Dinosaur movie makes prehistory current

Once more we are being reminded of a queer little phenomenon among humans – our kids love dinosaurs. Maybe the attraction is the innocence of bones in a museum and the power of immense size. Maybe the attraction is just the vibrant life created by a young imagination and friends that are impervious to schoolroom bullies.

Whatever the reason, Hollywood long ago learned to tap into that trusty moneymaker to gain young audiences.

One of those Hollywood responses to children’s requests is Universal’s 1993 animated film “We’re Back! A Dinosaurs Story”. A cavalcade of stars joined forces to create the voices for this movie where four dinosaurs are sent to current-day New York City to answer children’s wishes to see real dinosaurs.

The first of these guest voices is Walter Cronkite as Professor Neweyes, an inventor who returns to prehistoric times. His first capture is of a violent Tyrannosaurus Rex. The creature is fed the professor’s special Brain Grain, and suddenly can speak (with John Goodman’s voice), read and reason that being a violent carnivore is not respectable. Prof. Neweyes, we learn, has also come into contact with a Pterodactyl, Elsa, a Triceratops, Woogle, and an Apatosaurus, Dweeb. Their sole purpose is now to return to the 20th century and answer the requests that the professor intercepted through his Wish radio – an invention that broadcasts the wishes of children worldwide. Dr. Bleeb, a scientist at the Museum of Natural History, voiced by Julia Child, will set up the four creatures in her museum to secretly speak to children when their parents are not around. The plan goes a little haywire, however, when Dr. Bleeb fails to meet the visitors on time.

That’s when the dinosaurs meet Louis, a runaway boy, and, a little later, Cecilia, a rich girl whose parents are always too busy. The dinosaurs and the children, heading toward the museum, cut into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with a fun number, “Roll back the Rock”. But to make it to their destination, they decide to cut through Central Park. That’s where they meet Prof. Neweyes’ evil brother, Prof. Screweyes. Screweyes has his own version of Neweyes’ Wish radio. This one is a Fright radio that picks up the world’s fears, and he has based his popular circus on feeding those fears. In a matter of minutes, he has signed Cecilia and Louis to a lifetime contract and has turned them into chimpanzees, but his eyes were set on greater conquests – the dinosaurs.

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