Random Palaeo-Work idea of the Day #22

Hello again. Here's something to tide you over until the next review, now in-progress.

Ashfall

From Dean Lomax's book Locked in Time; illustrations by Bob Nicholls

An animated film, inspired by the palaeontological site in Nebraska. It would tell the story of a crash of the ancient rhino Teleoceras as they weather out the ash clouds due to their leader being too stubborn to try and escape in any way even as the other animals start to die out as thr volcanic ash suffocates all that inhates it. Don't worry, it would have a bittersweet ending with most of the lead herd members getting their own moments of closure and solace in their last ones.

This movie would all be without dialogue save brief narration.

Beasts from Bones

A documentary about mythical creatures that may have been inspired or influenced by ancient people discovering remains of extinct lifeforms. Examples would include (but not be limited to):
  • Indigenous tribes of the interior plains creating myths of water monsters and the thunderbirds and other sky monsters from the bones of fossils found there. Sample species are:
    • Mosasaurs and Elasmosaurus
    • Pteranodon
    • Megacerops (which inspired what's called the Thunder Horse)
  • Cyclopes and Griffins from Greek myth hypothesised as being inspired by the respective remains of dwarf elephants from Crete and the ceratopsian Protoceratops... though I would bring in Mark Witton to explain that these aren't actually true
  • Indigenous Siberians and Chinese interpreting the frozen carcasses and tusks of Mammoths as giant burrowing earth beasts, like the Witkas and the Yin Shu.
  • Dragons, in particular those of central Europe.
    • Cave Bear
    • Woolly Rhinoceros
    • Mammoth
  • Unicorns, in particular the infamous Magdeburg Unicorn made out of woolly rhino parts.
  • Cultures of Australia and South America basing monsters off cultural memory, such as ground sloths for the former.
The main gimmick of the series is that each episode the creature would appear in CG sequences where they encounter their mythical creature counterpart, sometimes simply observing one another, others engaging in chases or full blown fights. Cheesy, I know, but who wouldn't want to see such things?

Hope you like these ideas. Share your thoughts on them.

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