My plans for a new Dino Riders series - The Cartoon - Discussion Areas - Dino Riders Message Board - Message Board - Yuku

RSS
Email

0 Kudo

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

My plans for a new Dino Riders series

Author	Comment
Timstuff	My plans for a new Dino Riders series	Lead	[-]
Posts: 2 (01/09/09 05:08:52) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None Hi, I've been lurking these boards a while, and noticed recently that they've been pretty inactive. First of all, I'd like to introduce myself: I'm an animation student who loves Dino Riders, and I occasionally make custom action figures. I've been putting a lot of thought into Dino Riders as of late, because once I graduate from school, one of my aspirations is to pitch a re-launch of Dino Riders to Mattel. Basically, I want to take everything that we all loved about Dino Riders when we were kids, only bigger, better, and with more substance. I want to make it be appealing to kids, but at the same time I want older DR fans to be able to enjoy it. For the past few months, I've been putting together ideas for a pilot script and an outline for the overall series, and I'll probably make at least one post-pilot script as well. I've also filled up the better half of a sketchbook with character designs that I've been going through. My overall goal isn't really to make an exact replica of the original show, but at the same time I want enough of it in there to remind fans of how the original show was. Even though I'm a big DR fan, I'm relatively new to the Dino-Riders fan scene, so I'm not quite familiar with who the fan favorite characters are, but I can confirm that Questar, Serena, Krulos, Rasp, Hammerhead, and Antor will all be series regulars. Yungstar will be in the show to in some capacity, but you might be a bit surprised as to how (if and when I post my pilot's treatment, you'll see). There are also some new characters who will be showing up, but don't worry, I'm being very careful to avoid the "Mary Sue" trap. One of the biggest changes that I've made is that the dinosaurs themselves are more like actual characters in the show. Instead of merely being interchangeable "vehicles" like they were in the original, now each character has a specific dinosaur that they essentially treat like a pet, and the dinosaurs also have names now. Well, for the Valoreans, at least. The Rulons are still completely detached from their dinosaurs, and see them as little more than organic war machines, and they only refer to them by the species names. The old favorites like the T-Rex, Diplodicus, and Torosaur are all going to be in there, as well as plenty of new ones. The overall art direction for the show is going to be a lot different from the original, because a lot has changed in animation since the 1980s. The character designs are going to be modernized, and made a bit more streamlined to allow for more fluid animation than was possible 20 years ago. My animation style takes a lot of influence from Bruce Timm, who produced Batman the Animated Series, so if you want some kind of idea as to how the characters might look, I'd say watch an episode of Batman Beyond. It will probably look somewhere along the lines of that, but set to the more colorful backdrop of a jungle. For the overall theme of the show, it's going to be a bit less episodic than the original. Rather than focusing on the Valoreans protecting the STEP crystal from the Rulons, it's going to be about the Dino Riders roaming the planet (which this time around is not identified as Earth) trying to find STEP crystal shards before their Rulon enemies do. The big reason for this is because I want the show's story to take the characters places, instead of forcing them to babysit a base while the bad guys constaintly fail to invade. Since it's not "Dino Sitters," I chose a plot that would call for a bit of globe trotting. And since it's not about the heroes trying to maintain a status quo, there's more room for suspense. When you move the Valoreans out of the comfort of their base, they aren't going to be able to win every conflict. And lastly, a brief note about some ideas I had for the toys... I know that this is probably not something I'd have much say in even if Mattel and / or the networkd liked my pitch for the show, but the toys would be bigger than the originals. The Valorans and Rulons would be the size of GI Joes or Star Wars figures, and there might even be larger ones availible if there was a market for them. Also, the bigger size of the riders would also mean bigger dinos. The initial wave of toys would have all the main characters and dinosaurs, but as the show continues and evolves, so would the toy line. I'd like to introduce aquatic reptiles like the Pleseosaur, Krososaur, and Archelon during the second season, and eventually, possibly even some Rulon mech walkers. Not to mention the two titans of the prehistoric world-- the Apatasaurus (formerly known as the Brontosaurus) and the Spinosaurus. Next to the Kronosaur, they'd be the two largest toys in the entire line. Well, that's all I have the energy to type for now. Maybe once I get some more illustrations and a script together I can share some of them with you guys for your feedback.
