In 1993, we faced our own extinction…and never looked at a tiny mosquito the same way again. The novel-to-film adaptation of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg assembled an all-star cast — Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, and Samuel L. Jackson. They gathered on a remote island intended to be a Dinosaur Disneyland of sorts, a place where humans and not-so-extinct dinosaurs could vacation together in the tropics. Ahh. Tranquility.  But, when corporate sabotage led to a power outage, the thin barrier between human and beast was eliminated, resulting in a survival of the fittest adventure (not to mention one of the most successful film franchises of all time).

What better food for fodder (insert devious laugh) for Hold On To Your Butts, a two-actor show that recounts the thrills of the original movie, complete with live audio from an on-stage Foley artist.

To make sure you are sufficiently prepared for the journey ahead, here are five fun facts from the original movie.

1. Much like a theatrical dramaturg who ensures the authenticity of a historical play, Spielberg enlisted a paleontologist to advise on dinosaur behavior and consult on the authenticity of the scientists’ roles played by Neill and Dern.
2. While audiences felt wrung out after two hours of dinosaur danger, in actuality, the film only featured approximately 15 minutes of dinosaur footage.
3. During filming in Hawaii, production was paused because of Hurricane Iniki, eerily mirroring the tropical storm in the film that leaves Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards), and Tim Murphy (Joseph Mazzello) face-to-face with a rampaging T. rex.
   Watch: The iconic T. rex breakout scene from Jurassic Park (video courtesy of the official Jurassic World YouTube channel).
4. The T. rex was a 20-foot-tall animatronic dinosaur built from fiberglass and clay. Twelve different operators were required to bring it to life.
5. According to Dr. Nate Smith of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, Jurassic Park inspired a generation of young dinosaur enthusiasts to pursue careers in paleontology. Today, scientists identify roughly 50 new dinosaur species each year.

Sources: American Film Institute and the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum publication: “Jurassic Perks: How Jurassic Park helped spark a boom in new dinosaur discoveries”

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