Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone

Threehorn · **on:** February 08, 2006, 02:15:31 PM

I came across this movie and surprised I never heard of it till now I wondered if there was any new movies out and I found this one I will give a link to a preview of the movie it animated and the one that played the voice of Big Daddy playing a charcater in this one. looks very interesting

Link: http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/trai...Ruby%20Sunstone

Littlefoot Fan · **Reply #1 on:** February 08, 2006, 03:34:12 PM

Haha, that looks pretty good

Threehorn · **Reply #2 on:** February 08, 2006, 03:36:25 PM

Yeah I know it does I've getting it in 3 to 14 days

Looking forward to watching it

-Threehorn

Nick22 · **Reply #3 on:** February 08, 2006, 05:05:35 PM

Is that a spin-off of Dinotopis TV series?

Threehorn · **Reply #4 on:** February 08, 2006, 06:01:29 PM

Yes it is from what I know it been out in the USA since May on DVD in 2005.

Nick22 · **Reply #5 on:** February 08, 2006, 06:28:02 PM

Didn't particularly like the tv series, so I don't think I'll be getting the video.

Threehorn · **Reply #6 on:** February 08, 2006, 06:35:23 PM

have you seen the preview of it on the first post, the link on it leads to a preview have a look at it at least.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/trai...Ruby%20Sunstone

Mirumoto_Kenjiro · **Reply #7 on:** February 08, 2006, 07:45:50 PM

The movie's pretty good. It's for the same age as LBT, but it has some more originality to it too, plus the lack of people breaking into song ever so often

. In the megaseries and the tv show, Dinotopia lacks the variety of dinosaurs featured (the fact that they're all CG may be part of the reason), while the animated movie gladly makes up for in that variety. There are a few other differences, but I currently can't of any.

All in all, I still like the books better than what was made on the screen.

Malte279 · **Reply #8 on:** February 08, 2006, 08:34:38 PM

I haven't seen the cartoon version of Dinotopia yet (for it being unavailable over here). I did see the movie version they came up with in 2002. I must say I was very disappointed by thos movies. I'm a dieheart fan of those awesome books of James Gurney. The story there seems almost plausible and the world there is described in such lovely detail.
What they showed in the movie had almost nothing to do with the Dinotopia from Gurney's books, begining with the fact that in the movie they had a dictator like mayor in command, while there is no ruler at all in the Dinotopia of Gurneys books (at least not in the time in which the stories of the books take place).
Also they seemed quite comfortable with the concept of war in the movie's dinotopia while the piece of wisdom to overcome war is one of the things that makes the Dinotopia of the books so marvelous a place. There are also two awesome audioplays of Gurney's books. They stuck really close to what the books said and are indeed a pleasure to listen too (the did a great job in creating dinosaur sounds and accompanying the story with fitting music). The audio plays are also true to the books, which cannot be said about that movie.

Threehorn · **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2006, 03:22:03 AM

I see... well I like the film and looking forward to geting this one

Dinosaur movies to me are all great whatever the age and grapics are.

-Threehorn

Petrie. · **Reply #10 on:** February 09, 2006, 09:43:15 AM

Like Malte, I wasn't pleased with the rendition of Dinotopia this company came out with. If they only could just follow the book, I'd be happy....but nope....not even remotely close.

I've heard of this animated thing, and it doesn't sound like any Dinotopia story I read, so I'm kind of on the fence about it. I've passed it up multiple times.

Threehorn · **Reply #11 on:** February 09, 2006, 09:57:21 AM

It like a continue on from the Dinotopia film, I don't see anything wrong with the film.

Can I ask why you two always down films cause they don't follow the damn books? you can put more in a book then a film. you can't expect them to follow the book every time, they'll improvise like every movie people make and I watched and heard from others that it was a great film and a big hit.

I am looking forward to watching this film. enjoy the film and expercise the magic of the story line and don't down it cause of it don't follow a book. that just looking at a cold frozen lake and no way to pice the surface. I'm defending Dinotopia to the great film it is and I see it.

Malte279 · **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2006, 11:35:40 AM

Let's just say that the Dinotopia movie version (remember I'm talking of the movie, not of the cartoon which I don't know) seems to me like a movie being made of a poor fanfiction.
For example in the books it is clear that people in Dinotopia endorse peace and abhor war. They mean to live with-, not against each other.

Quote

Weapons are enemies, even to their owners!

is one of the codes of Dinotopia in the books (though I think they failed to mention it in the movies at all).
In the movies we have plenty weapons, we have a mayor (of course a human) who rules like a dictator while actually there is not even a government in the Dinotopia of the books.
Also we have those Pteranodons attack the rest of the dinosaurs (they fail to even mention why the Pteranodons would do that). The idea that they would impose such a threat to the rest of Dinotopia is absolutely ridiculous! A hollow boned, leather winged flyer would hardly be more than a nusiance to a strong dinosaur with spikes, or horns, or a clup. Yet in that movie they even allow those flyers in a despicable sensation-seeking fit of bloodthirstiness to kill every citizen of the Volcaneum. The meaning of the sunstones is by FAR exaggerated in the movies.
The training of the skybax riders was horribly militaristic in the Dinotopia of the movie. Absolutey nothing like the care- and respectful dealing with creatures who are considered equals in the books. In the movie the dinosaurs play hardly a role apart from looking interesting. With the exception of Zippo, the skybaxes, and twenty six (whose role is also just to keep a human on the island), the whole story is about humans. It is so different from the books. There would be nothing wrong with a different plot, but what they came up with is a different world that has nothing to do with Gurney's Dinotopia!

Petrie. · **Reply #13 on:** February 09, 2006, 03:43:55 PM

Quote

Can I ask why you two always down films cause they don't follow the damn books? you can put more in a book then a film. you can't expect them to follow the book every time, they'll improvise like every movie people make and I watched and heard from others that it was a great film and a big hit.

Because we read the books first and if a movie is going to be truly based off the book, then it should keep elements from the book. There are only a couple of films I know of where the book version and the movie version actually are very close to each other, and ironically, the films were cel animated. They are:

1.) Watership Down (by Nepenthe Productions)

and

2.) The Animals of Farthing Wood (ok its a tv series, but they didn't stray from that first book much at all)

It is true, that sometimes in film you cannot keep everything the book has to offer so you will end up with a very different film. That happens more often then it doesn't.

On the flipside, if one saw the film version of Dinotopia before they read the books, wouldn't they also whine about the differences? Their stance falls flat because its not the author's fault that the person read a different story. The book came first, so therefore, if anyone knew about Dinotopia before this tv thing came along, they're aware of the Dinotopian culture and way of life based on the BOOKS. Anything else, is not how the author originally presented the idea.

Malte explained it clearly: the directors of the film seriously changed the Dinotopian culture from book to film. I mean, seriously!!! These aren't minor changes, Wayne. These paint a very different picture of the utopia James Gurney gave us in 1992.

Now, we're not bashing a film we haven't seen. We're going after the series made for tv in 2003. The reason I have not picked up this "Quest for the Ruby Sunstone" is because after seeing the preview and other's reviews, this too goes far from the books. See the pattern? Until a film company using either animation, or live action/CGI blend decides to make one that doesn't deviate so much from the book, then I am not going to be pleased. WD in film was not a perfect book copy, but its pretty darn close. It can be done for Dinotopia...but nobody has tried it yet.