adan		#1	[-]
Posts: 17 (01/09/09 11:52:11) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hey Tim, I'd like to start by saying that it's awesome to have finally found a fan who is in the animation business. I think it's been mentioned a couple of times how cool it would be to resurrect Dino Riders, but no one actually has the tools nor the know-how to plan something serious. Let me tell you, I'm really excited about your plans. Granted, we're not sure how far we can go with this, but still...this is fantastic! I like the idea of each Valorian having a specific dinosaur with which they have a tight bond. But I hope you're not planning to give them the ability to speak, which, apparently, was something being considered in the initial planning stages of the original DR. Although, it might be interesting to allow the Valorians to hear the dinos' thoughts when they use their AMPs. I just don't want the show to be too unrealistic. At around the same time that DR used to air, there was this other show called "Dino Saucers". These were basically talking, futuristic dinosaurs, but who had the ability to change back into their original primitive dinosaur forms. The show didn't do so well and I remember not enjoying it as much as DR. I think it was too playful. Having been a child who actually took dinosaurs seriously, I never viewed them as friendly creatures as depicted by dinosaur characters such as Barney. I always wanted a more accurate representation of these terrible reptiles, but that might simply be me...anyhow, I realize it will be difficult to find the proper balance since you want the show to appeal to both the "old" DR fans as well as to the children of the current generation. As for the characters, I, personally, never got attached to them just because, in 14 episodes, I didn't feel that much character development. So, if you're planning to introduce new characters or modify some of the old ones, I don't see how that would be too big of a problem. I agree with you on the "Dino Sitters" comment. I didn't like the idea of having the Valorians simply defend their base all the time. It made you feel like the show was going nowhere. And perhaps this was the case, hence, the show ended with no real resolution. The STEP crystal shards idea reminds me of the Energon concept in Transformers Beast Wars. It's not a bad idea, but at some point, even Larry DiTillo and Bob Forward felt the need to introduce a more global concern and so introduced the concept of extraterrestrials watching over the Maximals and Predacons. And I gotta say, that was when the show really captivated me. They even found a way to connect it to the first gen Transformers. Something that worries me a bit however is the animation style. One thing I enjoyed and still do about DR is that despite the lack of quality control (especially in the later episodes), the artists payed attention to the details in the dinosaurs. For example, the Stegosaurus had 4 spikes on its tail, the T-Rex only had 2 fingers on its hand, the Triceratops and the Torosaurus were very similar in physical appearance but the frill of the latter was more rectangular, etc. This attention to detail and anatomical accuracy carried over onto the toys and that's a big part of what made the toys kick so much ass. I would hate to lose that. My brother and I watched Batman Beyond when it was still on the air and we loved it, but we always recognized how the drawings were rather simplistic compared to some of the other styles (compare it to the japanese animes for example). That animation style worked well for Batman Beyond, but I don't know how it would fit in the DR world. But, maybe you have found a way to balance it all out. I look forward to seeing some of your initial sketches. It will definitely be interesting and if you're in need of dinosaur designs, this forum might be a good place to find some. The "Fan corner" of this website already has some curious designs. I know I have some. I sent Ted a design for the underappreciated Ankylosaurus, but he's probably been too busy to post it. Anyhow, I'm sure you have more experience in character design than most of us. One thing I advise against however is the whole Spinosaurus thing...My views may be biased because I've always been a T-Rex fan, but Jurassic Park III explored that idea and I just don't think it worked. The Spinosaurus was not as dominant a predator (though the T-Rex has been hypothesized to be a scavenger). It was a fish eater mainly and it just did not make sense to put them against each other or to let the Spinosaurus win. It was definitely a cool battle scene in the movie, but it just did not make sense. And to be honest, I think a lot of T-Rex fans were disappointed by it. Even now, I don't like rewatching that scene . Think of it this way, there are many more T-Rex fans than there are Spinosaurus fans and so if you put the T-Rex as the main Rulon dinosaur, you might get criticized for being a little unoriginal, but you would at least have real fans rooting for the Rex. If, on the other hand, you put the Spinosaurus as the main Rulon dinosaur, sure you would receive some recognition for not making the cliche choice, but you wouldn't have die-hard fans rooting for the Spino. You would mainly have semi-fans who don't really care that much about dinosaurs anyway. And let's face it, the more die-hard fans, the better. If you were actually thinking of making the Spino the main predatory Valorian dinosaur, well...even then, I think there are better choices. You could go for the Giganotosaurus or the Allosaurus, which I think would be the best choice. As for the toys, bigger is definitely cool, but how would pricing work? If you're planning on still giving them motorized walking action (which I think you should) and maybe lights and sounds, these toys would cost a fortune. I think it's for the same reason that Tyco was careful not to make the human figurines too big. I mean the Brontosaurus already was not given motorized walking action because no one would have been able to afford it otherwise. Anyway, this is my opinion. Hopefully, many more people will give feedback and you can get a more general idea of what fans want. I sincerely hope this pulls through. I think it would rock!
