Jurassic World Rebirth’s Mutant Dinosaurs Might’ve Been Based on an Extinct Toyline

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1997 saw the release of Kenner’s toyline titled Jurassic Park: Chaos Unleashed, inspired by the quote from chaos theorist Ian Malcolm: “When humans meddle with nature, disorder will ensue.” This tagline was featured in the 1993 film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1990 best-selling novel Jurassic Park. In the story, Malcolm argued that dinosaurs had their time and were naturally selected for extinction. He criticized John Hammond’s InGen scientists for reviving a species that they then commodified, selling it as action figures (or toys).

In simpler terms, Malcolm pointed out that while the scientists were busy contemplating if they could do something, they overlooked whether it was appropriate to do so. This statement served as the foundation for the story known as “Chaos Effect.

Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect

As a die-hard cinema enthusiast, I’ve always been intrigued by the concept that never made it past the script phase – the Jurassic Park animated series featuring genetically-engineered mutant dinosaur hybrids. Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, this groundbreaking show was supposed to be released alongside Hasbro’s toyline, but alas, it never graced our television screens as planned.

Hasbro referred to Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect in this manner on action figures such as Ian Malcolm, the “Chaos Specialist,” who swapped his black leather jacket for a bright yellow bodysuit and Dino-Mech Armor Claw.

Human interference with dinosaur genetics has led to a terrifyingly new species of predator. Trying to unravel the genetic enigma that resurrected Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs, scientists dabbled in DNA from various dinosaur types and contemporary creatures. The outcome: Hybrid dinosaurs, incredibly vicious, have emerged as the deadliest predators yet, causing havoc across an unprepared world!

Humankind has never faced such danger before. A new creature roams the earth… Jurassic Park: Chaos Awakens!

This toyline gave rise to peculiar species such as the Tyrannonops, a creature whose Chaos Genesis is a blend of the Tyrannosaurus rex and Lycaenops. There’s also the winged Ankyloranodon, a mix between Pteranodon and Ankylosaurus. The serpentine Tanaconda was created by combining Tanystropheus with an Anaconda. Lastly, we have Alpha Raptor, an advanced, nocturnal Velociraptor specifically designed for nighttime camouflage.

In the classic movie “Jurassic Park”, it was revealed that InGen scientists retrieved ancient DNA from amberized tree resin, altered dinosaur genetic makeup by combining it with frog DNA to complete gene sequences in their cloned dinosaurs. The idea of resurrecting extinct species advanced in the 2015 film “Jurassic World“, where InGen’s genetic engineering techniques developed further to create their first genetically modified hybrid, the Indominus rex.

Evolution

Crafted rather than naturally evolved to surpass the T-rex in size and ferocity, Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong) conceded that genetically modified creatures like the Indominus are notoriously unstable. As Dr. Malcolm might put it, instability is the very heart of chaos.

The I-Rex was genetically combined with Cuttlefish traits for a rapid growth spurt, allowing the Indominus Rex to blend into its surroundings, much like the Alpha Raptor from Chaos Effect. InGen aimed to make dinosaurs larger, louder, scarier, and cooler, with an increased number of teeth, ultimately creating creatures that were even more perilous than their ancient counterparts.

Wu stated that if a creature possesses enhanced predator characteristics, it’s essential for them to exhibit the corresponding predatory behaviors. This is exemplified in the case of fictional dinosaurs like the Indoraptor (a mix between Indominus rex and Velociraptor) from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and the Giganotosaurus from Jurassic World Dominion (2022), which displayed destructive behaviors, causing havoc around the world.

Mutation

In the upcoming film “Jurassic World Rebirth,” directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, who penned both “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” we find dinosaurs that have been genetically engineered to an unprecedented level. According to Koepp, creatures such as the winged Mutadons (a blend of a Velociraptor and a Pterosaur) and the Distortus rex (a six-armed mutant Tyrannosaurus rex) are products of his imaginative mind.

In certain Jurassic World films, we’ve noticed that their genetic experiments led to dinosaurs becoming larger, more aggressive, and downright terrifying, Koepp explained to Empire Magazine. This idea struck us and Spielberg – not all these experiments could have been successful. After all, this is about genetic manipulation, and sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Koepp further explained that a meeting with a bat sparked the creation of Mutadons, while D-rex – one of many genetically altered dinosaurs produced in an abandoned InGen lab 17 years prior – was influenced by creatures like the Xenomorphs from James Cameron’s Alien and the Rancor from Star Wars.

In Reddit, viewers pointed out a striking similarity between the Mutadons, sporting raptor heads and Pteranodon-like bodies, and the Velocirapteryx from the Chaos Effect. The Velocirapteryx is essentially a hybrid of Velociraptor and Archaeopteryx, a prehistoric bird-like dinosaur. Concerning the new T-Rex in Jurassic Park: Rebirth, it seems to bear resemblance to the Bull T-rex toy from Kenner’s 1997 The Lost World toyline. Colin Trevorrow has compared this T-rex’s appearance to one of Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion creatures from the 1969 movie The Valley of Gwangi.

Extinction

The planned lineup for the toy series included the Ultimasaurus, a now-scrapped combination of the Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus, which was meant to be the ultimate dinosaur.

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The planned release for the toys featured the Ultimasaurus, a previously cancelled hybrid of the Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops, and Ankylosaurus, intended to be the ultimate dinosaur.

As per Tim Bradley, designer of Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect (hired by Hasbro), he designed “unusual hybrid dinosaurs” for a potential animated series. He emphasized and amplified the physical traits of these dinosaors meant for animation. However, despite the dinosaur craze, the toyline didn’t succeed, leading to the cancellation of Chaos Effect along with its follow-up wave titled Night Hunters.

In a 2011 interview with JP Toys, Bradley revealed that the intention behind “Chaos Effect” was to produce an animated series connected to JP. He speculated that the idea might have been conceived internally at Hasbro. Furthermore, he mentioned that the development of the “Chaos Effect” animated series progressed significantly, even reaching meetings involving Steven Spielberg.

He mentioned that although it’s unclear what led to the decision, Hasbro had already begun developing the toys for the series. Despite this, they decided to move forward with the toyline. He was disappointed by its cancellation, as he felt it would have been exciting to see how the toyline could have grown.

Rebirth

In the movie “Jurassic World Rebirth”, a specialized squad – Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a skilled covert ops expert, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), a trusted team member, and Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), a paleontologist – are hired for a secretive expedition to an off-limits island research facility of the original Jurassic Park. Their objective is to retrieve genetic material from living dinosaurs, as it contains the code for a drug that could offer extraordinary life-saving advantages to mankind. To accomplish this, they must navigate through the deadliest location on Earth – where the most ferocious creatures were abandoned.

Due to the resilience and adaptability of life, a fresh line of genetically-altered dinosaur toys is set to debut as part of the Jurassic World Rebirth toy series. This exciting announcement was made by ComicBook, and tickets for Jurassic World Rebirth are now available. The movie will hit theaters on July 2, so get ready for a thrilling roar!

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2025-06-06 04:41