designs have a clear issue with misogyny and body image but the initial designs have their own issues with racist stereotypes and going back to these older designs doesn't solve the problem, neither of the results are completely good and a complete overhaul would be required although it is now too late for that.

Eh, no, they do not. This cast is very varied with various ethnicities and body shapes, and if that qualifies as misogyny to you, then I think you need to school yourself before watering down serious terms until they mean nothing.

Show me where the hatred of women is present in these designs. Then show me how the designs of women is worse than design of men.

Please abide by the forum rules, including Rule 1. No intentional personal attacks, rudeness, or personal provocation.
That post was unnecessarily hostile and contained personal provocation. Telling someone to "school yourself" in that way is rude and provocative. Think how you'd feel and how you might respond if someone spoke to you like that. Thanks - Admin 

It wasn't intended as such, and I disagree, but I've edited my post. Hope it's to your liking. Not looking to antagonize anyone here.

Thanks for changing it. 

[stargatedalek]

I think the body types looking overly idealized is just a counter-effect of trying to make them look different, coupled with trying hard to make them not look like children, and then all made more exaggerated by the art style. Failed attempt? Sure, I can accept that argument, but saying the designs are misogynistic feels extreme to me, especially when nothing about them is inherently egregious when the show is viewed in a vacuum.

[Brocc21]

So I did I quick browse through the thread. Are we really complaining that the cartoon characters have unrealistic proportions? I mean it's a cartoon, I don't see how this is supposed to be misogynistic.