Timstuff		#2	[-]
Posts: 3 (01/09/09 12:53:50) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks for responding! I'd like to take a minute to address some of your concerns: First of all, I totally agree that the dinosaurs should not talk. While the Valoreans still have the ability to speak to their dinosaurs, the dinosaurs are still animals, and I think that making them speak would greatly cheapen the overall tone of the series. Also, while the structure of the show will be set around collecting the STEP crystal shards, there are a few twists that I've got planned. I'm not quite ready to say what they are, but I think they'd satasfy people who are hoping for the plot to offer more than just Rulons and Valoreans fighting over crystals. As for the animation / character style, I can understand what your concerns are, and it's something I've always taken into consideration with my designs. First of all, let me say that two of my favorite pieces of dinosaur animation (aside from DR, or anything CG or stop-motion animated) are Walt Disney's "The Rite of Spring" from Fantasia and Don Bluth's "The Land Before Time," and coming from that background I really want to deliver some great looking animated dinosaurs. They will be a bit more stylized than in the original cartoons, but at the same time I also want to make sure that are believable. Once I get some good quality illustrations together I'll hopefully be able to show you what I have in mind. As for the Spinosaur, yeah, I definitely get you, as I too was disappointed when I saw the T-Rex lose to the Spinosaur in JP3. If and when the Spinosaur does appear in my version, it won't be till much later in the series, and he would definitely be a Rulon (think of him as being kind of like the Rulons' answer to the Brontosaurus from the original Dino Riders). You can rest assured that the T-Rex will be the centerpiece of the Rulon rogues gallery for the vast majority from the pilot and onwards though. With the Spinosaurus, I'm simply looking ahead to what kinds of dinosaurs might show up in the future as the toyline continues to expand. My intention is definitely not to steal the T-Rex's thunder though, since the T-Rex is and always will be one of my favorite dinos. As for the pricing of the toys, as cool as the walking ability of the originals were, I think it would have to be given up for the sake of making the dinosaurs bigger and more durable. Rest assured, there would still be plenty of mechanical and electronic gimmicks with the bigger toys, such as lights, sounds, spring loaded missiles, and snapping jaws. As for pricing, it would probably be similar to what Hasbro did for the Transformers movie line. First, there would be carded character figures, which would ring up for about $5-7 each. The $10-15 range would have some smaller dinosaurs, like the Raptor, Struthiomimus, and Pteranodon. The $25-30 range would have medium scale dinosaurs like the Torosaur and Triceratops, and would probably be where the majority of the line would be. The "Flag Bearer" class, which would have the T-Rex and Diplodocus would be somewhere between $40 and $50. Lastly, there could be a theoretical "Epic Scale" figure class, which would include the Krososaur, Spinosaur, and Apatosaur, and could cost as much as $80 depending on how big they ended up being. Again, I stress that even if Mattel does like my pitch, the toy line will probably not be in my hands, but that's how I'd do it if it were up to me. Last Edited By: Timstuff 01/09/09 13:13:25. Edited 2 times.
