Jurassic Park’s Canceled ’90s Cartoon Trailer Finally Surfaces Online
A series left unfinished
Universal explored an animated Jurassic Park series in 1993, during a period when film franchises often received television spin-offs. The project was canceled before full production, though substantial work had been completed, including a pitch trailer.
Artist William Stout wrote in 2014 that he had heard Steven Spielberg did not watch the material. Stout said the word at the time was that Spielberg was tired of Jurassic Park merchandising and commercial exploitation.
The trailer emerges
On October 31, 2026, two fans independently posted clips that appear nearly identical and seem to show the canceled series’ trailer. One fan said the tape had circulated privately among a small group of Jurassic fans for years.
The footage shows Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler returning to Isla Nublar with a blonde girl and a boy with glasses. The boy becomes separated from the adults as the group faces dangers on an island populated by dinosaurs.
A darker cartoon plan
The animation and art style appear suited to cartoons of the 1990s, but the trailer’s tone is darker than those of many contemporaries. Stout said the production was not meant to be solely a children’s show, while remaining something children could enjoy.
The boy might be Tim Murphy, but the article notes that Tim did not wear glasses in the movies. The trailer does not reveal much more of the plot beyond the group’s return and their struggle to survive.
Later series reached screens
Universal eventually returned to animated storytelling with Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous in 2020, after the franchise had adopted the Jurassic World name. The 3D-animated series follows teenagers trying to survive on Isla Nublar.
A sequel, Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, followed in 2024, bringing the teens back together as they confront a new threat to humans and dinosaurs. Camp Cretaceous featured Jenna Ortega and Glen Powell among its cast.
Key points
- A trailer for an unfinished Jurassic Park cartoon has surfaced decades after the series was canceled.
- The apparent footage shows Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler returning to Isla Nublar with two children.
- William Stout described the planned series as darker than a typical children’s cartoon.
- Universal later released Camp Cretaceous in 2020 and Chaos Theory in 2024.