Roaring back to life: discover the stunning visuals and storytelling of the reimagined 'Walking with Dinosaurs'

IOL News

14-07-2025

'Walking with Dinosaurs' gives viewers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Earth's oldest creatures.
Image: Supplied
Back in 1999, factual television was revolutionised when 'Walking with Dinosaurs' was released.
The six-part nature documentary mini-series, created by Tim Haines, was a production collaboration between the BBC Science Unit, the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide TV, Asahi, ProSieben and France 3.
Regarded at the time as the first series of its kind, the show depicted dinosaurs and other Mesozoic animals as living animals in the style of a traditional nature documentary.
It has gained a worldwide cult following for how it recreated the extinct species through the combined use of computer-generated imagery and animatronics.
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Now, 26 years later, a bold reimagining with the same title, once again produced by the BBC Studios Science Unit, brings to life six extraordinary dinosaurs through groundbreaking visual effects, dramatic storytelling and the latest advancements in palaeontological research.
Narrated by Bertie Carvel, a double Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor who is renowned for roles in 'The Crown' and 'Doctor Foster', 'Walking with Dinosaurs' premiered on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184) at the end of June.
It invites viewers into the lives of the individual dinosaurs, who each have their own emotional journeys of survival, parenting and adaptation.
Some elements of these magnificent creatures, which will be featured, include the towering might of Lusotitan and the delicate vulnerability of Clover and the life of a baby Triceratops.
'Walking with Dinosaurs' also brings to life their habitats, their behaviours and their survival strategies.
Jay Balamurugan, the series assistant producer and a paleoartist, has a burning passion for Earth's most ancient creatures.
'It's such an interesting experience getting to work on a series like this because it was my childhood,' she said during an interview with 'Independent Media Lifestyle.'
'It's the reason I got into science and art and TV.'
She added, 'The original left such a mark on me, and to get the chance to work on these new ones is so special, and now seeing it out in the world, it is really special.'
'I'm really pleased because I've seen a lot of families and children, especially, really enjoy it and watch it together, and it's something that makes me happy.'
Balamurugan explained that she decided to get involved in this bold reimagining as a way of making her inner child happy.
'I think me, as a child, would have hated me as an adult forever (if she didn't take up this project).'
'It was also a great opportunity to bring this new view of dinosaurs to the public eye.'
She said that it was how the dinosaurs were portrayed on the original series which sparked her interest in the show.
'I think that it had quite a special way of making the dinosaurs feel like animals. They didn't feel like movie monsters, and they didn't feel like mythological dragons.'
'They felt like animals, and it felt like I was watching a nature documentary about a lion or a hyena or something, except it was a T-Rex, and I think that was the thing that really hooked me and lots of people as well.'
And although Balamurugan is thrilled to have worked on 'Walking with Dinosaurs', she said that it has not been without its obstacles.
'It's been a very, very challenging production because it's such a huge one,' she explained.
'Not only are we making the VFX dinosaur but we're making a show about palaeontologists. It does feel like we've got two big productions in one so it has been quite a challenge.'
In regards to how it fares with the original show, she explained: 'I think it's similar to the original in the sense that it really keeps that spirit of telling the story of one animal in a really dramatic part of its life.'
'In the original, we had this with quite a few of the episodes where you would follow one dinosaur or one prehistoric animal and it's going through a really important epic migration or growing up in the presence of predators.
Balamurugan added: 'We really try to keep that thread going in our current series.'
What sets this reimagining apart is the inclusion of live-action sequences.
'I think we made that choice specifically because we want to celebrate science as much as we celebrate dinosaurs.'
Balamurugan also had modern technology at her disposal for this version of 'Walking with Dinosaurs'
"It's interesting because science has come such a long way and the technology involving film-making has also come such a long way.'
'We now have incredible VFX technology where not only can we make these times more realistic than ever but we can also sometimes even build our entire environments in VFX if we need to and this allows us to really get incredible sequences that we never would have got before.'
Overall,Balamurugan promised that viewers can expect 'a really good story in each episode.'
'I also think people will really relate to these animals and come away with a wider understanding of these animals.'
∎ Watch new episodes of 'Walking With Dinosaurs' every Monday until August 4 at 8pm on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184).