Some of the most fascinating creatures to ever roam the planet are those we have never actually seen in person. Dinosaurs walked the Earth between about 245 and 66 million years ago, way before the first modern humans, or Homo Sapiens, appeared, and all of them are extinct. Though long-gone, per Scientific American, the species does hold a close connection to birds and lizards, and thus lives on in much smaller descendants today.
Steven Spielberg’s 1993 sci-fi action film Jurassic Park captivated audiences worldwide, sparking an interest in dinosaurs for decades to follow. The creatures in the Jurassic Park franchise aren’t related to the animals that walked the planet millions of years ago, but are rather products of genetic mutation; meaning that their DNA was pulled from a variety of different animals.
However, Spielberg's masterpiece isn't the only string of films inspired by dinosaurs. As alluring as Jurassic Park is, these prehistoric reptiles are fascinating enough on their own, and documentaries about them are just as entertaining as any blockbuster hit. Here are some of the best dinosaur documentaries to date that are both informative and fascinating.
Updated on April 21, 2023, by Mona Bassil.
8 Sky Monsters
Sky Monsters, a 2006 made-for-TV documentary, focuses on the more forgotten and overlooked types of dinosaurs, who aren't quite as hyped as they deserve: pterodactyls. These dinosaurs were a breed of pterosaurs that were among the first to be linked to a flying reptile.
The National Geographic film features the findings of a group of researchers at Stanford University, who studied the aerodynamics and feeding patterns of the bird-like beast and recreated them through animation and CGI. Though this breed of dinosaur was featured as one of the more ferocious threats in Jurassic World, they haven't always been depicted 100% accurately in Hollywood.
According to Wired, the pterosaurs depicted in Jurassic World aren't scaled to fit accurate measurements. More than pterodactyls, Sky Monsters also examines other flying creatures of the time. It is available to stream on Prime Video.
7 Dinosaur, 13
Dinosaur, 13 is an American documentary film that follows a paleontologist named Sue Hendrickson and a geographical research team, who discovered the largest, most complete T-Rex skeleton ever documented in history. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and won an Emmy in the documentary category.
The T-Rex skeleton was discovered in the badlands in South Dakota. The documentary doesn't just cover the outstanding findings of the skeleton that was nicknamed "Sue," but also documents the long-term legal battle that occurred after the findings were seized by the federal government. The mind-blowing documentary is available to watch on Prime Video and the free streaming app Tubi.
6 Walking with Dinosaurs
Although the six-part TV docuseries Walking with Dinosaurs dates back to 1999, it is one of the most highly regarded dinosaur documentaries ever made. Produced by the BBC Science Unit, the Discovery Channel, and BBC Worldwide, the show is reminiscent of the feel and style of a traditional nature documentary, closing in on dinosaurs as if they were, say, lions in the wild.
Narrated by the iconic Kenneth Branagh, the documentaries were such a success that they spawned an entire series of spin-offs with the title "Walking With...". Walking with Dinosaurs relied on CGI and animatronics to portray the prehistoric creatures, and, at the time, was one of the most expensive documentary-style television series to have ever been made. It is available to stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Vudu.
5 Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
Narrated by actor Donald Sutherland, 2007's Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia is a 40-minute film focusing on the Early Cretaceous era (i.e., 90 million years ago) in the Patagonia region of South America, and the discoveries of paleontologist Rodolfo Coria. It mostly presents the similarities and differences between the Argentinosaurus and the Mapusaurus.
4 The Ballad of Big Al
Directed by Kate Bartlett, The Ballad of Big Al is a 29-minute BBC sequel to the aforementioned miniseries Walking with Dinosaurs, chronicling the life of an Allosaurus Fragilis, affectionately nicknamed Big Al, thanks to a remarkably well-preserved fossil.
The film was the recipient of two 2001 Emmy Awards: one for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Non-Fiction Program, and another for Outstanding Animated Program. It was also followed by a making-of titled Big Al Uncovered.
3 How to Build a Dinosaur
Whilst on a museum visit featuring the skeletons of excavated dinosaurs, have you ever wondered how the pieces have been so delicately and accurately put together? Or how the shapes and sizes of muscles the colors of the skin have been determined? Dr. Alice Robert and other scientists answer this question at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum in How to Build a Dinosaur.
2 Clash of the Dinosaurs
While most dinosaur documentaries either primarily focus on specific breeds or the ultimate downfall of the prehistoric reptiles as a whole, the four-part 2009 TV miniseries Clash of the Dinosaurs specifically centers around the evolution of dinosaurs over an entire century.
Produced by Dangerous LTD for Discovery Channel, it looks at dinosaurs from bone to real flesh, using 3D graphic imaging and anatomy. Since it was made in 2009, it is hard not to imagine how much more science would be able to reveal if it were made today. Clash of the Dinosaurs is known for the scenes showcasing the outer body armor that some breeds had to defend themselves against larger predators. You can stream it on Hulu and Sling TV.
1 Prehistoric Planet
Jon Favreau's award-winning Prehistoric Planet is an Apple TV+ exclusive that was released in May 2022, and is currently sitting at 8.5 on IMDB, and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 94% audience score. The series is narrated by famed natural historian David Attenborough, and dubs itself an "immersive experience." The high-end editing and graphics that went into creating the series will be regarded through the ages.
However, it isn't just the stunning appearance of the pictures on the screen or the acclaim that comes with Attenborough at the series' helm: Prehistoric Planet is the first dinosaur documentary to ever correctly portray the long-debated fact that has become so apparent when discussing the Jurassic Park franchise. The series focuses on the widely available paleontologist research that has been found, and the existence of feathered dinosaurs. Prehistoric Planet is available on Apple TV+ and its second season, streaming in May 2023, features 5 episodes with new dinosaurs and scientific discoveries.