7 /10 1 Votes
7.7/10 TV Original language(s) English No. of episodes 50 (list of episodes) Final episode date 22 November 1988 Language English | 6.5/10 IMDb Genre animation, children's Country of origin United States No. of seasons 2 First episode date 12 September 1988 Program creator Peter Keefe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Dinosaur Train, Valley of the Dinosaurs, Extreme Dinosaurs, The Land Before Time, She‑Ra: Princess of Power | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denver, the Last Dinosaur is an American cartoon for children originally released in 1988 by World Events Productions. It was nationally syndicated throughout the United States in 1988 with reruns airing until 1990. Episodes often focused on issues of conservation, ecology, and friendship.
Contents
- Denver the last dinosaur s01e01 pilot part 1
- Plot
- Voice Characterizations
- Main characters
- Minor characters
- Villains
- Merchandise and DVD releases
- International airings
- Reception
- References
The show ran for two seasons, as the dinosaur boom that had followed The Land Before Time waned, causing viewership to drop. The series received a recommendation from the National Educational Association.
Denver the last dinosaur s01e01 pilot part 1
Plot
The show revolves around the adventures of Denver, the last dinosaur, who was released from his egg by a group of California teens: Jeremy, Mario, Shades, Wally, and Casey, along with tag-along older sister, Heather. The kids taught Denver the finer points of skateboarding and other pastimes while protecting him from rock concert promoter Morton Fizzback who wanted to use the dinosaur to make money.
The series begins when Jeremy, while preparing for his Natural History test, and his friends visit the La Brea Tar Pits - A place in Los Angeles (which is spread over a large area and contains a large collection of extinct animal and plant fossils) and go to the Museum. At the museum, the friends encounter a gang of bullies. The friends escape the bullies by hiding behind a fence near the tar pits. Behind the fence they find a pit that contains a large prehistoric egg. As the friends are playing with the egg it suddenly cracks and a green friendly dinosaur emerges who, inexplicably, understands English. The kids name him Denver after they spot an advertisement for the city of Denver on a passing bus.
The children decide to keep Denver and to keep his existence a secret. Denver is first hidden in a pool house at Wally's home. After Wally's sister discovers Denver they move Denver to the old school gym. After a while Denver gets kidnapped by the manager Morton Fizzback. Morton puts Denver on a stage in front of an audience in order to become rich.
When the children confront Morton about his abduction, he becomes paranoid that someone might find out that Denver is a real dinosaur. At the end, Denver is sold to a scientist named Professor Funt who wants to examine and experiment on him, and use him to become famous. Eventually, everything turns out fine and Denver gets to return to the gang and rescue them from Nick and his thugs.
In addition to his natural skills and abilities, Denver can also, with the help of a piece from the shell of his egg, take the gang with him back to the time whence he came.
Voice Characterizations
Main characters
Minor characters
Villains
Merchandise and DVD releases
Knott's Berry Farm offered a Denver promotional tie-in with its new Kingdom of the Dinosaurs attraction (which would later take its last rider in 2004), as did Ralston Cereals with its new brand Dinersaurs (which sold poorly and was discontinued by the end of 1988).
World Events Productions released two DVD volumes through their Voltron.com website. The first volume included the hour-long pilot and the following eight episodes. The second volume includes 10 episodes. World Events Productions had the complete series on YouTube; it was removed on December 31, 2010, because of synchronizing problems, but as of February 2012, all but three episodes had been restored. On February 11, 2011, World Events Productions released the complete series on Hulu.
On September 16, 2014, World Events Productions (distributed by VCI Entertainment) released Denver, The Last Dinosaur - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.
International airings
Reception
One of very many children's animated series of the 1980s, Denver didn't leave a lasting impression on many viewers. In 2014, listing it among twelve 1980s cartoons that did not deserve remembrance, io9 characterized it as "a cartoon about coolness and friendship created by a marketing committee of old white men who had never experienced either of them before."