VinceTage DinoRiders		#3	[-]
Posts: 36 (01/15/09 09:31:32) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hello and welcome Timstuff. I've been very interested in what I read there, and here are my questions, answers and suggestions: (this is a point by point answer to be more easy and readable, don't see any "distance" in the post ) - This is quite a great idea to re-live Dino Riders, and your idea could open the door for even more stuffs, like a movie. - That is a great idea to keep the originals characters and bring some new too, mostly because the concept of Valorians and Rulons allow great possibilities, like new heroic or ladies characters for the Valorians, and new "animal-head" ones to Rulons. - Concerning the relationship between Dino Riders and Valorians, I think it is a great idea to keep one Dino for one Hero, and all your idea is great, if I understood it well. I could be some kind of a "Dinosaur King" relationship, but more mature of course, which don't means DK isn't interesting. And about the Rulons, this is a very great "talkin'style" to have them been calling the Dinos by their species names. I guess it is very cool to see Krulos say "Come on, Tyranosaurus Rex" and all that. This is a way to get them being at the same time familiar and unfamiliar with their Dinos and could easily show their relation with them. - Concerning the "Chara-Design", is guess you are write wanting to modernise the characters, and I suggest you to take interest in the Boskoes work on Valorians' look. They really did an awesome work on them. But concerning the Rulons, I guess they should have made them very more "Powerfull", because for example Krulos is supposed to be a very strong man (or something lol) and in the Boskoes work he seems to be less strong than he should, to my personnal point view. Here is their work : http://dinoriders.com/Boskoes%20Toys.htm - About the idea idea of making DR some Globe-Trotters I think one more time this is just awesome. All you explained in that part of your post is exactly what I call a great story to put the DR on the line and to be sure the fights will be more violents and dramafull. The one thing I just think it's a bad idea, is to get the scene taking place somewhere else than Earth. Of course it's a detail, but this is part of the deal and you could use the geographic and climatic repartition of Dinosaurs at this periode to make it more realistic and surprising for the characters, the same way you are learning children the "truth" about dinosaurs. - Last but not least, regarding Mattel and Marvel (who are owning respective rights of both the toys and story), did you already contact them, or when will you, and what do you think they will be about to do and accept from you ? I will also like to talk with you guy about your ideas on the Toys and all that, but I before let you answer me on those points. I also agree with both adan and yours answers and I'm waiting for your new answer to talk more with you. Anyway, thank you very much for the idea, and I'm waiting for you and your work.
Timstuff		#4	[-]
Posts: 4 (01/19/09 03:50:42) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks for your feedback, VinceTage. Allow me to address some of your comments. In regards to the character designs, I'm having quite a bit of fun with the Rulons. Currently my favorite revamped design that I've come up with is Antor, because he's got a fairly unique look. In my script, I'm portraying him as somewhat neurotic and paranoid, and I think that the design reflects it pretty well. And unlike the original version, he has six limbs, which It'll be a pain to animate but will give him some rather unique abilities. As for Krulos, he's actually proven to be the toughest to design, but I'm close to having something I'm happy with. The biggest thing for me, is that I want him to have a large and imposing frame, and sturdy looking head. The tricky part has been preserving some of the original's grotesqueness without making him a pain to animate consistently, but I'll get there, eventually. What would certainly help would be getting Frank Welker to reprise his role as Krulos' voice, but that's getting a bit ahead of myself. As for the move from earth to "Planet X," there is an important reason why I chose to make the change, but I can't really discuss it directly here since I'd be spoiling a very important plot element later on. However, for more practical reasons, moving it to another planet actually makes it less of an issue as to which dinosaurs I can use in the show. If it takes place on another planet, I'm a lot less likely to get some angry paleontologist breathing down my neck about how the show has a Raptor side by side with a Demetrodon, since they're supposed to have lived hundreds of millions of years apart. If it's on another planet, it gives me a lot more creative liscense. And lastly, I don't really have any contacts with Marvel or Mattel at this point, but that's okay since I'm not really far enough along in my project that I'd be ready to pitch it. Right now, I'm still trying to finish up school, and once that's done I'll need to start building up my resume a bit more. The most important thing though, I think, will be creating a demo reel that will give them some idea what I'm aiming for. I don't want to set my expectations too high, because as far as Marvel Mattel are concerned at the moment, I'm just a college kid who likes dinosaurs. But if I can impress them with a good demo, things could get very exciting. Basically, I think I need to present what I want to do for Dino Riders as being kind of like what Battlestar Galactica has done. Battlestar Galactica was a popular, but short lived TV series, and after 20 years of cancelation, it got a smart modern-day makeover, and was even more popular that the original version. It's a bit too early to be crossing our fingers just yet, but a bit of extra hope never hurt. Since you mentioned the toys, I figured I'd share a few thoughts I've had about them recently. Even though I envision them as being slightly stylized, I really would love for the new toys to have a great sense of texture when people hold them, being covered with sculpted scales. The original Dino Riders were pretty much the best dinosaur toys of their time, and so that's quite a legacy to live up to. The most important thing is that they are fun to play with and durable enough to make it through childhood abuse, although I do think it'd be nice if they are good looking enough that adult collectors would enjoy them as well. I speak from experience when I say that a good sculpt and articulation can go a long way when it comes to getting an adult's attention. Last Edited By: Timstuff 01/19/09 04:08:48. Edited 1 times.
mrjayberry		#5	[-]
Posts: 79 (01/20/09 06:54:11) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Timstuff, welcome its good to see you around. How long until we get to see your redesigned Antor. That sounds awesome.
