Witness the birth of ‘Jurassic Park’ dinosaurs

April 7th, 2013

Peter Nolan

A Stan Winston Studio worker applies clay to a life-size Velociraptor model.

(Credit:
Stan Winston School of Character Arts)

These days, computer-generated imagery rules the movie scene, but 20 years ago, it was still a relatively fresh idea that was difficult to integrate into film without looking fake.

When production of “Jurassic Park” commenced, director Steven Spielberg enlisted iconic special-effects guru Stan Winston and his studio team to design and create realistic-looking animatronic dinosaurs. The groundbreaking work, which included an incredible amount of engineering and artistry, forever changed the way people think about dinosaurs.

As moviegoers experience “Jurassic Park 3D” this weekend, we thought it the perfect time to see how exactly Stan Winston and his brilliant crew created several of the dinosaurs seen in the movie.