Dinotopia: Worldbuilding, Philosophy & Ideology

Dinotopia is a beautifully illustrated narrative artbook that tells the story of Arthur and Will Denison, and their accidential arrival on the island of Dinotopia.

The 1993 book by James Gurney sets out a fantastical vision of a land where dinosaurs and humans not only co-exist but thrive, based on a shared understanding and social contract.

Its a sort of Jurassic Park if it was made by an Anarchist as opposed to John Hammond.

In this video, I take us through the book, examining the main plot beats, characters, themes and foibles, before examining some of the political and philosophical themes on display.

This video only uses the original book, so has not used any materials from subsequent books or tv shows.

Mrs InsideLeft for scripting, filming and support
Nicko - for continued use of their excellent mic
Adventsong & Robert Gordon - For all of the music used in this video
Adventsong's music can be found here: https://adventsong.bandcamp.com/
Robert Gordon's music can be found here: https://rgordon.bandcamp.com/
WeCreateTogether - For their support and amplification
WeCreateTogether can be followed and contacted here: https://bsky.app/profile/wecreatetoge...

Hope you enjoy the video.

Timestamps:

00:01:00 - Plot Summary
00:47:55 - Themes
00:57:53 - Summary

#worldbuilding #dinosaur #jurassicworld #jurassicpark #narrativeart #fantasy #scifi #bookreview #explained