Obi Wan KenobiV6K		#6	[-]
Posts: 46 (02/16/09 10:50:50) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hey Tim , this is certainly some serious work you are heading for man, and I respect that fully, as your idea's about the naval units that would be awesome I even had an idea for a mod for Red Alert2 with Dino-Riders units within it as to battle against the Rulons, the Dino Riders could replace the Allies, The Rulons could replace the Soviets and the ICE AGE could replace the Yuri units, just an idea maybe? Powered By The Force, 3dfx & The Jedi Academy
Giu3232		#7	[-]
Posts: 1 (03/03/09 07:44:08) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hello. I have just seen this topic. First of all thanks for all these efforts. Someone who try to wake up the DR licence should be applause. I read all the comment and I'm quite agree whith them. Just two things, first and just like VinceTage DinoRiders I think to put the scene into an other place than the earth is not a good idea. For me, when I was young a part of the magic was in the fact that this really took place here, exactly where I am but a very very long time ago, this was magical. I thought this was a part of the secret of the dinosaurs, I thought maybe the valorians had to left the earth and took there dinosaurs with them so maybe some dinosaurs where alive and not all of them where dead. When I have seen this cartoon it was in 1988, I was 5 years old so of course all this is impossible but I was young. Even if a paleontologist told me this dino can't be near this one I didn't care, I was young and I wanted to believe it. That's I think an important part and if you want your concept to be approve and even with all the respect to the "old fan" you should think about the child before the paleonthologists. The second things is, an I was asking mayself the question even when I was young, how can you ride a deinonychus? That's a deadly predator and not only the brain boxed Rulon's dino are dangerous. Find a free deinonychus and it will kill you. Sorry for my bad english, in every case your project sounds great.
SilverRaptor		#8	[-]
Posts: 4 (05/15/09 19:11:28) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I like this idea. I was trying to come up with a new take on DR a few days ago, but this is better than what I had in mind. Apparently toylines with a story connecting all the characters together sell very well-Bionicle, for one-and you should probably try to bring that point up if you want it to be a toyline and cartoon. Alternativly, you could use a pack-in comic or something if a show is deemed too ambitious for the moment. I think the stylisation would be a good move, provided that realistic dinosaurs are still retained (which you seem determined to do, yay!). It seems to be the 'in' thing right now, and in my mind it does wonders for making characters more expressive and individual (e.g. Transformers Animated, though I doubt you intend to go to some of the extremes it does). I agree on making the cast more bonded with their dinosaurs. It would add a new dimension to the story. I'm curious about how large a cast you have in mind for this, since the original series crammed everyone in, often with loads of generic Valorians/Rulons to make it look more impressive. I think a smaller cast would work, without armies popping out of nowhere, since it'd mean that either side would have to be careful due to limited numbers. I think it would be interesting to have interaction with wild dinosaurs aside from befriending/boxing them. Aside from nice background detail, some could be part of the plot. E.g. a STEP shard is located in the middle of, say, Utahraptor territory, which would make it difficult to obtain for the Valorians (but not so much for the Rulons, who'd go in guns blazing). Maybe new Also, with the cast travelling the world, I'm wondering how they would move when faced with oceans, presuming there are some. Another point would be regarding their bases-since they're not static anymore, maybe some of the larger dinosaurs (like the Apatosaurus) could serve as mobile bases for each faction. Also, it'd be interesting to see a wide variety of dinosaurs, especially some of the more obscure ones, since that would help draw in dinosaur fans and also show kids that the Mesozoic was not inhabited solely by about ten species. You could also use something like the Argentinosaurus in the place of Brontosaurus, since it fits the Brontosaurus' role as being really big. I really do hope that this is successful. Last Edited By: SilverRaptor 05/16/09 00:45:50. Edited 2 times.

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Quick Reply