Chromosaurus Mini-Review

If you've seen compilations of early CGI films from the 1980's and 90's, you may have seen this. I previously mentioned it in my review of Donkin's Dinosaurs, but never got around to reviewing in full... as it were. This is Chromosaurus*, creating by a fledgeling Pacific Data Images, written by animator Don Venhaus (the director however is unknown as of this writing), and released in 1985, the bery fiest CG work to use dinosaurs in any capacity, albiet here robotic ones. It was quite a year for palaeomedia, as it included not just it (the first CG-animated work period), but also the CBS documentary Dinosaur! with its stop motion dinos and no doubt many's introduction to the Dinosaur Renaissance's ideals, what is known as the Normanpedia that introduced the palaeoart world to John Sibbick, as well as the Disney movie Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. It seems to be the year that kicked off the hype for prehistory that led to Jurassc Park in the 90's, and by extension most palaeo-media ever since.

* Not Chromosaurs as I previously wrote.

The 43-second sees robots in the shape of what sources claim are robotic Tyrannosaurus, consisting of a group on the run and what seems to be a parent with two babies. At the very end, we also see a glimpse of similar cybernetic sauropods and pterosaurs in the distance, perhaps one of which will be the target of the pack.

Since its only 42 seconds however, we don't get anything, leaving viewers to wonder where exactly it takes place. On another planet? In the distant future? In the past? Though honestly, the speculation of expanding on this may be just as fun as watching it.

I've said it before, but Chromosaurus feels like pure 80's (western) culture. The purple and orange colour palate. The synth music. The robots. The title font that floats by at the start. And of course, all the chrome plating on every dino. All that's missing is cocaine or big hair. You could put any screenshot on a metal album cover of the era and it would fit right in.

Chromosaurus is more a tech demo then anything else, made to show off graphic artists' use of light reflection, but for the time it's quite good, especially the reflections on the dinosaurs' chrome.

The CG is stylised, but I think it holds up well after 38 years. The reuse of models even for the babies is forgivable, as individual details would be too much for the rendering at the time (and the main reason roboys with their bare metal hulls rather then flesh and blood creatures are used). The movements seem fluid yet weighted as befit robots. I must mention the tails however: they're a bit too flexible, bending constantly in a way I don't expect even a high tech robot to have, raising questions as to what they're made of. 

The designs for the dinosaurs are still very good in my book, meanwhile. The rather slender designs of their chassis evoke a kind of hybrid of rex and raptor, and save the bland bands on the neck making them look like bowling pins to me a bit, they're pretty good.

While accuracy is evidently not the focus of the short, the rex-bots have the tails off the ground and the fast. movements do evoke the Dinosaur Rennaisance. They do go upright when relaxed however, and their claw arms are in a pronated position. Still, all of that is beside the point. It's all about the cool here, wowing potential viewers with the all-new CGI.

The synth music (composer is unknown) is nice, setting the mood well, andf the rumbling roar the dino makes is cool. Finally the mood is at once primeval and futuristic, the way the robots are on a barren open plain straight out of Burianian art, giving the feel we are in the early period of an era not ours, where potential for life to develop in strange and new ways is high.

As palaeo-media, the selection of species is as basic as it gets: just rex, pteranodon, and sauropod, and the idea of pack hunting tyrannosaurs was only just gaining traction as a therory and was unheard of in palaeo-media, as it was more associated with raptors. But why am I even trying to look into what's ultimately too short to really find anything to discuss in full, hence why this is a quicky.?

• Accuracy - 3/10
• Aging - 8/10
• Animation - 73/10
• Music - 7/10
• Rewatchability - 3/10

Chromosaurus is an enjoyable 3/4s a minute of 80's tech and cheese, and a landmark in both CG history and palaeomedia, well before even Jurassic Park even got the idea to use the tech for its dinos. I would love to see it expanded on. Anyone up for it? You can always just use your imagination....  Or I can always make my own. You'll see soon.