On June 11, 1993, history was made. Jurassic Park hit theaters, and our cultural world was changed forever.
Along with 1991's Terminator 2, the sci-fi blockbuster was one of the very first movies to use extensive CGI in combination with live action. Jurassic Park boasted some of the most innovative moviemaking to date, and some really incredible minds came together to help the giant beasts come to life onscreen.
But how much do you really know about this all-time favorite film? These 10 facts will help you learn more about what really happened behind the scenes!
It must have been such a thrill to work with these mechanical monsters and director Steven Spielberg. After the film's release, more and more people became interested in paleontology and ended up pursuing careers in the subject. The classic is a testament to the fact that the entertainment industry really does have a lasting effect on our culture!
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1. The Dinosaur Sounds Came From Strange Places
The velociraptor's bark is actually the sound of a tortoise mating! Meanwhile, its breathing comes from sounds made by a horse, and its hiss comes from an angry goose!
Sound designer Gary Rydstrom divulged an industry secret — that even the smallest recorded noises, when slowed down, can become huge and mysterious.
2. An Iconic Shot Was Inspired By Earth, Wind & Fire
The master of suspense, Steven Spielberg, was sitting in his car one day, listening to Earth, Wind & Fire at full volume. He noticed that his rearview mirror was shaking along with the beat and thought that this visual would be perfect for the lead-up to the T-Rex.
He added the shot of the water shaking on the dashboard, and voilà: instant spook-factor.
3. Harrison Ford Could Have Been Dr. Grant
Harrison was offered the leading role of this iconic film, but he turned it down, as he once revealed on a panel. The part of Dr. Grant went to Sam Neill instead.
4. Steven Imitated Dinosaurs For The Perfect Shot
Acting with fictional, nonexistent dinosaurs can lead to some confusion on set. Laura Dern recalled how, when the cast was supposed to react to a T-Rex roar while nothing was there, they all looked in different directions at different times.
To remedy the problem, the one and only Steven Spielberg took matters into his own hands and let out a less-than-impressive "RAAAAWR."
It may have worked in the end, but it was understandably difficult for the actors to keep from laughing.
5. The T-Rex Got Her Mannerisms From A Jack Russell
Gary the sound designer noticed that the way the T-Rex shook its prey in its massive jaws was ever so similar to the way his little Jack Russell terrier went at it with a rope toy at home.
As a result, many of the T-Rex's memorable noises are in fact sounds that came from a Jack Russell terrier named Buster!
6. The Velociraptors Were Really Two Men Inside Elaborate Puppets
John Rosengrant was one of the two effects supervisors to man a raptor suit used on set.
It took many stages of trial and error on behalf of Stan Winston's effects studio to finally get the massive puppets just right, but the result is indeed terrifying!
7. Dinosaurs Are Only In The Film For 15 Minutes
Although the movie is over two hours long, the dinosaurs themselves are only in it for a total of 15 minutes.
Just goes to show that fear of the unknown is incredibly powerful!
8. An Engineer Almost Died Inside The T-Rex
When it was time to glue the rubber skin onto the T-Rex, an engineer had to crawl inside of the structure to get the job done. There was a very real danger of being impaled by hydraulics or sliced by sheets of moving metal should the power go off while engineer Alan Scott, of Stan Winston's studio, was still inside.
As fate would have it, the power went off in the entire studio while Alan was inside, but he managed to escape death by curling into the tightest ball his body would allow.
Fellow crew members got him out by pulling him from the dino's jaws. Scary!
9. A Devastating Hurricane Halted Production
Production was in its final stretch in Hawaii when Hurricane Iniki, the strongest storm to hit the Hawaiian Islands, made landfall. The entire cast and crew posted up in their hotel rooms, simply hoping to survive the storm in 1992.
The hurricane completely destroyed all of the sets, and they had to pick up and wrap the rest of filming in Los Angeles.
10. The Film Has Grossed Over $1 Billion
In its lifetime, this movie has grossed a total of $1,029,153,882, according to Box Office Mojo. At the time of its release, it had the highest opening weekend profit of any movie to date!
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