Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction adventure media franchise. It focuses on the cloning of prehistoric animals (mainly non-avian dinosaurs) through ancient DNA extracted from mosquitoes that have been fossilized in amber. The franchise explores the ethics of cloning and genetic engineering and the morals behind de-extinction, commercialization of science, and animal cruelty.

The franchise began in 1990 with the release of Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park. A film adaptation, also titled Jurassic Park, was directed by Steven Spielberg and was released in 1993. Crichton then wrote a sequel novel, The Lost World (1995), and Spielberg directed its film adaptation, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Additional films have been released since then, including Jurassic Park III in 2001, completing the original trilogy of films.

The fourth installment, Jurassic World, was released in 2015, marking the start of a new trilogy. Its sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, was released in 2018. Jurassic World Dominion, released in 2022, marks the conclusion of the second trilogy. A standalone film, Jurassic World Rebirth, is scheduled for release in July 2025. Two Jurassic World short films have also been released: Battle at Big Rock (2019) and a Jurassic World Dominion prologue (2021).

Theropod dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor have had major roles throughout the film series. Other species, including Brachiosaurus and Spinosaurus, have also played significant roles. The series has also featured other creatures, such as Mosasaurus and members of the pterosaur group, both commonly misidentified by the public as dinosaurs. The various creatures in the films were created through a combination of animatronics and computer-generated imagery (CGI). For the first three films, the animatronics were created by special-effects artist Stan Winston and his team, while Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) handled the CGI for the entire series. The first film garnered critical acclaim for its innovations in CGI technology and animatronics. Since Winston's death in 2008, the practical dinosaurs have been created by other artists, including Legacy Effects and Image Engine (Jurassic World), Neal Scanlan (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and John Nolan (Jurassic World Dominion).

Paleontologist Jack Horner has served as the longtime scientific advisor on the films, and paleontologist Steve Brusatte was also consulted for Jurassic World Dominion and Jurassic World Rebirth. The original film was praised for its modern portrayal of dinosaurs. Horner said that it still contained many inaccuracies, such as not portraying dinosaurs as having colorful feathers, but noted that it was not meant as a documentary. Later films in the series contain inaccuracies as well, for entertainment purposes. This includes the films' velociraptors, which are depicted as being larger than their real-life counterparts. In addition, the franchise's method for cloning dinosaurs has been deemed scientifically implausible for a number of reasons.