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Does my mum look big in this? T Rex and baby head for the O2
Amar Singh18 Mar 2009
THE stars of what is undoubtedly the largest show in London this summer have been unleashed for the first time.
This terrifying tyrannosaurus rex and her baby are among the 15 creatures brought to life for the Walking With Dinosaurs spectacular at the O2 Arena for five nights in August.
The latest animatronics and puppetry technology have been used to recreate the dinosaurs for the show, which has already toured Australia and America, picking up a clutch of Emmys and Baftas on the way.
The beasts have been assembled after being shipped to Britain in 26 sea containers and will lurk in an aircraft hangar somewhere in the North of England, before leaping into action in the summer. Cameron Wenn, resident director of Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, said: "All the dinosaurs are met with amazement although I think everyone loves T Rex, she is a household name.
"The baby T Rex is a bit of a scene stealer - a mischievous scallywag of a dinosaur that goes down well with the children."
The show also includes a huge recreation of a brachiosaurus, which is 72 feet from nose to tail and 32 feet tall.
Mr Wenn added: "We took our lead from the BBC show and explore each story behind the dinosaurs. A lot of it is about their basic instincts, which we all have; protecting one's young and searching for food; it sounds strange, but it helps you relate to them."
The BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs remains television's most expensive documentary series ever with its computer-generated imagery costing £2 million per minute.
The series creator and producer, Tim Haines, has served as a senior consultant on the project.
He said: "For me it would be very difficult to not be involved as it my baby, although I cannot take credit for creating these great creatures.
"People who come to the show will feel the power of these animals and while children are taken aback, it doesn't traumatise them - they love it.
"I'm very proud of the show coming to the UK- I come home from Australia or the US and tell people all about how amazing it is and they say 'I don't know what you are talking about,' so it's lovely to see it here."
He added: "The T Rex has become the world's most famous dinosaur and just like in the last episode of the series, she provides a great full stop to this show."
The beasts are operated by "voodoo puppetry" which involves a backstage team manipulating miniature versions with the same range of movements as the life-sized counterparts. Movements of the puppets are replicated on stage.
Newsweek hailed it as "that rare entertainment beast that parents and kids can enjoy together". Variety said the dinosaurs are "stunning and faultlessly nimble".
A total of 25,000 tickets have already been sold for the O2 and Wembley shows.
Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular begins at the O2 from 5 August. To book tickets call 0844 875 9000 or visit www.dinosaurlive.com
