Steven Spielberg can't have seen this one coming
We're pretty sure the Tyrannosaurus Rex won't chase you around the park, and that the Velociraptors won't follow your kids into the kitchen. But, if you want to experience the likes of Jurassic Park, you won't get much closer than this.
Restless Planet, a $1.1 billion theme park currently being built in Dubai will become the home of animatronic dinosaurs, resembling some 40 species of extinct creatures. Upon completion in late 2008, over 100 dinosaurs will be on display in prehistoric habitats.
The park will become the main attraction of a Las Vegas-style entertainment and business development named City of Arabia.
Managing director of the park, Mustafa Galadari, says "The Restless Planet provides a visual, audio and tactile experience allowing visitors to experience some of the exciting things that have gone on in the Earth's history. Extremely realistic and scary – but at the same time, educational, the 500,000 square foot (46,000 square metre) Restless Planet, will most of all be enormous fun. A thrilling ride in a scientifically accurate environment."
U.S. paleontologist Jack Horner, who had previously worked with Steven Spielberg on dino-movie Jurassic Park, is helping advise the park's designers. Referring to the realism of the park itself, My Horner states ""Right now it's pretty much under wraps, but I can tell you that it will indeed be accurate to our modern knowledge, and it will be unlike anything you've ever seen before."
If like me you're finding these concept images a little hard to believe, wait until you've seen the official promotinal video over at the official website.
To help bring the dinosaurs to life, the graphics and backdrops are being developed by Impossible Pictures, the UK based creator of the BBC's television series Walking with Dinosaurs. Animatronic experts, Kokoro Company of Tokyo, Japan, are behind the creation of the dinosaurs themselves.
I'm a big fan of Alton Towers but if they can pull this one off, I'll be first in line.
Useful links
Official Restless Planet website
Official Restless Planet promotional video
Official Restless Planet brochure (PDF)
